Death of Princeton student who was reported missing ruled a suicide

December 29, 2022

Princeton University student Misrach Ewunetie, whose dead body was found behind a secluded campus tennis court on Oct. 20, was determined to have died by suicide.

On Wednesday, the 20-year-old Ohio native’s death was ruled a suicide by the Middlesex Regional Medical Examiner’s office, according to a statement by the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office.

“The cause of her death was determined to be ‘Bupropion, Escitalopram and Hydroxyzine Toxicity,’” the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office wrote.

Ewunetie, an immigrant from Ethiopia, was last seen near a residential building on Princeton University campus on Oct. 14 at around 3 a.m.

When she did not show up for an appointment regarding her American citizenship application, her family became concerned about her whereabouts.

Ewunetie was reported missing on Oct. 16, and her body was found four days later after an extensive search of the campus involving police officers, campus security, drones, divers and bloodhounds.

After the ruling, Rochelle Calhoun, Princeton’s vice president for campus life, sent the following message to the campus community:

Our hearts go to Misrach’s family and friends, and to the wider campus community that has been shaken by this tragedy. 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.

Ewunetie was a junior studying sociology at Princeton, which she was attending on a full scholarship.

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