MEAWW.COM / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

The Search for Misrach Ewunetie: Princeton student's phone pinged in quiet street 2 days before vanishing

Ewunetie was sharing her location with her younger brother and it pinged about two miles from the campus

PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY: Two days after she was last seen, missing Princeton University student Misrach Ewunetie's phone last rang in a quiet street at 3am about two miles from the campus near Penns Neck on October 16 before it was turned off. Ewunetie was sharing her location with her younger brother and it pinged on Washington Road in West Windsor Township, said a report.

“That’s the last place her phone pinged,” brother Universe Equnetie, 20, told The US Sun. “It’s very unlike her to turn off her phone, kids these days don’t turn off their phones, they love their phones.” Following a night out with friends, Misrach was last spotted on Friday, October 14 at around 3 am close to Scully Hall, where she resides on campus in New Jersey. Her roommates thought she had returned home to Ohio to visit her family, and it wasn't until Sunday that they realized she was missing. Around 9.20 pm on Monday, as her family was pleading for her safe return, university officials issued a "Tiger Alert."

RELATED ARTICLES

Jelani Day: Missing Black student's mom wishes he got attention like Gabby Petito

Bayleigh Bowlin and Chloe Taylor: Teens who disappeared after homecoming dance found dead inside car

Misrach's brother told The Sun: "Unfortunately, we didn't check [her last location] until we realized she wasn't answering the phone. We were not a hundred percent sure she was missing, but we did report it on Sunday night to Princeton University's Public Safety department. She was talking with my parents to go back home in Ohio [earlier in the week] but then they couldn't reach her, but her phone was ringing. We thought she might be busy and that she wasn't answering us. But when her phone stopped ringing, we tried to locate her, my brother shares location with her on iPhone." According to a screenshot showing her exact location, her cellphone was found close to the well-known Perna's Flower Shop on Washington Road which shuts on weekends at 5 pm.

Despite not having the warrant to examine any homes, Universe, 30, claimed that police officers from the university police department searched and inquired. A wooded area behind the houses was also searched by K9 search dogs but they were unsuccessful in locating Misrach. Since the vital first 48 hours have already passed and she hasn't been heard from in nearly a week, her brother believes the university may not be doing enough to assist.

When asked if she appeared alright when they last spoke, Universe told The Sun, "She seemed fine. They had midterms last week. "She's a junior and was doing a thesis paper. She was fine. We have a group chat between myself, her, and our other brother. We had a fun chat on Thursday night, she's a member of The Terrace Club, an eating club at Princeton. We've seen photographs from an event on Thursday night and she was there and OK." He added: "We need to light a fire under this situation, we need all the help we can get."

Universe claimed that she lives with three other housemates in a dorm-style apartment with a shared bathroom and common area. One of her housemates last saw her on Friday, October 15 around 3 am. Students have not been able to assist in the search for Misrach, however, as many are presently absent from campus and even out of the country due to autumn break. Princeton University has posted a series of tweets as an update on Misrach's disappearance.

Misrach graduated from Cleveland's Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School in 2020. She received a full scholarship at Princeton and was featured in local media. She was also the class valedictorian. According to authorities, Misrach is described as being 5 feet 4 inches tall, 130 pounds, with black hair, brown eyes and a "light complexion."