A college student was found dead Sunday in a parking lot near the Frank J. Woods Bridge in Topsham, Maine, authorities said.
According to Topsham police, the victim was a 20-year-old California woman attending Bowdoin College. Police have not released the woman’s name, but Bowdoin College President Safa Zaki released a statement identifying the student as Qinyan Zhang.
Around 7 a.m. Sunday morning, police responded to a report of a deceased person in the parking lot at 2 Main Street.
The woman’s body was taken to the medical examiner’s office for an autopsy. Officials are awaiting the results.
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Bowdoin’s campus is covered in fresh snow on Tuesday, January 8, 2019. (Staff photo: Brianna Soukup/Portland Portland Press Herald via Getty Images)
The incident is still under investigation, but police said they believe there is no threat to the public.
Zaki’s statement informed the campus community of Zhan’s death, also known as K., WMTW reported. Born in Shanghai, China, Zhan has lived in the United States since 2019. She attended school in California and enrolled at Bowdoin College in the fall of 2021.
“Teachers described Ms. K as bright and engaging, and many will remember her warmth and kindness,” Zaki wrote. Her supervisor, Jean Yarbrough, the Gary M. Pendy Senior Professor of Social Sciences, described Ms. K as a student who was “deeply interested in the most important theological and philosophical questions.”
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The victim was identified as 20-year-old Qingyan Zhang. (Topsham Police)
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“K’s death is a devastating tragedy for her parents, siblings, and other loved ones, as well as for her friends, classmates, and our entire Bowdoin community,” Zaki added. “This news is extremely difficult to process, especially as the circumstances of Mr. K’s death are still unknown. Please take care of yourself and others and take advantage of the opportunity to gather together. .”
In response to Zhan’s death, the university is extending counseling hours for students this week.
“Like so many of you, I am heartbroken and shocked,” Zaki wrote. “There are truly no words to express how devastating this loss is to our community. You all join me in sending our deepest condolences to Mr. K’s family.”
