Princeton student who had been missing died by suicide, county prosecutor says

Misrach Ewunetie, a junior pursuing a sociology degree, was last seen entering her dorm room at the Ivy League university on Friday, Oct. 14.

An autopsy report revealed that a Princeton University student initially reported missing committed suicide.

According to CNN, the body of Misrach Ewunetie was discovered on Oct. 20 behind tennis courts on Princeton’s campus. The New Jersey university reported her missing on Oct. 16 after she was last seen on campus around 3 a.m. two days prior.

The Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office shared in a news release Wednesday that the 20-year-old died by suicide, and her official cause of death was “Bupropion, Escitalopram and Hydroxyzine Toxicity.”

Misrach Ewunetie
Misrach Ewunetie, 20, whose body was found on the campus of Princeton University in New Jersey on Oct. 20, died by suicide, according to an autopsy report. She was reported missing on Oct. 16. (Photo: Screenshot/YouTube.com/CBS New York)

Ewunetie was last seen entering her dorm room at the Ivy League university on Oct. 14, according to The Associated Press. She was not there when her roommate returned about 90 minutes later.

Law enforcement officers with helicopters and drones swarmed the school to find her.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy shared on Twitter at the time that he was in contact with authorities “who are doing everything they can to find her” before Ewunetie’s body was discovered, according to ABC7 New York.

“We are heartbroken by the tragic news that missing @Princeton University student Misrach Ewunetie was found dead this afternoon,” Murphy tweeted in an update, ABC7 reported. “Our hearts go out to her family, friends, and fellow students who knew and loved her.”

During an appearance on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” Universe Ewunetie said his sister’s phone last pinged after 3 a.m. that day at a housing complex that’s about a 30-minute walk from her dorm, which was an unusual location for her, according to AP.

Her older brother said his sister was a “precious, beautiful soul” and a “great listener” who “cares about people beyond her,” CNN reported.

AP reported that Ewunetie’s LinkedIn profile lists her as a junior pursuing a sociology degree with a certificate in computer applications. Before taking a full scholarship to Princeton, she graduated from Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School in Cleveland, Ohio, and was class valedictorian.

“Misrach’s death is an unthinkable tragedy,” Princeton University vice president W. Rochelle Calhoun said in a statement in October. “Our hearts go out to her family, her friends and the many others who knew and loved her.”

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