Here is the Manhattanville College statement about the death of Marissa Pagli. Marissa Pagli was found dead in her home. Marissa’s mother is hospitalized, found unconscious by police.

Pagli’s death has been ruled a homicide. Police say they are not looking for suspects, but won’t indicate where their investigation is focusing in Marissa Pagli’s case.

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Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,

After the shock and mourning we experienced as we confronted loss and death yesterday, I know that like me, all of you have more questions than answers. I will continue to share information as appropriate and as we receive it from the police who are completing their investigation. They have reassured us that this was a contained incident which poses no harm to other members of our community.

Marissa Pagli, whom many of you know, was the victim of what police describe as a possible homicide. Marissa was beloved by all who knew her. An avid volleyball player, she grew up on our campus and many of our staff and faculty knew her long before she enrolled as a freshman at the College. Beautiful within and without, she brought laughter and joy to many of you, qualities we must now remember and honor as we celebrate her life. For those who did not know her personally, Marissa will always be the friendship they missed, the company they might have known, the classmate they would have loved. Together we extend our love and compassion to Marissa’s family who have been a part of ours for many years.

We must, while this story unfolds, stand together in love, and find solace and strength in each other. As we grieve together, our strength in community will be our greatest comfort. It will help us understand that not all things can be fully understood or fully represented, that lives and living are precious both for those who are forced to give it up and for those who remain to grieve in pain and disbelief.

Thank you for the strength in community that you demonstrated yesterday as news of this tragedy reached you and as we gathered over supper and our monthly town hall meeting. Thank you also for the many hands extended to mine via e-mail and in person, for those of you who spoke so eloquently about our ability to stand together in comfort and strength.

Some of you have written to me with suggestions about how we can celebrate a beautiful life lost in its prime. I welcome all your thoughts and suggestions for ways in which we can honor Marissa. We will together – faculty, staff, and students – ensure that we remember and honor her and what she means to all whose lives she touched. We will thus draw our strength in community from our memory of her and from each other.