The body of a Princeton University undergraduate student has been found after he went missing nearly a week ago.
Lauren Blackburn, 23, was found at Lake Carnegie on the morning of April 25, according to Princeton University’s Department of Public Safety. No one had spoken to or seen Blackburn since around 6 p.m. ET on April 19 in the vicinity of Firestone Library on the Ivy League campus.
“Our hearts are heavy and we share our deepest condolences with Lauren’s family and friends,” the department wrote in a social media post.
Authorities focused their search on Lake Carnegie, a reservoir close to Princeton’s campus, News 12 New Jersey and WPVI-TV reported. Blackburn’s cellphone was traced near the lake, according to the outlets.
It is unclear if foul play is suspected. USA TODAY contacted Princeton on April 25 but has not received a response.
Who is Lauren Blackburn?
Blackburn is an Indiana native and former staff writer for Princeton University’s student-run daily newspaper, The Daily Princetonian, Fox News and News 12 New Jersey reported.
Before attending Princeton, Blackburn was a standout high school student chosen as one of 2,500 students for the National Merit Scholarship in 2019, according to WAVE.
“He can read a book and know everything in it,” Kate Robinson, an English teacher at Corydon Central High School, where Blackurn went, told the outlet at the time. “I’m pretty sure he has a photographic memory.”
People walk around the Princeton University campus in New Jersey, November 16, 2013.
Following Blackburn’s disappearance, Vice President for Student Life W. Rochelle Calhoun wrote an email to Princeton undergraduate students, per The Daily Princetonian.
“I will share an update when we know more, but in the meantime, please hold Lauren in your thoughts as we attempt to locate him,” Calhoun wrote.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Princeton student missing for 6 days found dead at Lake Carnegie
