[Breaking news update, posted at 3:50 p.m. ET]
The body of missing Princeton University student Mishrah Yunetieh was found Thursday, the Mercer County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
[Previous story, posted at 12:42 p.m. ET]
The family of missing Princeton University student Misrach Ewunetie has been “kept in the dark” by authorities, according to her brother, who says they are desperate for information and working to put together a timeline of her whereabouts.
Ewunetie, 20, went missing six days ago, prompting university officials to intensify their search for the junior.
Her family is particularly concerned that she missed a citizenship meeting on Saturday, said her older brother, Universe Ewunetie.
“There is no ongoing communication or interaction with us,” he told CNN by phone Thursday, referring to campus authorities and the district attorney’s office. “We’re really being kept in the dark.”
Universe Ewunetie said authorities told him the investigation would take time. “That’s one thing we don’t have, we don’t have time,” he said.
CNN has requested comment from the district attorney’s office and the university’s public safety department regarding Universe Ewunetie’s allegations.
Investigators are searching Carnegie Lake, on Princeton’s campus, and the surrounding area after authorities used sniffer dogs to track Ewunetie’s scent from the dormitory to the lake, according to a law enforcement source.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy tweeted that he has been in contact with various law enforcement agencies regarding the missing student and is “praying for her speedy and safe return.”
“I have been in contact with @NewJerseyOAG, @MercerCoPros and @NJSP who are doing everything they can to find missing @Princeton University student Misrach Ewunetie,” the Governor tweeted.
“We pray for her speedy and safe return,” he wrote.
Universe Ewunetie described his sister as a “precious, beautiful soul” who is a “great listener” and “cares about people beyond herself.”
The family “wasn’t particularly happy” Ewunetie went to Princeton because it’s far from the family’s home in Ohio, but “they didn’t want to discourage her,” said the brother, who, with other relatives, has been putting out flyers for the missing sister of the New Jersey campus.
“It’s very painful. (A) nightmare I can’t wake up from,” she added, fighting back tears. “I wish it was out there somewhere.”
Universe Ewunetie said their father initially tried to contact his sister on Friday but she did not connect and assumed she was busy.
By Saturday, calls and texts were going through but still went unanswered – and by Sunday, calls were going straight to voicemail.
Family members said they spoke with her roommates, who remembered her sleeping in her dorm on Friday morning.
Ewunetie was last seen around 3 a.m. near an apartment building on the New Jersey campus, according to the university.
The university reported her missing Monday and is urging anyone with information to contact the Department of Public Safety.
“As part of the ongoing efforts to locate missing undergraduate student Misrach Ewunetie ’24, there is an increased law enforcement presence on and around campus today, including the use of a helicopter, drones and watercraft,” the university said in an update to the community . Wednesday morning.
Officials said Ewunetie has black hair, brown eyes and a light brown complexion. He is 5 feet, 4 inches tall and weighs about 130 pounds.
Ewunetie volunteered at one of the school’s 11 food clubs Thursday night, the club’s president told the student newspaper The Daily Princetonian. Terrace Club President Alexander Maravcsik told the newspaper Ewunetie was on “duty” doing housework during a live music performance at the club.
“On Thursday night, one of our members originally signed up for duty was unable to attend our event and Misrach volunteered to cover their shift. After the club was closed and all job responsibilities had been fulfilled, Misrah – like the other burdensome members – left for the night,” Maravcik wrote in the newspaper.
Sara Elagad, executive director of the nonprofit Minds Matter Cleveland, told CNN that Ewunetie’s disappearance was unusual. Ewunetie was a 2020 graduate of the Minds Matter Cleveland program, which strives to close the education gap for high-achieving low-income students.
“It’s not at all in her character to intentionally go off the radar or be out of touch with family,” Elagad said. “We support her family as they assist law enforcement efforts to locate her safely.”
Ewunetie was a 2020 honors graduate of Villa St. Angela-St. Joseph High School, according to a statement from the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland. “We pray for her speedy and safe return,” said a statement from deacon James Armstrong.
In an email to students, W. Rochelle Calhoun, Princeton’s vice president for campus life, said Ewunetie’s family contacted the school Sunday night to request a welfare check after not hearing from her for several days.
“As of Sunday, DPS has been actively working with the District Attorney’s Office and with state and local law enforcement agencies to follow up on all leads in the search for Misrach,” Calhoun said in the email. “I’m sure everything is being done to find Misrach.”
Correction: An earlier version of this story misspelled Misrach Ewunetie’s first name.
