A vigil was held at UNC Charlotte Thursday night.
MOUNT HOLLY, N.C. -- Investigators in Mount Holly have announced that the UNC Charlotte student found dead earlier this week passed away from asphyxiation.
Ira Yarmolenko, 20, was found Monday afternoon next to a car on the banks of a remote area of the Catawba River in Mount Holly. Officials are now treating the case as a murder investigation.
Mount Holly Police Chief David Belk wouldn’t specify on possible motives regarding Yarmolenko’s death, or if any particular suspects may be targeted at this point. Authorities said they continue to follow several strong leads.
“If anyone knows anything about what might have happened, if anybody saw our student or anybody with her, please give us a call,” said Marlene Hall, director of Police and Public Safety at UNCC. “Even if it’s a small thing, may not have looked like much, any detail is very important."
News 14 Carolina's Brad Broders is on the campus of UNC Charlotte as students say farewell to their friend.
Yarmolenko was last seen at a Credit Union and Jackson’s Java near campus around 11 a.m. Monday morning. Officials are now trying to piece together who saw her in the hours before her body was discovered. UNCC leaders put out an advisory to every student and faculty member, urging anyone to come forward with information.
People can call the Mount Holly Police Department at 704-827-4343.
Thursday night, a candlelight vigil was held for Yarmolenko at the Belk Tower on the UNCC campus.
“Ira… you can’t describe in words, she was the best human being ever,” said one student.
"I hope that when you go home tonight, you will tell everyone you know that you love them,” said Yarmolenko’s brother Pavel. “Because I tell you, I didn't get a chance at all. I don't know when the last time was that I told my sister I loved her."
Yarmolenko will be buried Saturday afternoon in the Chapel Hill Memorial Cemetery.
Donations for the Irina Memorial Fund may be sent to:
PO Box 1108
Chapel Hill, NC
27514
Donations will be used for the family to help pay for funeral costs and any leftover money will be used to setup a suitable memorial.