Death of Missing Princeton Student Ruled a Suicide
The death of a Princeton University student who went missing and was later found dead on campus in October was determined to have been a suicide by the Middlesex Regional Medical Examiner’s office, according to a statement from the Mercer County Prosecutor’s office on Wednesday.
Misrach Ewunetie, 20, a member of the class of 2024, was found in a remote spot behind the university tennis courts on Oct. 20 afteran exhaustive search that involved campus security, local police officers, bloodhounds, drones and divers.
Findings from an autopsy by the medical examiner’s office determined her death to be “Bupropion, Escitalopram and Hydroxyzine Toxicity,” according to the county prosecutor.
“Our hearts go to Misrach’s family and friends, and to the wider campus community that has been shaken by this tragedy,” said Rochelle Calhoun, vice president for campus life, in a statement on Wednesday. “Losing a member of our community is always difficult. The long wait for definitive news about what led to her death has been challenging for all of us, and especially for those close to Misrach.”
Ms. Ewunetie, an immigrant from Ethiopia, had been missing for five days after her family became concerned when she did not show up for an appointment related to her application for American citizenship. Ms. Ewunetie immigrated to this country from Ethiopia as a child.
On the day Ms. Ewunetie’s body was found, the county prosecutor’s office released a statement saying that there were “no obvious signs of injury” and that her death “does not appear suspicious or criminal in nature.”
But in the days after her death, students became frustrated with how little information had been provided by the police and school officials. Ms. Ewunetie’s family also raised suspicions about the circumstances of her death.
In the statement on Wednesday, Ms. Calhoun said that the information had been limited to “protect evidence-gathering, to avoid misleading the public and out of consideration for the family.”
