vmargineanu/iStock(HARMONTOWN, Miss.) — Authorities are investigating the mysterious death of a 21-year-old Ole Miss student whose body was discovered over the weekend.
Deputies were on a routine patrol Saturday around 10:30 a.m. when they found the body of Alexandria “Ally” Kostial in Harmontown, Miss., about 30 miles from Ole Miss, according to the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff’s officials have not released her cause of death, but said “it is apparent that foul play was involved.”
“We are not releasing many of the details [as] this is an active investigation,” sheriff’s officials said in a statement Monday.
Investigators are “following several leads,” the sheriff’s department added.
Kostial was from St. Louis, Mo., and was studying marketing at the University of Mississippi’s School of Business Administration, according to the sheriff’s office and the university.
“We are truly saddened by the death of Alexandria Kostial,” University of Mississippi Interim Chancellor Larry Sparks said in a statement. “Ally was a valued member of our campus community. We extend our deepest sympathy to her family, friends, and classmates, and stand ready to support them during this time.”
Before attending Ole Miss, Kostial graduated in 2016 from Lindbergh High School in St. Louis, according to the school district.
“Our hearts are broken for the Kostials, and we extend our deepest sympathies to her entire family during this time,” Lindbergh Schools spokeswoman Beth Johnston told ABC News via email.
Authorities ask anyone with information to call the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Department at 662-234-6421 or Crime Stoppers at 662-234-8477.
Copyright © 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.