Missing Ithaca College Student's body found in pond

By Amanda Seef
NEWS EDITOR

The body of a missing Ithaca College student was found Wednesday, April 30 after students, faculty and police officials searched for Willie Jacobson for the previous three days.

New York State Police divers found the body of Jacobson, a freshman writing major from Minnesota, around 9:30 a.m., April 30. Jacobson had last been seen around 3:30 a.m. Sunday, April 27 after returning to campus following a party in town. The last person to see Jacobson was a fellow student, who had pointed him to the towpath adjacent to the pond. After Jacobson did not appear for classes Monday, friends reported him missing.
Students had organized search teams and gathered for vigils while hoping for the best outcome.

The college scheduled a vigil the night the body was found in Jacobson’s memory.

“These have been difficult days for the family, the students and all of the Ithaca College community,” Ithaca College President Peggy Williams said in a campus-wide notice. “We all grieve the loss of this bright young man, an incredibly talented student with many close friends and so much potential. I feel as though I have lost a son.”
Most of the Ithaca community attended the vigil for the freshman.

“Not everyone knew him; but everyone here cares,” a fellow freshman said. “This isn’t just a campus where everyone’s just a number … We’re all much closer than we really think.”

Jacobson’s family was touched by the support of the community, though had messages to share with fellow students.

“It’s my job to go out and let everyone know that there is a light that has been taken from us,” Jacobson’s mother said.

Many students at the vigil shared stories about Jacobson’s penchant for deep conversation. One recalled spending a night outside of Boothroyd Hall with Jacobson, watching the sun come up.

“When you watch the sunrise with someone you always have really deep conversations,” the student said. “Willie used to have deep conversations no matter what’s going on. We all know that intellectually, he was light-years ahead of us.”

Ithaca police will continue their investigation, though it has been preliminarily ruled that Jacobson did not show signs of previous injury and had drowned in the 8-feet deep pond.

The normal route to the residence hall would include the area where Jacobson’s body was found.

“There’s no indication there was trouble at the party,” Lawrence Jackman of the New York State Police said. “The path he was on is what we would expect he would be on returning to his residence.”

Toxicology reports will show whether alcohol or drugs played a part in Jacobson’s death, though they are not expected to return for a few weeks.

The drowning death was originally investigated as part of a series of drowning deaths nationwide on college campuses that have been the work of a serial killer. The killer has reached 11 states and more than 40 students have died, with most bodies having a smiley face somewhere near the area where the body was found. The first body was found near Hudson River in 1997 and the most recent local death was in 2004 at St. Lawrence University.

— Additional Reporting by The Associated Press and The Ithacan, Ithaca College student newspaper

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