Woman Found Dead In Columbia Dorm Identified As Jessica Fingers

A woman found dead in a dorm room at Columbia University has been identified as 21-year-old Jessica Fingers.

According to the Columbia Spectator, Fingers, who was on a full scholarship at the prestigious school, was found dead of a possible overdose in a dorm room this weekend.

Fingers was a member of the class of 2013 but was currently on leave since spring 2013. Dean of Student Affairs Kevin Shollenberger said that she was visiting friends at the university this weekend.

A cause of death has not yet been determined but police believe that Fingers may have overdosed.

The NY Daily News reports that the Fingers was found on Sunday morning by her boyfriend Peter Russell.

Russell wrote on his Facebook page this morning: “I woke up and the love of my life was dead next to me … My life is over . . . Shes gone so i have nothing to live for . . . ”

Fingers’ mother made the sad announcement on Facebook and several of the young woman’s friends have posted messages in memory of Jessica Fingers.

One wrote: “There is no one else in the world like you. You are a great person and one of the best friends I could ever ask for,” one friend wrote.

It’s not clear why Fingers was on leave from school but it may have had something to with her health. According to her Facebook page, the young woman had suffered a stroke last year and was also dealing with blood clots.

Shollenberger wrote in an email to students this morning: “It is with deep sadness and regret that I write to inform you of the untimely loss of one of our students who has been on leave from Columbia but visiting campus at the time of her passing. When we lose a member of our community, we are all affected by the loss.”