The body of a Princeton University junior who had been reported missing was found behind the Princeton University tennis courts, according to the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office and Princeton University officials.
Misrach Ewunetie was last seen around 3 a.m. Oct. 14 behind Scully Hall, officials said. She was reported missing Oct. 16. An extensive search was launched to find her that included a search of the area around the Princeton University boathouse on Carnegie Lake.
A Facilities employee found Ewunetie’s body behind the tennis courts, according to the prosecutor’s office said.
There were no obvious signs of injury and her death does not appear to be suspicious or criminal in nature, the prosecutor’s office said. An autopsy will be performed by the Middlesex County Medical Examiner’s Office to determine the cause and manner of death.
Since Ewunetie was reported missing, “the Princeton University Department of Public Safety had been working closely with local and state law enforcement agencies to find her,” Princeton University Vice President W. Rochelle Calhoun said in a letter to the Princeton University community.
Officials do not believe there is any related threat to the campus or the surrounding area, Calhoun said. Her death is an “unthinkable tragedy,” she said, and “there are plans for students to gather to remember her.”
Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri thanked the Princeton University Department of Public Safety, the Princeton Police Department, the New Jersey State Police and the New Jersey State Park Police for their help.
The West Windsor Police Department, the Hamilton Township Police Division, the Lawrence Township Police Department, the Princeton Fire Department and the Princeton First Aid and Rescue Squad also assisted along with dive teams from the West Windsor and Trenton fire departments, Onofri said.