An 18-year-old freshman at Barnard College was fatally stabbed Wednesday night during a robbery near the college's campus in Manhattan.
In a letter sent to the campus, Barnard's president Sian Leah Beilock identified the victim as Tessa Majors, who was attacked while walking through Morningside Park. Beilock described the incident as an "armed robbery."
"This is an unthinkable tragedy that has shaken us to our core," Beilock wrote. "Please know that we are all grieving together and I am thinking of you as we process this awful news as a community."
Lee Bollinger, president of Columbia University, also addressed the student body.
"I personally and members of the University’s senior leadership are working closely with the NYPD and with Barnard to better understand the details of the attack and will keep you updated as we learn more," he wrote.
According to a police report obtained by the New York Times, police responded to a report that a woman had been assaulted at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 11. The incident happened near West 116th Street and Morningside drive.
Officers found an unconscious woman who had been stabbed multiple times. She was transported to to Mount Sinai St. Luke's Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, according to the New York Times.
Columbia University's student newspaper, the Columbia Spectator, says no arrests have been made at this time and the investigation is ongoing.
Tributes have poured in for Majors on her social media.
"Tess, I have known you since as long as i can remember. you were one of my biggest role models and i always wanted to be like you," Instagram user @lydiarpickering wrote on Majors' most recent Instagram post. "I still remember playing those crazy make believe games with you, Max and Ella. Your impact on this world cano not even be put into words. Rest in peace sweet angel. I love you so much."
Barnard College is a private liberal arts college in New York City affiliated with Columbia University. It was founded in 1889 as a response to Columbia's refusal to admit women.
