The Independent Student Newspaper of St. John's University

The Torch

The Independent Student Newspaper of St. John's University

The Torch

The Independent Student Newspaper of St. John's University

The Torch

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Missing St. John’s Student Found

Last updated on Tuesday, Feb. 3 at 11:00 p.m.

The missing St. John’s student who disappeared for almost two weeks has been found, according to the University.

In a statement released on St. John’s Central Tuesday afternoon, the school informed students and faculty that Erica Desai, 19, is safe.

“The New York City Police Department has informed St. John’s University that reported missing student Erica Desai has been reunited with her family and they have closed their investigation into this case,” said the advisory.

Desai, a freshman, was reportedly missing since Jan. 20 after her cousin dropped her off at the Queens campus. The student’s family reported her missing almost a week ago.

NY1 reports Desai, 19, reunited with her family members, who traveled from their home in North Carolina to aid in the search effort, early Tuesday morning at the NYPD 107th precinct station.

Desai alerted police of her whereabouts last night after seeing reports of her disappearance on television.

University officials told the Torch that Desai is a student at St. John’s, countering media reports that stated otherwise.

“According to our statements and records, she is a student, but that’s all I can say for now,” said Dominic Scianna, assistant director for media relations, on Jan. 30. “She is a student here, I can verify that.”

Scianna said he could not reveal more on Desai’s student status because of “academic privacy.”

“She has not been expelled,” he said Tuesday. “We reported that she was a student and she indeed is a student.”

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