It could take WEEKS to determine the cause of Misrach Ewunetie’s death, an official says
The family of Princeton University student Misrach Ewunetie slammed police for keeping her “in the dark” after it was revealed the cause of her death could take weeks.
Ewunetie, 20, of Euclid, Ohio — near Cleveland — was found dead on the Ivy League campus on Oct. 14, six days after her disappearance.
Her family reported her missing after being unable to reach the sociology student, saying police kept her in the dark during the search.
“There are no constant updates or interactions with us,” Universe told CNN. “We’re really groping in the dark.”
Police officials had told Universe the investigation would take some time.
Her body was found near the tennis courts on Thursday. Sources noted that there was no evidence of trauma to the body, and the Mercer County Attorney’s Office said, “Her death does not appear suspicious or criminal.”
An autopsy was performed on Friday, but the coroner’s office is still awaiting toxicology and other test results, Mercer County Attorney General Casey DeBlasio told CNN.
Misrach Ewunetie, 20, of Euclid, Ohio — near Cleveland — was found dead on the Ivy’s League campus on Oct. 14, six days after her disappearance. Her autopsy was performed Friday, but the coroner’s office is still awaiting toxicology and other test results, which could take weeks
Her family reported her missing after being unable to reach the sociology student, saying police kept her in the dark during the search. “There are no constant updates or interactions with us,” said Universe, pictured here with Ewunetie. “We’re really groping in the dark”
Ewunetie was last seen around 3 a.m. on October 14 near Princeton University’s Scully Hall, the apartment building where she lived.
Universe said Misrach volunteered at Princeton’s Terrace Club, one of the school’s 11 private dining clubs, on Oct. 13.
The Terrace Club is one of Princeton’s non-private clubs whose members only need to register for membership, and is not affiliated with the university. The clubs are for high school seniors to come to the school to eat lunch and participate in various activities.
Other clubs require prospective members to apply for membership.
She was a “duty” member doing household chores during a live music performance at the club.
That night, the club hosted Raavi with Jackie Marchal, according to their Instagram page.
With the club closed and all duties completed, Misrach left for the night along with other members on duty.
After the event, “she went back to her dorm room at 3 a.m.,” her brother said. “Her roommates said they saw her at 3am. Then another roommate of hers said she didn’t see her after 4 a.m. and nobody saw her after that.
“Her roommates didn’t look for her because they assumed she went home.”
She was found near the tennis courts on the Princeton campus
Her body was found 1.5 miles from her home in an area off State Road by the university’s Recreation Department, which includes a hiking trail, community pool and athletic facilities.
Ewunetie’s disappearance sparked a multi-day search for her whereabouts, which resulted in drones, helicopters and watercraft being deployed around the Ivy League university.
Campus police had visited Ewunetie’s housing development three times and conducted a canine search, but were unable to enter any properties due to a lack of search warrants.
It was previously revealed that her cell phone was last pinged early Sunday morning from a location seven miles from campus.
Pictured: Scully Hall on the Princeton campus where Misrach was last seen
Police were sighted throughout Thursday as the search for the student intensified
The ping was located in a New Jersey apartment complex near Penns Neck.
No further details on this ping have been shared since the discovery of Ewunetie’s body.
W. Rochelle Calhoun, Princeton’s vice president for campus life, called Ewunetie’s death an “unthinkable tragedy.”
“Our hearts go out to her family, her friends and the many others who knew and loved her,” she said in a statement.
“We are planning an opportunity for students to come together and commemorate Misrach. Information about the meeting will be shared separately once details are known.’
A spokesman for the school added: “We have no additional information to share at this time.”
Misrach had volunteered for a live music event at Princeton’s Terrace Club the night she was last seen
The Universe also said school was “difficult for them and for a lot of people” as they missed a lot of face-to-face classes due to the pandemic.
“With the pandemic, they were off campus for the first year, it was difficult for them and a lot of people,” Universe explained. The family immigrated from Ethiopia in 2008.
“But this year she tried to get into this Terrace Club and that was her way of making friends.”
Ewunetie was a 2020 graduate of the Minds Matter Cleveland program, which works to help high-performing, low-income students. Sara Elagad, executive director of the nonprofit, told CNN that her former student’s disappearance was very atypical.
“It’s not in her character at all to intentionally disappear from the radar or lose touch with family,” Elagad said. “We support her family as they support law enforcement efforts to find her safely.”
The group also posted a video on their Twitter, saying Ewunetie worked with the group for “three years” to make it to “the college of her dream.”
The group helps low-income, high-performing students reach their academic school.
‘She [was] an incredible student,” Elagad said in the video.
Pictured: The advertisement for the Terrace Club event on October 13, the night Misrach volunteered
“She was thrilled when she came to Princeton,” Charles Slife said in the video.
They later said they were “devastated” by the loss of the student.
Ewunetie was the top of her high school year and, according to Planet Princeton, was studying sociology with a minor in computer science at Princeton.
Her family members, who have lived in Ohio since 2008 but are originally from Ethiopia, say her disappearance was made all the more disturbing after she missed a citizenship application meeting the next day.
“She is the jewel of the house, [my parents’] only daughter and the youngest,” said Universe. ‘She is loved very much.’
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11344905/Misrach-Ewuneties-cause-death-WEEKS-determine-official-says.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490 It could take WEEKS to determine the cause of Misrach Ewunetie’s death, an official says
