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Unanswered Questions In Student's Murder

R S Shankar in Orlando

The detectives here are seeking information on a red BMW, hoping that it could give them clues about who murdered a 20-year-old Indian student at the University of Central Florida.

The name of the female student is withheld till the family in India is informed, the detectives said on July 20. The BMW belonged to the student and police believe a male relative was seen driving it.

Police have started questioning more than a dozen friends and relatives of the murder victim. They would not say if a man who shared her apartment for over a year was a suspect or has been questioned. His name and nationality have not been disclosed either.

Orange County deputies found her body inside a closet of Unit 289 of the Mission Bay Apartments off Dean Road and University Boulevard. She had been missing for more than five days; neighbors say they heard loud arguments for several days before the student went missing.

"Our thinking is the last person who saw her alive is probably the person driving her car," said Sgt Ron Corlew, head of the homicide unit, said on July 20, adding that the police had ruled out robbery or break-in as a possible motive for the killing. He said there were no signs of forced entry.

The woman's father had called from India a few days ago imploring authorities to speed up investigation, the police said.

One of the neighbors said she thought a fight had broken in the apartment a few days before the student's disappearance.

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