Who was Lauren Blackburn? Missing Princeton student found dead next to the lake after a week -long discovery

Princeton University Junior Lauren BlackburnWho was missing for almost a week, was found dead on Friday morning (local time) Lake carnegieNear the New Jersey campus, Princeton’s Public Safety Department confirmed.
Dean of undergraduate students Regan Croatti wrote in a letter to the school community, “I am deeply saddened to share with you that Lauren Blackburn’s body was found in ’26 Lake Carnegie ‘this morning. Our hearts are heavy and we share our deep condolences with Lauren’s family and friends.”
The cause of death has not been released yet. The 23 -year -old Blackburn was last seen near the Firestone Library at around 6 am on 19 April, according to the university. His phone was later pinged near the man -made lake, inspiring the authorities to start. Water search On the night of 21 April.
Lake Carnegie, a 263 -acre reservoir, was donated by Steel Magnet Andrew Carnegie, today at a cost of about $ 9.5 million, sits south of the campus near Princeton’s athletic complex, about a mi from the library where Blackburn was last seen.
According to the Daily Princetonian, Blackburn was a former features for the student newspaper and recently won the 2024 Sam Hutton Fund for Arts, an award, which supports summer studies, travel and independent research through The Lewis Center for the Arts.
Originally from Corydon, Indiana, Blackburn graduated from Corydon Central High School. As a high school senior in 2019, he received both a national merit scholarship and a gates scholarship, making headlines at the local level. The teachers described him as a student with an extraordinary memory and a kind of personality. “He can read a book and know everything in it,” English teacher Kate Robinson then told Wave. Science teacher Karen York said, “I never, sometime, never heard him saying a bad word once.”
Blackburn’s death marks the seventh Graduation death In Princeton since 2021, it was noted with the Daily Princetonian that suicide was committed on all the last six deaths.
Today.com said the Public Safety Department led the search with the support of the Regional Law Enforcement agencies, and the authorities warned the campus community to increase the presence of the police during the first search.
NBC News also shared footage from the high school days of Blackburn, citing a pre -interview, which highlights Princeton’s entire scholarship and praise from their teachers.
The officials have not given further details, and today.com has reached the authorities for additional comments.