• Nathan Bihlmaier, 31, was celebrating graduation at Irish pub when he was asked to leave for being too drunk
  • Portland Police Chief confirmed it was the 31-year-old, saying: 'It’s a tragic end'
  • Was due to graduate on Thursday

By Daily Mail Reporter

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The body of a Harvard Business School student who went missing on Sunday after drinking with friends in an Irish bar has been found.

Nathan Bihlmaier, 31, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, disappeared while celebrating his upcoming graduation with two friends.

Divers returned to the Maine harbor today after finding clothing on Monday belonging to the 31-year-old and later pulled the body from the water around noon.

Portland Police Chief Michael Sauschuck confirmed it was the 31-year-old, saying: 'It’s a tragic end. We had high hopes throughout working with the family and the community to bring Nate home. These weren’t the circumstances that we wanted to.'

Vanished: Nathan Bihlmaier, 31, of Cambridge, Massachusetts was last seen by the Portland waterfront late Saturday night. He is pictured with his wife, Nancy

Vanished: Harvard student Nathan Bihlmaier, 31, was last seen by the Portland waterfront late on Saturday night. He is pictured with his wife, Nancy

Last seen: He and two friends had visited the Old Port area before Mr Bihlmaier vanished around 1am

Last seen: He and two friends had visited the Old Port area before Mr Bihlmaier vanished around 1am, divers found a body there today

Found? A missing poster of Nathan Bihlmaier, 31, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, is seen today in Portland, Maine. Police have yet to confirm the identity of the body

Found? A missing poster of Nathan Bihlmaier, 31, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, is seen today in Portland, Maine. Police have yet to confirm the identity of the body

Police say Bihlmaier was separated from friends after being asked to leave a waterfront pub at 12:20am on Sunday because he was intoxicated. He later failed to return to his hotel.

His wife is pregnant with their first child. He was due to graduate on Thursday.

Police told the Portland Press Herald that Mr Bihlmaier and two friends traveled to Portland for the weekend to celebrate their graduation from business school.

The revelers visited the Old Port area on Saturday night, before Mr Bihlmaier was asked to leave the bar soon after midnight because he was drunk.

Police confirmed that he had 'a little bit too much to drink', but added that he did not cause a disturbance while leaving the bar.

'At that point he left the bar very cooperatively,' police chief Michael Sauschuck said, according to the Bangor Daily News. 'There were no altercations - he just left voluntarily after being spoken to by bar staff.'

He spoke to his friends on the phone, but did not return to the hotel where they were staying. They searched for him to no avail and reported him missing at 9am.

Concerned: His pregnant wife, Nancy Hi Bihlmaier, rushed to the coastal city after receiving the news

'He is a well-established individual from a strong family. He has a wife who is expecting their first child. There is no reason he would [purposely] go missing,' Lt Gary Hutcheson told the Press Herald.

According to his cell phone records, Mr Bihlmaier did not venture far.

Police tracked his movements through his phone signal after he left the bar until his battery apparently died 40 minutes later.

Family: Mr Bihlmaier, originally from Kansas, with his wife Nancy and his parents Cheryl and Steve

Family: Mr Bihlmaier, originally from Kansas, with his wife Nancy and his parents Cheryl and Steve

Mystery: Police tracked his movements after he left Ri Ra, pictured, until his phone battery died 40 minutes later

Mystery: Police tracked him after he left Ri Ra, pictured, until his phone battery died 40 minutes later

The Coast Guard and the Portland harbormaster worked together with police to launch the underwater hunt for clues.

They even used a cadaver dog on an inflatable raft to search for the man's scent.

His pregnant wife, Nancy Hi Bihlmaier, rushed to the coastal city after receiving the news that her husband was missing, as did around 20 of his business school friends.

A spokesman for the school told the Press Herald: 'His friends describe him as really one top-notch guy.'

Mr Bihlmaier, whose family comes from Kansas but who is now based in the Boston area, specializes in the business of healthcare, and is employed by medical provider Optum.

He has previously worked at several other healthcare firms, as well as for the Department of Health and Human Services.

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horrible tragedy and my heart goes out to his family. unfortunately it's fairly common for people to fall in the water down there, and you really can't put railings along a working wharf.. hmmm dunno where the dm got that pic of ri-ra, but that isn't the one in portland.

That's just terrible - poor man and condolences to his family. RIP Pity one of his friends made sure he was safely put into a cab or something.

This man probably didn't get many weekends to cut loose while studying at Harvard Business School, and he wasn't likely to get many once his child was born, so I'd say he'd earned a little celebratory getaway! What a horrible tragedy. Every condolence to his family and friends.

Even the brightest among us aren't immune to the effects of too much alcohol. Poor guy RIP.

Horrible tragedy. Keep in mind his friends were probably almost as gone as him and didn't have the compus mentis to forsee the future, like everyone here with hindsight. They already blame themselves enough without being held hostage by others. My condolences to his family, who were surely blind-sided by this awful turn of events. May I ask why the title of the article adds insult to injury by implying the poor, bereaved wife is no longer pregnant by its use of the term "was?" The article states:"His wife is pregnant with their first child. He was due to graduate on Thursday." Surely some proof reading was done? Anyway, RIP.

What kind of friends don't leave with their friend? And why is drinking and in excess the only way to celebrate? My heart goes out to his wife and family.

This story makes me love my friends even more... We came together-we leave together... Isn't it uncanny how he is almost a split image of Mark-Paul Gosselaar? Couldn't help but think as I read the story. My condolences to his family.

Portland is a beautiful, small city. All restaurants and bars are arranged around the harbor. He drank too much and fell in the water. Nobody's fault but his own. RIP, but why the headline- is it because he was from Harvard?

Oh my - - its the Kenndey curse

Why should other people be responsible for his habit? Yes, I understand that his friends and crew should have cared and made sure he was safe, but tragedies like this come with the territory---DON'T DRINK AND ENJOY LIFE SAFELY.

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