Missing Jewish Student Jacob Marberger Found Dead in Apparent Suicide
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
The body of Jacob Marberger, a Jewish student at Washington College in Maryland whose disappearance sparked a manhunt and virtual shutdown of the school, has been found in a Pennsylvania nature sanctuary, authorities said.
Police say Marberger died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
The teen, who grew up in suburban Philadelphia, forced the college to shut down operations after his parents reported that he was distraught and left home with a firearm.
Friends and relatives mounted vigils for Marberger, including one large gathering at Temple Beth Am in Abington, Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania state police said Marberger’s body was found in a picnic area along with a car he had been driving.
The sanctuary is in east central Pennsylvania, about an hour and a half northwest of the family home near Philadelphia.
Marberger was a sophomore at Washington.
The college posted a statement on its website on Saturday mourning the loss of Marberger.
“This is a terrible blow to our community, and the outpouring of compassion and support we have shown each other will help us through this difficult time,” the statement said. “We need to continue to be supportive of each other as we mourn individually and as a community.”
The college has about 1,450 undergraduate students and is about 80 miles southeast of Philadelphia.
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