A 20-year-old Princeton University who had been missing for a week was found on the outskirts of the campus, dead. Her death was ruled a suicide after an autopsy.
Authorities searched for Misrach Ewunetie for a week after her family reported her missing. Her body was found behind the tennis courts on the Ivy League campus grounds in New Jersey on October 20. The autopsy results were released December 28.
The Middlesex Regional Medical Examiner’s office reported that the young college student died from a concoction of several antidepressant pills.
The Mercer County Prosecutors Office said that she died from a combination of Bupropion, an antidepressant, and Escitalopram, also an antidepressant that is also prescribed for people with anxiety. Hydroxyzine, an antihistamine used to treat allergic reactions, anxiety, and other related disorders, was also found in her body.
Ewunetie was last seen on October 14, at around 3 am. Her brother, Universe Ewunetie, told reporters that one of her roommates, who arrived at their suite at around 4:30 am, did not find her in her room.
Ewunetie did not show up for an appointment to apply for US citizenship two days later, causing her family in Ohio to worry. They immediately reported her missing, and a search for her throughout the campus followed.
Ewunetie’s older brother said his sister was working toward a degree in sociology at Princeton and she was beloved by her family. He called her a beautiful and precious soul.
The news of Ewunetie’s disappearance made national headlines, with people across the US following the story on social media, hoping she would be found alive and well. Several law enforcement agencies including the University’s Department of Public Safety, the New Jersey State Police, and the Princeton Police Department were looking for her.
Princeton University’s Vice President for Campus Life, Rochelle Calhoun, wrote a letter to the university community saying that the young woman’s body had no obvious signs of injury and that her death did not look suspicious.
Princeton University administrators have repeatedly affirmed that there was no evidence of foul play, in an effort to reassure the college community.
Ewunetie had a four-year scholarship for Princeton University, which she received after getting excellent high school grades.