Jacob Marberger Found Dead, Washington College to Remain Closed
ByAbout a week after being declared missing and considered armed, authorities found Jacob Marberger dead of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Marberger, a sophomore at Washington College (WC), went missing last week after taking a gun from his family's home and was not responding to any calls. Marberger's body turned up in Kempton, Penn. at a Hawk Mountain picnic area, according to The Associated Press.
Details surfaced that Marberger may have posed a threat to the school's Chestertown, Md. campus, so school officials closed it on Monday. WC remained closed the next day when Marberger's whereabouts were still not known, and the school announced the campus would remain closed through the Thanksgiving break.
"It is with great sorrow that we must inform you this evening of the passing of sophomore Jacob Marberger. We extend our deepest sympathies to the Marberger family in their time of unimaginable grief," WC said in a statement Saturday evening. "This is a terrible blow to our community, and the outpouring of compassion and support we have shown each other will help us through this difficult time. We need to continue to be supportive of each other as we mourn individually and as a community."
Penn. State Police confirmed Saturday afternoon Marberger died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound and his body was found near the green Land Rover he was said to be driving, The Baltimore Sun reported. Police did not disclose other details, such as a timeline for the 19-year-old's death.
Marberger brandished a gun at a party hosted at WC's Phi Delta Theta fraternity house earlier this month, The AP noted. The incident resulted in his removal from the fraternity and his resignation from the school's student government. Police also filed weapons charges against Marberger after his disappearance in relation to the incident.
He did not make any direct threats toward the campus, but police and school authorities took heavy precautions nonetheless.
"My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends," Chestertown police Chief G. Adrian Baker said in a statement obtained by The Sun. "Thank you in advance for your cooperation and understanding at this difficult time."