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Police investigating death of Willamette University sophomore

Salem police are continuing to investigate the death of a 19-year-old Willamette University student leader whose body was found by hikers in Minto-Brown Island Park on Friday afternoon.

The Salem Police Department disclosed the investigation in a Saturday afternoon news release, identifying the victim as Abigail Agustin-Paz, a sophomore from Wood Village, a city on the eastern edge of Portland.

Police released few details about the case, including who found her and where in the large city park.

“Investigators are still working to determine her cause of death,” the police statement said.

Abigail Agustin-Paz (Willamette University photo)

She graduated from Reynolds High School was attending Willamette under the Ford Scholars Program. The Ford Family Foundation funds scholarships through the program “to assist students who otherwise would find it impossible, or at least very difficult, to obtain a college degree,” according to the foundation’s website.

On the Willamette campus, she was a leader in Ohana, an organization to help students of color and first-generation students at the university.

She also was active in two other campus organizations, Alianza and WU-CAUSA.

“These were clubs where I could feel at ease and find people with similar interests, who also spoke the same language,” she said in an online entry for her role in Ohana.

She listed as among her favorite classes at the university “Latinx Literature and Performance,” “Biology of Oppression and Love,” and “Basics of Singing.”

“Some people might call me introverted, but in reality it depends in the mood and atmosphere I’m in. I’m currently taking guitar lessons on Youtube,” she wrote.

In a section asking for words of wisdom, she wrote, “Being a first-year college student is challenging, and being a first-generation student, oldest sibling or coming from a diverse background might come with more individual challenges. Remember that there will always be people and/or networks ready to support you.”

University officials were notified of her death Friday evening and a private vigil was scheduled on campus for Saturday evening.

“This is a devastating loss to our university and we extend our deepest sympathy to her family, friends, professors, co-workers, and our entire campus community,” said Tim Cobb, university vice president of marketing and communications.

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