UNC Reels after Murder of Student Body President

By Anastacia Mott Austin

The University of North Carolina is in shock this week at the murder of one of their very best and brightest – senior and student body president Eve Carson.

Carson’s body was found in an intersection about a mile from the UNC campus after police responded to reports of gunfire around 5:00 a.m.

In a message to faculty and students at the school, chancellor James Moeser wrote, "I am so sorry to tell you that Chapel Hill police have identified the victim of this week's shooting as Eve Carson, our student body president, trustee, wonderful person and great friend."

No suspect has yet been identified, though police believe the motivation may have been Carson’s car, a blue 2005 Toyota Highlander, which was found abandoned about a mile from where her body was discovered.

"We’ve lost someone who we cherish and love," said UNC chancellor James Moeser to an assembly of students on Thursday. "We're all in a state of shock."

A native of Athens, Georgia, Eve Carson was an extremely bright, very active member of the UNC community. The 22-year-old pre-med student double-majored in political science and biology, had received prestigious scholarships and was a member of the honor society as well as student body president. She taught science at the nearby Chapel Hill Elementary School, had traveled to Cuba, and was taking part in a four-year leadership development program. Her loss has come very hard to her fellow students and the surrounding community.

"The death of any parent's child or any student is a tragedy, but this is a tragedy magnified and multiplied by the number and depths of the relationships, meaningful relationships, that Eve Carson had on this campus," said Moeser.

The shooting death of Carson came just on the heels of the discovery of the murder of 18-year-old Auburn University student Lauren Burk in Alabama. Burk was discovered mortally wounded on the side of a road near the school, and her car was found on fire. No suspect has been identified in that case either.

The area where Carson was found was described as "an upscale residential neighborhood," and the only possible motive was believed to be the theft of her car.

Carson seems to have touched the lives of everyone around her, and her school community is understandably devastated at her senseless murder. "We're all in a state of shock," said Moeser to the crowd, many of whom were weeping. "We are all hurting. We are all grief-stricken, stunned…It's okay to cry. It's okay to be filled with grief."