The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has had a troubling last two weeks, mourning the death of graduate student Kabelo Zwane. Another graduate student, Guangtau Cong, went missing last Monday but has since been found.
A sophomore from Swaziland, 21-year-old Zwane was found dead on Nov. 7 in the woods of Bedford, Mass. According to Jessica Venezia, spokesperson for the Middlesex County district attorney's office, police do not believe the death occurred as a result of criminal conduct.
"The death was not deemed suspicious," Venezia told the Daily. She declined to comment further on Zwane's suspected cause of death out of respect for his loved ones.
The case remains under investigation by a Bedford police detective.
The Tech, MIT's student newspaper, reported that the school notified Zwane's family in Swaziland of the death through "diplomatic channels" last Wednesday.
Zwane studied mechanical engineering and was a member of the Campus Crusade for Christ (CCC) and the African Students Association.
Those close to Zwane at MIT spoke highly of him.
"I want everyone to know how amazing an individual Kabelo was," Kwami Williams, a fellow CCC member, told the Tech. "He lived a life of love."
MIT spokesperson Jennifer Hirsch declined to comment on the death, but said that the university is encouraging students to seek aid at MIT's mental health services. "Whenever something like this happens we always make counseling services available," she told the Daily.
An MIT teaching assistant reported Cong missing last week after he did not respond to repeated e-mails about missing an exam. Dean for Graduate Education Steven Lerman told the Tech on Saturday that "as far as we now know, [Cong] is safe, and we know his whereabouts."
