Suspect arrested in beating death of Indiana college student left in rural field - New York Daily News

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Saturday, April 25, 2015, 7:12 PM

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Hannah Wilson, a 22-year-old senior at Indiana University and native of Fishers, Ind., died of blunt trauma to the head.

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The 22-year-old member of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority chapter had been reported missing hours before her body was discovered in a rural field.

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A missing persons poster for Hannah Wilson was circulated hours before her body was found in a rural field about 20 miles outside of the Indiana University campus.

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Hannah Wilson, a 22-year-old senior at Indiana University and native of Fishers, Ind., died of blunt trauma to the head.

An Indiana University student discovered dead in a rural field hours after being reported as missing had several wounds to her head, local reports said.

An autopsy found Hannah Wilson, 22, died of blunt force trauma. She had bruises on her hands, likely from defending herself against an unknown weapon, WTHR-TV reported.

AP

The man arrested by Indiana State Police on suspicion of Wilson’s death is 49-year-old Daniel Edward Messer.

Wilson, a native of Fishers, Ind., was a member of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority chapter and a senior at the Bloomington school.

“The entire IU Bloomington community mourns the tragic death of Hannah Wilson. Our deepest sympathies go out to Hannah's family and friends during this unspeakably sad time,” a Indiana University spokesperson stated after learning of Wilson’s death.

Her sorority chapter asked mourners on Facebook to join a vigil and balloon release in honor of their “beautiful sister” on Saturday evening.

There’s no evidence that Wilson was the victim of a sexual assault during the fatal attack. Her body, discovered 20 miles away from the Bloomington campus, was fully clothed with a blouse, pants and tennis shoes, WTHR-TV added.

Her body was found shortly after a missing persons report was filed with police.

Messer is a felon with convictions dating back to 1993 for criminal recklessness, drunk driving, battery and disorderly conduct, court records show. He was booked into the Brown County jail on a murder charge.

nhensley@nydailynews.com

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