What happened to Misrach Ewunetie? Missing Princeton University student's death ruled out as suicide

Misrach Ewunetie, a 20-year-old student from Princeton University, went missing in October 2022, and her body was found six days later behind the university's tennis court. Recently, on December 28, authorities declared the cause of her death as suicide.

Misrach's autopsy was done by the Middlesex Regional Medical Examiner's Office, which ruled her death as suicide. The Mercer County Prosecutor's Office released a statement where it said:

"The cause of her death was determined to be bupropion, escitalopram and hydroxyzine toxicity."

Escitalopram and bupropion are typically prescribed to patients suffering from depression. At the same time, the antihistamine called hydroxyzine is used to treat allergies and anxiety.

(Image via Twitter/@lisahawkfan)

The last time Ewunetie was seen alive was on October 14, when she was in her dorm room at about 3 am EST, hours after a live music event held by the school's Terrace Club. Alexander Moravcsik, the leader of the club, said that Misrach volunteered at the event to assist with the housekeeping chores.

Ewunetie's family reached out to the school out of concern when they didn't hear from her for two days. Following this, an employee found her dead on October 20 behind the tennis courts.

W. Rochelle Calhoun, the school's Vice President, called Ewunetie's death an "unthinkable tragedy." He said:

"Misrach's death is an unthinkable tragedy. Our hearts go out to her family, her friends and the many others who knew and loved her. Princeton is a close-knit community, and we mourn Misrach together."

Misrach Ewunetie was a native of Ethiopia. She used to live in Euclid, Ohio, with her family before attending Princeton University. A junior at the university, she was pursuing her major in Sociology.

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Misrach Ewunetie was scheduled for her US citizenship application's interview two days after she went missing

Universe Ewunetie, Misrach's brother, called her their family's "gem." He said that his sister had been an ambitious student who worked as a business analyst in Ohio's McKinsey & Company for two consecutive summers.

Misrach Ewunetie with her brother, Universe Ewunetie (Image via Instagram/@universe_ye)

After graduating from Cleveland's Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School, Misrach Ewunetie received a four-year scholarship to study at Princeton University. She was a high-achieving student and was expected to complete her graduation from Princeton in 2024.

Misrach's brother told the media that she was last seen near Scully Hall, her residential building, where one of her suitemates saw her at about 3 am brushing her teeth. However, when her direct roommate came to the dorm at around 4.30 am, they didn't find Misrach there.

The next day, she was scheduled for an interview regarding her US citizenship application, which is about 45 minutes away from the university campus. When her family didn't hear from her, they were concerned that Misrach probably did not show up for the appointment.

Misrach Ewunetie (Image via Jamie Feder)

Her brother informed the media of the same by October 16, two days after she was last seen. Moreover, she couldn't be reached via text messages since they weren't getting delivered and all the calls to her number went straight to voicemail.

Her disappearance was highlighted in national headlines. Law enforcement flocked to the campus with drones and helicopters to look for her. Multiple law enforcement agencies, along with the New Jersey State Police, the Princeton Police Department, and the Princeton University Department of Public Safety, assisted in the search mission for Misrach Ewunetie.

In a letter sent by Vice President Rochelle Calhoun to the campus community, he said that the authorities determined that Misrach's death did not appear criminal or suspicious in nature since there were no visible signs of injury.

However, many people who knew or heard about her took to Twitter to express their suspicions regarding Misrach's autopsy report. Some of them were not ready to believe that Misrach committed suicide.

Back in October, upon hearing the news of Misrach Ewunetie’s death, Governor Phil Murphy shared his condolences to her family, friends, and batchmates on Twitter.