MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A multi-agency investigation is underway into the homicide of an Ole Miss student student. The body of 21-year-old Alexandria Kostial was found Saturday alongside a gravel road near Sardis Lake.
Students we talked with were shocked to hear the news.
“I heard about this about five minutes ago. I’d imagine everybody else is just as broken up about it as I am,” Alex Ridgeway said. Ridgeway is a senior at Ole Miss and attends the School of Business Administration.
That’s also where Kostial was studying for her Bachelor’s Degree in marketing.
It’s a goal that tragically ended when Kostial was found dead Saturday along Buford Ridge Road, 30 miles from the Ole Miss campus.
“It’s terrible. I mean, it’s tragic for her and her family and friends and any loved ones,” student Elliot Faler said.
A Lafayette County Sheriff’s deputy was patrolling the stretch of road on the north side of Sardis Lake when Kostial’s body was discovered.
Investigators aren’t saying how the woman ended up here or how she died.
A few students told us Kostial had been in their class, but they didn’t want to go on camera. Ridgeway says the woman’s death has everyone in a state of shock.
“I think everybody is upset. People aren’t talking about it, because it’s not something that’s talked about in polite conversation. But I think it’s eating away at everybody.”
In a statement, Ole Miss Interim Chancellor Larry Sparks said in part, “We extend our deepest sympathy to her family, friends and classmates and stand ready to support them during this time.”
If you have information that can help in this investigation you’re urged to call the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Department at 662-234-6421 or crime stoppers at 662-234-8477.
