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Ithaca Police identified Darryl Wu ’18 as the Cornell student found dead in his Collegetown apartment yesterday afternoon.
Wu was discovered by staff members and appeared to have been dead for several days — potentially more than four — The Sun previously reported. Police did not suspect foul play in the incident, and his death appeared to have been natural.
Wu was a rising junior in Arts and Sciences who had planned to major in chemistry, Ritter said. His friends and professors remembered him as modest and “exceedingly kind.” He also “excelled” in national competitions in linguistics and mathematics and was a member of the winning team in the 12th International Linguistics Olympiad, where he was the second highest overall scorer, according to an email from Gretchen Ritter, the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences
“Please join me in taking a moment to remember Darryl and acknowledge this profound loss within our community,” Ritter said in the email.
In a statement, Interim President Hunter Rawlings added that Wu was “an exceptional student … but first and foremost a beloved son, brother and friend.”
His brother, Darren Wu, graduated from Cornell last semester, Rawlings said.
Sadie Park ’18 — a resident of Collegetown Center, where Wu lived — said she was “shocked” that staff did not find him sooner.
“As a person living in that apartment, it scares me a lot,” she said.
However, Evan Genova ’18, who also lives in Collegetown Center, described the apartment complex as a place where “it’s pretty easy to just disappear for a few days.”
“[Four days] is definitely a long time though, but I guess that’s what happens in a building where everyone’s in a single pretty much,” Genova said. “There’s no one that expects you back … People tend to be quiet and just go straight to their rooms and close the door.”
Most of the building’s residents are graduate students who “are full grown adults and would probably like their privacy,” according to Daniel Abaraoha ’18, who lived on the building’s second floor.
Genova said neither he nor Abaraoha had noticed anything different about their floor of the apartment in the last four days.
Staff members at Collegetown Center do not typically enter tenant’s rooms, according to Nathan Lyman, the chief operating officer of the Ithaca Renting Company. Lyman added that he was uncertain about how staff found Wu’s body.
Abraoha added that the complex is “a great living space” where “everything … makes it super convenient to be at.”
“I would still love to re-sign and the place is great; I just think it’s unfortunate that this happened,” Abaraoha said. “Combine that with what’s happened last weekend, it’s a dark mood to start the year.”
University Resources: Members of the Cornell community seeking support can called Gannett Health Services’ Counseling and Psychological Services (607-255-5155), EARS peer counseling (607-255-3277), the Faculty Staff Assistance Program (607-255-2673), the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255) or find additional resources at caringcommunity.cornell.edu.
Josephine Chu ’18 contributed reporting to this story.