It may have been days before police were called to the scene of a 19-year-old female student found dead in her South Campus Commons 2 apartment.
Commons 2 residents noticed a distinct odor in the building for two or three days before police recovered Wairimu Thande’s body, junior computer science major Jonathan Chen said. University Police spokesman Capt. Marc Limansky also said he noticed a distinct odor in the hallway when he responded to the call.
“At the time the roommates found the deceased student, it was evident that her death was not a recent event,” Limansky said. “Some indeterminate time, perhaps a few days, had elapsed.”
After roommates discovered Thande, who friends knew as “Nimo,” dead in her second-floor room at about 1:15 p.m. on Friday, police received a call from a “third party,” Limansky said. Friends attempted to revive her before calling police, Limansky added.
Neither Limansky nor residents know exactly how much time passed before Thande was found.
“It’s unusual that a person is not found closer to the time of death,” Limansky said.
Police determined there was no indication of foul play and the medical examiner’s office is investigating the cause of death, Limansky added. He declined to comment on potential causes of death.
“It’s in the hands of the medical examiner, as far as I’m concerned,” he said.
Although there are many unanswered questions surrounding Thande’s death, friends said they will remember her bubbly personality more than anything else.
“She was a very happy person,” Chen said. “She’s like the nicest person I know.”
