Posted: Friday, Dec. 26, 5:30 p.m. — The lifeless body of GW Law School student Chris Bartok was found in the Potomac River last week, University officials said.

On Dec. 19, a jogger spotted Bartok’s body in the river near the Lincoln Memorial, said Bob Ludwig, GW’s interim director of media relations.

Ludwig said the cause of Bartok’s death has not been determined.

Metropolitan Police officials could not be reached for comment.

An MPD detective told University officials that Bartok was last seen on Dec. 18, leaving McFadden’s bar on 24th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue.

Bartok, 26, from Morro Bay, Calif., completed his first semester at the Law School earlier this month, according to the University’s Web site. He was a graduate of the California Institute of Technology.

“The tragic loss of this bright young man leaves us all shocked and saddened,” University President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg said in a press release. “As a parent, I can only imagine his family’s grief.

“But if there is any strength and comfort they can derive from an outpouring of love and support, we want them to know that the thoughts and prayers of our entire University community are with them now.”

Log on to www.gwhatchet.com throughout the winter break as more details become available.