On May 15, a Chinese exchange student studying at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire went missing. Her body was found on May 20 in the Connecticut River in Vermont.
The doctoral student, Kexin Cai, 26, studied in the Mutual Understanding Lab in the Department of Psychology and Brain Sciences at Dartmouth College. Her residence was located in Lebanon, New Hampshire.
The Connecticut River serves as the border between New Hampshire and Vermont, with Lebanon situated east of the river.
According to local police, Kexin Cai was reported missing on May 17 after she disappeared on May 15. Surveillance footage from two nearby businesses showed Cai riding her electric bike towards West Lebanon on the evening of May 15.
On May 20, authorities received a report of an electric bicycle found near Boston Lot Lake, northwest of Lebanon. The lake falls within the Connecticut River watershed.
After comparing images, authorities confirmed that the bicycle belonged to the missing student. Local police, Dartmouth College security guards, K-9 units, helicopters, and New Hampshire Fish and Game Department officials launched a search centered around the lake.
Around 4 p.m., a fisherman reported finding a body in the Connecticut River in Windsor, Vermont. Emergency responders recovered the body at 5:36 p.m., confirming it to be that of Kexin Cai.
“Preliminary investigation indicates no criminal activity in this incident,” stated the Lebanon Police Department.
According to student media reports from Dartmouth College, Kexin Cai was a second-year doctoral student at the time of her death. “Kexin was an exceptionally talented and humble researcher, known for her sincere and sweet personality,” said Jon Kull, Dean of the Graduate School at Dartmouth College.