The body of a New Jersey college student who had been missing for over a month was found on Monday, Oct. 23, just across the street from his campus, authorities said.
Nick Pratico, 18, was last seen on Sept. 20 at orientation at Mercer County Community College in West Windsor, about five miles northeast of Trenton.
“There was no reason to think he would run away,” she said.
A few days after Pratico’s disappearance, a volunteer who was searching for Pratico found his school ID card on a campus lawn, Hamilton police said.
“Please, we do not want this to go on any longer. We just want to know that Nicky is okay. Please pray, share, and come forward with any valuable information,” the family wrote.
While the official cause of death will be announced after an autopsy, The Trentonian reported unnamed police sources as saying that he was found hanging. The sources said they believed it was suicide.
“We are devastated and trying to process this latest news,” the family, responding to reports of his death, wrote on Facebook. “We have been buoyed by our faith and the strength of our family, neighbors, and the community at large.”