Originally appeared on E! Online
The Princeton University community is mourning a loss.
Lauren Blackburn, an undergraduate English student at the Ivy League school, was found dead in an on-campus lake on April 25, according to university officials. He was 23.
“I am deeply saddened to share with you that the body of Lauren Blackburn ’26 was found at Lake Carnegie this morning,” Dean of Undergraduate Students Regan Crotty shared in an April 25 press release. “Our hearts are heavy and we share our deepest condolences with Lauren’s family and friends.”
In addition to sharing campus counseling services for students affected by the tragedy, Crotty wrote, “We know that every member of our community joins us in sending our condolences to Lauren’s family, friends, and loved ones and in wishing them strength in this most difficult time.”
No cause of death was given.
Days before, Blackburn was reported missing and a search by the university's Department of Public Safety began, according to the school’s Vice President for Student Life W. Rochelle Calhoun.
More from E! Online
“It is with great concern that I write to let you know that Lauren Blackburn ’26 of New College West has been reported missing,” Calhoun wrote in the April 22 statement. “The Department of Public Safety (DPS) is leading a search and recently issued a Tiger Alert to the campus community.”
Before he was reported missing, Blackburn was last seen on the evening of April 19 near an on-campus library wearing blue jeans with torn knees, a yellow t-shirt and a black, hooded sweatshirt, according to officials.
Princeton University/Facebook
The 23-year-old graduated as a valedictorian of Corydon Central High School in Corydon, Ind., in 2019 and received a Gates Scholarship, which covered his tuition, books, room and board for Princeton, according to local news outlet WAVE.
“Princeton was my favorite because of the focus they put on their undergraduates,” Blackburn told the outlet in 2019. “I’m very grateful and feel very blessed. Princeton will allow me to study anything and get a world class education in anything.”
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App
Source link
