Staff members at Travis Early College High School were met with a gruesome discovery Thursday morning when a lifeless body of a young woman was found hanging from a tree, per the NY Post.
The shocking incident led administrators to quickly cancel classes, as announced by Austin Independent School District Police Chief Wayne Sneed during a news briefing. The grim discovery occurred shortly before 8 a.m., on what would have been the fourth day of the school year.
The scene was quickly attended by responding officers and emergency medical services. The victim’s body was suspended from a tree in the vicinity of the building’s rear. Although the victim’s identity remains unknown, preliminary examinations by local medical authorities suggest she was between 15 and 20 years old. The young woman was pronounced dead at around 7:55 am. Medical examiners are still determining her cause of death.
Remarkably, due to the location of the crime scene near a staff parking lot, students were effectively shielded from witnessing the alarming sight, as confirmed by Chief Sneed.
“Staff reacted very quickly in securing the area and making sure no students ever got into that immediate area,”
Sneed said during a press conference.
“So there was no exposure to students at all.”
None of the students were in proximity to the area where the incident occurred. Consequently, the district promptly decided to cancel classes at approximately 8:30 a.m.
The district released a statement affirming that students and staff are safe, with no ongoing danger on the campus. However, it remains unclear whether the deceased individual was a student at Travis Early College High School.
The new school year had just begun on Monday. Chief Sneed has promised that the district will provide support to the staff and students affected by the incident. A spokesperson for the school district said more information will be shared at a later date. An
investigation into the incident is ongoing.
#Clique, what are your thoughts?
