A Princeton University student Misrach Ewunetie, 20, was missing and authorities searched for her for a week. Her body was found on the outskirts of the Ivy League, New Jersey campus grounds, behind the tennis courts, on October 20. Her death was ruled a suicide after autopsy findings were released on December 28.
The Middlesex Regional Medical Examiner’s office conducted the autopsy on Ewunetie, and in their report they wrote that the young student died from a concoction of several pills.
A statement released by the Mercer County Prosecutors Office revealed 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 there.
The high-achieving student missed an appointment to apply for US citizenship two days later, making her family, based in Ohio, worry. They immediately reported her missing, prompting a search for her throughout the campus.
Her older brother described Ewunetie, who was working toward a degree in sociology at Princeton, as the jewel of the family and the youngest and only daughter. 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 and 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, searched for her.
Rochelle Calhoun, the University’s Vice President for Campus Life, wrote a letter to the university community saying that authorities had established that her body had no obvious signs of injury and that her death did not look criminal or suspicious.
The twenty-year-old student was studying with a four-year scholarship at Princeton University. She received the scholarship after getting high grades in high school.
During the autopsy process, while speculation was ablaze on social media, prosecutors and Princeton University administrators have repeatedly affirmed that there was no evidence of foul play.
