Julia Niswender
Walter Kraft, the university’s vice president for communications, sent out the email to the university community just before 5 p.m. Monday. He said the investigation into Niswender’s death is “active and ongoing” but there is no new information to release.
“At this time, the Ypsilanti police have no new information to report about the status of the investigation,” Kraft stated.
Niswender, 23, was found dead in her bedroom at her Peninsular Place apartment Tuesday night. Investigators have ruled her death suspicious and are treating the case as a homicide.
There’s been no indication on what police might have found at Niswender’s apartment that leads them to believe she was killed. Kraft wrote in the email there were “indications of foul play” but police haven’t released what those indications are at this point.
Police were called to the EMU junior’s apartment at 9:30 p.m. Dec. 12 after friends and family told police she hadn’t been seen for a couple of days. An autopsy has been performed on her body and the results of a toxicology report from the autopsy are pending. It may take two to three weeks for the results from the toxicology report to come in.
Police said there were no outward signs of trauma on Niswender’s body.
Niswender’s funeral was held Monday morning in her hometown of Monroe Township.
Kraft encouraged the university community to sign up for emergency text alerts in Monday’s email and assured the community more information on Niswender’s death would be released when police released it.
Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.