The body of missing Princeton University student Misrach Ewunetie was recovered Thursday, nearly a full week after she disappeared near the residence hall where she had been living, prosecutors said.
A facilities employee found Ewunetie on the outskirts of campus behind the tennis courts around 1 p.m., Mercer County prosecutors said. Law enforcement sources described the area as relatively remote and restricted to authorized vehicles. Sources said there were no preliminary signs of trauma.
Prosecutors confirmed there were no obvious signs of injury to Ewunetie and said her death did not appear to be suspicious or criminal in nature. An autopsy will be performed to determine the cause and manner of death.
Earlier on Thursday, campus security advised students that they would see more drones, helicopters and jet skis circling the university for Ewunetie, who had not been seen since Friday, October 14.
Hours before the grim discovery was announced, Gov. Phil Murphy weighed in on the case Thursday, saying he had been in contact with several law enforcement officials at various levels of government. The Democrat said all teams were doing everything they could to find her and bring her home safely.
Ewunetie, 20, a member of Princeton’s Class of 2024, was last seen near Scully Hall, where she lived, around 3 a.m. last Friday, according to a university alert that came out earlier this week.
An email sent to students living on campus indicated that Ewunetie’s family and friends had not heard from her in days.
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Misrach Ewunetie, a 20-year-old junior from Princeton University’s Class of 2024, has not been seen since early Friday.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Ewunetie was a junior majoring in sociology with a certificate in computer applications from an Ivy League school. In recent years he interned with McKinsey & Company and Bank of America and attended high school at Villa Angela-St. Joseph in Cleveland, Ohio.
Ewunetie was also a 2021 LEDA Career Scholar and spent years volunteering at the Greater Cleveland Food Bank in her home state, her profile said.
After the tragic unfolding of the discovery of Ewunetie’s body, Princeton University’s W. Rochelle Calhoun, vice president of Campus Life, sent a letter to her students and staff saying in part, “Misrach’s death is an unthinkable tragedy. her family, her friends and the many others who knew and loved her.”
According to the letter, the university plans to host “an opportunity for students to come together and remember Misrach.” Information about this event will be shared later.
The university is also urging students, faculty and staff affected by the devastating news to reach out to resources for support, guidance and counseling.