‘Time is of the essence’: Desperate plea from kin of missing Princeton student Misrach Ewunetie
The brother of missing Princeton University student Misrach Ewunetie has urged investigators to work faster to try to track down his sister, stressing: “Time is of the essence.”
Ewunetie, 20, vanished a week ago after she was last seen brushing her teeth and heading into her dorm room on the elite Ivy League college’s New Jersey campus in the early hours of Friday.
Her distraught brother, Universe Ewunetie, told ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Thursday that her phone later pinged near a housing complex off-campus — but she hasn’t been seen or heard from since.
“We just want the law to be faster because time is of the essence,” Universe said as the search for his sister intensified.
“We can take any help we can find,” he added.
Ewunetie had checked into her Scully Hall dorm at about 3 a.m. after she had spent the night volunteering at a Princeton Terrace Club event, according to her brother.
One of her suitemates reported seeing Ewunetie brushing her teeth and heading into her room shortly after — but she was nowhere to be seen when her roommate returned at about 4:30 a.m.
Ewunetie’s phone last pinged sometime after 3 a.m. at a housing complex a 30-minute walk from her dorm, her brother said, adding it was out of character for her to be in such a location.
“It’s pretty far away,” he said. “And Princeton is a big campus and it’s very insular, right, so it’s very odd that her phone would be off campus. Like everything is on campus.”
Ewunetie’s family, who are from Ethiopia but relocated to Ohio, alerted authorities on Saturday after they learned she’d missed an appointment for her US citizenship application.
In recent days, police have gone to the housing complex three times and brought in helicopters, drones and watercraft to search on and around the school’s campus.
Police warned of an “increased” presence on campus again on Thursday.
The rear of the housing complex is said to heavily wooded and full of shrubs, according to Ewunetie’s brother.
School officials have sent out multiple alerts urging anyone with information on Ewunetie’s disappearance to come forward.
She is described as 5 feet 4, 130 pounds with brown eyes, black hair and light brown skin.
