The body of Nicholas Pratico, the 18-year-old student at Mercer County Community College who disappeared on September 20, was found at approximately 10 a.m. on Monday, October 23 by Hamilton Township Police with the assistance of New Jersey State Police, in the woods across from the campus on Old Trenton Road in West Windsor.

According to information on the Hamilton Township website, an autopsy will be performed by the Middlesex County Medical Examiner’s Office to determine the cause of death.

Pratico, who graduated last June from Notre Dame High School in Lawrence Township, was reported missing by his family after freshman orientation at the college. The family used social media to help locate him, and shared a statement on Facebook upon his recovery. “While we hoped and prayed for a different outcome, we have been buoyed by our faith and the strength of our family, neighbors, and the community at large,” they posted this week. “We want to thank everyone for their thoughts, prayers, and incredible efforts to bring Nicholas home safely.”

Anyone with any information regarding this incident is asked to contact Detective Len Gadsby of the Hamilton Police Division Criminal Investigations Section at (609) 581-4032 or the Hamilton Police Crime Tip Hotline at (609) 581-4008.