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Authorities announced on May 24 that the body of a Northern Kentucky University student who had been missing for nearly a month was found in a wooded area near campus. Authorities said no foul play was suspected.
Marie Faust, 22, was last seen April 27 in the Latonia neighborhood of Covington, Kentucky, just south of Cincinnati, according to the Covington Police Department. Police issued an alert on April 30, asking for help in finding Faust.
Following Faust’s disappearance, local authorities launched an investigation and began searching for the student. Volunteer-based search organization EquuSearch Midwest, Boone County Water Rescue, Wilder Police Department and Northern Kentucky University assisted the Covington Police Department in the investigation, police said.
According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, part of the USA TODAY network, a private search group made up of Faust’s friends, relatives and local residents also carried out their own search efforts.
Covington police said in a May 24 statement that Faust’s body was found by an independent search group in nearby Wilder, Kentucky. Covington Police Department investigators were working with the Wilder Police Department and the Campbell County Coroner’s Office to investigate the scene.
Police said there was no sign of foul play. The coroner’s office will determine the cause and manner of death. Police said they would not release further details until the process is complete.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the Faust family and their loved ones during this incredibly difficult time,” the Covington Police Department said in a statement. “While we are saddened by this loss, we hope that this event provides some answers and some closure for the family.”
Authorities asked the public to allow investigators to continue their investigation, noting that Faust’s family is asking for “privacy as they grieve.”
Local authorities and independent groups launch weeks-long search for missing student
At the time of Faust’s disappearance, police appealed to the public for help after obtaining surveillance images that showed the clothes they were wearing before their disappearance.
“We are deeply concerned and our thoughts go out to their families, friends and everyone affected. The Covington Police Department is leading the investigation and we are fully cooperating and supporting their efforts,” Northern Kentucky University spokesperson Corey Best said in a statement at the time.
One of Faust’s friends, Charlie King, previously said in a Facebook post that Faust was on his way to campus on the night of April 27 from the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood, just north of downtown Cincinnati.
“Marie never came to class and has been missing ever since,” King said in the post, adding that Faust’s car was found a block away from her Latonia apartment.
King said Faust’s bag was also at Northern Kentucky University, and police later found Faust’s cell phone during a search of Faust’s apartment.
Friends, family, and local community members rallied online and in person to share information, distribute images, and organize their own searches.
Faust is scheduled to graduate from Northern Kentucky University with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts on May 9, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported. According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, King said Faust is a transgender man in the early stages of transitioning.
Honoring Marie Faust with her family, friends, and Northern Kentucky University community.
Faust’s disappearance cast a shadow over Northern Kentucky University’s spring graduation ceremony, where a moment of silence was held in their honor earlier this month.
“Marie, I look forward to seeing you soon so I can give you the diploma you earned,” Northern Kentucky University President Diana McGill said at the ceremony, before the graduates crossed the stage.
Bee Wang, 25, previously told the Cincinnati Enquirer that she met Faust at a Transmask Cincy event late last summer and described them as “a light to the community.” After the event, the two spoke for hours in Wang’s car, and Wang told Faust that he wanted to carve out a queer future in religion.
Wang said Faust was attending a Spanish-speaking church at the time and was asking a lot of questions. The two had planned to do drugs and art together in their free time from studying, but the last time they met was at Faust’s senior art exhibition.
“I was so happy to find another queer person who was open and willing to talk deeply with me about spirituality,” Wang said.
After Faust’s body was discovered, his family thanked the local community for supporting them “through this difficult time”.
“Our hearts are broken and while this is not the outcome we had hoped for, we can only pray that the discovery brings closure and comfort to all those hurt,” the family said in a statement posted on May 25 on a Facebook page dedicated to the search effort.
The family has established an art scholarship fund to honor Faust’s “love of art,” adding that donations and proceeds from the sale of Faust’s work will go toward supporting other art students in the community.
Contributor: Victoria Moorwood, Cincinnati Enquirer
