Princeton University undergraduate Misrach Ewunetie went missing after 3 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 14. Fall break at the university began on Saturday, Oct. 15, and runs through Sunday, Oct. 23.

Midterms were the week of Oct. 10 to 14. Many students often leave as soon as they finish their papers and exams.

Ewunetie is 20 and is a member of the class of 2024. She grew up in Cleveland and is originally from Ethiopia. Her family came to the United States in 2008. She was the valedictorian of her high school class at Villa Angela St. Joseph High School in Cleveland and received a full four-year scholarship to Princeton University through the QuestBridge National College Match program. She is majoring in sociology with a minor in computer science.

On Thursday night, Oct. 13, Ewunetie helped out at a party at her student eating club, Terrace Club, which is located on Washington Road near Prospect Avenue. Bands performed starting at 11:30 p.m. Ewunetie finished her duties after the party was over and walked back to her dorm at about 2:30 a.m. Friday morning.

She was last seen brushing her teeth by a suitemate in her campus dorm at Scully Hall around 3 a.m. Friday, Oct. 14. Scully Hall is located in the southeastern section of campus and, along with Bloomberg Hall and the Icahn Lab, forms an elliptical border just above Poe and Pardee intramural fields. The dorm offers single rooms, doubles, and quads where suitemates share a common area. Ewunetie’s roommate came home around 4:30 a.m., but Ewunetie was not in the room. Her suitemates did not see her later Friday and assumed she had left for fall break.

Ewunetie’s family contacted the school’s department of public safety Sunday, Oct. 16, saying they had not heard from her in days and asked them to do a wellness check.

On Saturday, Oct. 15, the department of public safety at the university sent out an alert about an unrelated incident that took place on Friday, Oct. 14: “On Friday, October 14, 2022, the Department of Public Safety responded to Kwanza Jones Hall to investigate a report that an unknown individual had removed a student’s door from its hinges. The subject was described as a male wearing a neon-yellow shirt, and blue jeans. DPS has increased patrols in the area.” The time of the incident was not provided in the alert.

Ewunetie never showed up for an Oct. 15 interview regarding her American citizenship application and was a no-show.

One of her two brothers, Universe Ewunetie, tried calling her and she did not pick up. It was her practice to share her location with her family on her phone. Her brother, Universe, was able to see that the last location the phone pinged a cell tower was early Sunday morning, Oct. 16, in the Penns Neck area of West Windsor, about two miles from the main university campus. The cell phone ping came from the Washington Road area near Perna’s Flower Shop, Papa John’s, and residential areas.

On Tuesday, Oct. 18, law enforcement officials began searching the Lake Carnegie area with boats, drones, and helicopters. Helicopters and drones have also been reported by readers flying over the Penns Neck area and other areas of the D&R Canal State Park. On Thursday morning, Oct. 20, readers reported seeing lots of fire personnel and boats at the rowing club on Washington Road. A TigerAlert went out to the campus community about the helicopters, drones, and boats. No such alert went out to the greater Princeton area community via law enforcement or municipalities.

Wednesday, Princeton University Vice President for Campus Life W. Rochelle Calhoun sent an email to students saying that since Sunday, the Department of Public Safety has been actively working with the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office and with state and local police departments to follow all leads in the search for Misrach. Local police departments have referred all questions to the Department of Public Safety.

On Thursday, construction workers who are working on about 200 acres of the university’s new campus reported that they had been instructed to park their machines. They were given areas to walk to help search for the student. Construction workers later said law enforcement officers are not letting any vehicles on or off the university grounds.

Bloodhounds traced Ewunetie’s scent from the dorm to the Lake Carnegie area.

Gov. Phil Murphy wrote in a tweet Thursday that he has been in touch with law enforcement officials and is praying for Ewunetie’s return.

I’ve been in touch with @NewJerseyOAG, @MercerCoPros, and the @NJSP who are doing everything they can to find missing @Princeton University student Misrach Ewunetie.

We’re praying for her swift and safe return. https://t.co/htJ6wHpAYv
— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) October 20, 2022

Family members told CNN Thursday that investigators have kept the family in the dark about developments in the case.

Ewunetie is 5 feet 4 inches tall, and weighs 130 pounds. She has brown eyes, black hair, and a light brown complexion. She was last wearing a gray t-shirt and black pants, according to a family member.

Anyone with information on Ewunetie’s whereabouts should contact the Princeton University Department of Public Safety at (609) 258-1000, or submit an anonymous tip online.

Editor’s note: Many readers have reached out asking if there is some way the community can help in the search or support Ewunetie’s family. We have reached out to the family and are waiting to hear back. Family members have been very busy Thursday morning appearing on national television and radio shows.

We will update this post as more information becomes available. Send your story tips to tips AT planetprinceton.com. Thank you.