The body of missing Princeton University undergrad Misrach Ewunetie was recovered Thursday, nearly a full week after she vanished near the residence hall where she had been living, prosecutors say.
A campus employee found Ewunetie's body on the outskirts of campus behind tennis courts around 1 p.m., Mercer County prosecutors said, near a facilities building about a half mile from her dorm. Law enforcement sources described the area as comparatively remote and restricted to authorized vehicles, near where crews had been searching in recent days.
Two sources with direct knowledge of the investigation said there was no preliminary indication of foul play. Prosecutors confirmed there were no obvious signs of injury to Ewunetie and said her death does not appear suspicious or criminal in nature. The medical examiner will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death.
Earlier Thursday, campus safety advised students they would see more drones, helicopters and watercraft canvassing university grounds for Ewunetie. Hours before the grim discovery was announced, Gov. Phil Murphy weighed in on the case, saying he had been in touch with multiple law enforcement officials at various levels of government.
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The 20-year-old Ewunetie, a member of Princeton's Class of 2024, was last seen entering Scully Hall, where she lived, around 3 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 14, according to an alert from the university that went out earlier this week. She had been volunteering for a school organization before that.
An email sent to students living on campus indicated Ewunetie's family and friends hadn't heard from her in days. Her family grew concerned after she wasn't responding to messages, something that was very unlike her, and reported her missing to campus officials on Sunday.
"This just like gut-wrenching feeling of being lost, no answer. And every question we ask, every answer we’re seeking, we’re getting more questions than answers," her brother, Universe Ewunetie, said before her body was found. "She’s a sweet soul, like she’s the most caring person you will ever meet...She’s the last person I would expect to go missing."
According to her LinkedIn profile, Ewunetie was a junior pursuing a sociology degree with a computer applications certificate from the Ivy League school. She had internships with McKinsey & Company and Bank of America over the last few years and attended high school at Villa Angela-St. Joseph in Cleveland, Ohio.
Ewunetie was also a 2021 LEDA Career Fellow and spent years volunteering at the Greater Cleveland Food Bank in her home state, her profile said. She was the valedictorian of her high school class and was attending Princeton on a full scholarship.
Following the tragic development of the discovery of Ewunetie's body, Princeton University's W. Rochelle Calhoun, Vice President for Campus Life, sent out a letter to its students and staff saying in part: "Misrach’s death is an unthinkable tragedy. Our hearts go out to her family, her friends and the many others who knew and loved her."
According to the letter, the university is planning on hosting "an opportunity for students to join together and remember Misrach." Information on this event will be shared at a later time.
The university also urged students, faculty and staff impacted by the devastating news to contact support, guidance and counsel resources.
