Purdue student found dead inside campus residence hall

A suspect is in custody after a Purdue University student was found dead inside a campus residence hall early Wednesday morning.

The incident is being investigated as a homicide.

Purdue police were called to McCutcheon Hall at 12:44 a.m., according to a university spokesperson. The suspect, identified as 22-year-old Ji Min Sha of South Korea and the victim’s roommate, made the call.

A Purdue spokesperson said at this time a weapon and motive have not been identified, and the attack was “unprovoked.”

The university did not release a campus alert regarding the situation because they say there was “no threat to the community.”

An autopsy was conducted at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday. The County Coroner’s Office has identified the cause of death as “multiple sharp force traumatic injuries.” The final autopsy findings are pending a toxicology report.

The student has been identified by the Tippecanoe County Coroner’s Office as 20-year old Varun Manish Chheda, of Indianapolis.

Purdue President Mitch Daniels released a statement calling it “as tragic an event as we can imagine.” He also noted that “Purdue is an extraordinarily safe place on any given day.”

According to Purdue, this is the first on-campus homicide since January 2014.

Classes will continue as scheduled, and Purdue counseling services are available to students, faculty and staff.

This story has been updated.

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