Princeton University student who vanished days ago has been found dead, officials say - NBC News

A Princeton University student who vanished days ago has been recovered dead, authorities said Thursday.

The assemblage of 20-year-old Misrach Ewunetie was discovered by an worker astir 1 p.m. down the university's tennis courts, the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office said successful a quality release. The aesculapian examiner volition find the origin of death, but Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri said "there were nary evident signs of wounded and her decease does not look suspicious oregon transgression successful nature."

The schoolhouse said determination are nary threats to the field oregon the surrounding area.

"Misrach’s decease is an unthinkable tragedy. Our hearts spell retired to her family, her friends and the galore others who knew and loved her," Vice President for Campus Life W. Rochelle Calhoun said.

Earlier Thursday, field information advised students they would spot much drones, helicopters and watercraft canvassing the assemblage for Ewunetie, who hadn’t been seen since Oct. 14.

Prior to the discovery, Ewunetie’s mother, Tiruedil Kassa, had been urging anyone with accusation to travel forward, telling NBC affiliate WKYC of Cleveland: “Just if they person anything, fto america know, fto the constabulary know, fto idiosyncratic know."

She described her girl arsenic a quiet, reserved and benignant girl. 

Misrach Ewunetie.Courtesy Princeton University

“She’s specified a trusting person, conscionable a beauteous person,” she said. 

Ewunetie had attended an lawsuit Oct. 13 astatine the Terrace Club, an eating hall, and returned to her dorm wherever her roommates saw her astir 3 a.m. But aft 4 a.m., 1 roommate said she was nary longer there, Ewunetie's brother, Universe Ewunetie, told NBC News Wednesday. 

Universe Ewunetie said helium and his sister were texting Oct. 13, the past clip helium heard from her. By Sunday, her telephone had unopen off. 

Kassa said to WKYC: “We can’t find her phone. We don’t know, it’s conscionable switched disconnected since Sunday. It was moving earlier that.” 

Ewunetie, portion of the people of 2024, disappeared Oct. 14, the past time of classes earlier the commencement of a one-week autumn interruption connected campus, a clip erstwhile galore students instrumentality home.

The Ivy League assemblage said successful an email to students that its Department of Public Safety was notified by Ewunetie’s household Sunday nighttime that they had not heard from her successful respective days and requested a well-being check. 

Since Sunday, the Princeton University DPS had been starring the probe into her disappearance on with the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office. On Monday, the schoolhouse issued an alert to field saying Ewunetie was missing.

On Wednesday and Thursday, Princeton University students were told to expect an accrued instrumentality enforcement beingness connected and astir field arsenic the hopeless hunt continued with the usage of a helicopter, drones and watercraft.

Universe Ewunetie said that the household is primitively from Ethiopia and that his sister grew up successful Euclid, Ohio. She had nary ties to the New Jersey country too school, helium said.

“She’s loved and cared for, and we’re missing her,” helium said.

Cleveland City Councilman Charles Slife and Councilwoman Rebecca Maurer besides had issued a nationalist video plea for assistance successful uncovering Ewunetie. 

They said they worked with her astatine Minds Matter Cleveland, a nonprofit that offers world and mentoring resources for high-performing, low-income precocious schoolhouse students. 

“She’s an unthinkable student, this is not accustomed behavior,” Maurer said successful the clip.

Slife said that Ewunetie worked with them for 3 years each play “to effort to marque definite she could get to the assemblage of her dreams, and she was truthful thrilled erstwhile she got into Princeton.” 

He described her connected Facebook arsenic “a dedicated student” who earned valedictorian honors successful precocious schoolhouse and a afloat thrust to Princeton.

Slife added the sociology large “interned for Bank of America and worked for McKinsey.”

Ewunetie's precocious school, Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School in Cleveland, said she was a 2020 honors graduate.