photo courtesy of Fox 29
The body of Misrach Ewunetie, a missing Princeton student, was found behind the campus’ tennis courts on October 20. Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office found her at around 1 pm, and an autopsy revealed that there were “no signs of injury and her death [did] not appear suspicious or criminal in nature.”
The medical examiner is still seeking to determine the cause of death.
Ewunetie was last seen six days ago in New Jersey near her residential building at 3 in the morning, according to a statement released by the university. She was officially reported missing on October 17. An investigation was launched with increased police presence, bloodhounds, and aerial searches of Lake Carnegie, the campus, and the surrounding areas. Upon the finding of her body, Princeton said, “Our hearts go out to her family, her friends and the many others who knew and loved her,” The university continued to say they were “planning an opportunity for students to join together and remember Misrach,” after the “unthinkable tragedy.”
Despite the police searches, Ewunetie’s family opened up to CNN about the police’s treatment of them, claiming they kept them in the dark during the investigation.
“There’s no constant update or interaction with us,” Ewunetie’s brother said before the discovery of her body, “We’re really kept in the dark [and] we don’t have, we don’t have time,” The family was working hard to organize their own efforts to find Misrach. They disclosed that she went missing just days before she was supposed to have a meeting regarding her citizenship and that it was extremely alarming. Her brother described his late sister as a “precious, beautiful soul…a great listener [and someone who] cares about people beyond her.”
He described her passing as a nightmare he couldn’t wake up from.
The family realized something was wrong when they couldn’t get ahold of Ewunetie over the weekend, and texts and calls went through unanswered. After speaking to her roommates, they found that they had last seen her in her dorm room on Friday morning after volunteering for one of her regular clubs the night before.