The family of Amina Alhaj-Omar, a 25-year-old graduate student at Ohio State University, announced last week that her remains had been found at a remote quarry.
The body was located in the quarry behind a BP gas station where she had been last seen, according to Columbus police who described the area as “remote”. It is not known at this time what caused her death.
Alhaj-Omar had gone missing on June 10th, prompting a frantic search that was called off after 19 days when all leads had been exhausted. She had graduated from Ohio State with a bachelor’s degree in criminology and was studying social work at the graduate level.
The family reported that her jacket, shoes and cellphone were all found on the property, leading them to believe she had gone into the quarry pond.
The family described Alhaj-Omar as hardworking and determined to fight for people. They remembered her laughter, saying it was “contagious and brought happiness to everyone in the room”, and that her personality was “bubbly, shy, caring, funny, and loving human being inside and out.”