Woman Researcher Of Indian Origin Killed In Texas While Jogging

Sarmistha Sen, a 43-year-old woman researcher of Indian origin in the United States was killed while she was out for a jog in Plano, a suburb near Dallas. Media reports say that the police have initiated a homicide investigation.

Sen, a mother to two sons, is a pharmacist and researcher. She studied molecular biology and worked at UT Southwestern with cancer patients, as a clinical research manager. Originally from Sindri in Jharkhand, she moved to Plano after her marriage to Arindam Roy. Sen was an athlete and ran the Chisholm Trail almost every morning before her children woke up.

According to the police, Sen was randomly attacked and killed on 1 August. Neither the medical examiner nor the police have revealed the cause of death yet.

“This is not something we see and definitely something very very random," said Plano police spokesperson David Tilley to WFAA. "For something like this to happen, clearly it concerns all of us. And we’re very hopeful that this is going to be an isolated incident."

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Fox4 reports that at about 7 a.m. Saturday, somebody passing by, who saw the victim's body at the bottom of the creak near Legacy Drive and Marchman Way, called police. Police claim that someone broke into a nearby house nearby on the 3400 block of Michael Drive, around the time of the murder.

A person of interest has been arrested on the charge of burglary. The suspect is 29-year-old Bakari Abiona Moncrief, and is being held at the Collin County jail on a $ one million bond for the charge.

“We have our suspicions, but we have to have proof,” said Tilley, adding “And that’s what they’re looking for right now is trying to obtain proof as to whether or not this individual is or is not responsible for her death.”

What you should know 

• Sarmistha Sen, a 43-year-old woman of Indian origin was killed on 1 August while out for a jog in Plano, near Dallas.
• Sen worked as a researcher in the United States.
• A person of interest is a 29-year-old man, Bakari Abiona Moncrief, and is being held at the Collin County jail on a $ one million bond for the charge.
• The police have suspicions but are looking for proof to confirm the identity of the killer. The cause of death has not been revealed yet.

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Grief and support poured in for the family of the deceased. Strangers, neighbours, and friends surrounded two trees near the park with flowers and hundreds of running shoes. Her brother, Sumit says, “She just immediately connected with anybody she met on a deeply personal level with a very infectious smile and energy.”

“It touched me. It's great when I've seen hundreds of shoes because you know what, people care about. Why would something like this happen to someone who's such a great human being?" Mario Major, a family friend told WFAA.com.

Bhavya Gupta is an intern with SheThePeople.TV.