Daniel Sotelo and Natally Brookson both disappeared on April 30, authorities said.
A Chicago graduate student is missing and his girlfriend has been found dead, authorities said.
Daniel Sotelo and Natally Brookson disappeared on April 30, their relatives said. Brookson's body was identified Wednesday by her family after police discovered it in Chicago, authorities said.
A cause of death for the 22-year-old has not been determined, according to the medical examiner's office. Police have opened an investigation into her death, they said, but no details have been released.
Sotelo and Brookson were both graduate students at the University of Illinois in Chicago. She was studying psychology and he was an organic chemistry major.
Brookson was last seen at Friedman Place, a housing community for blind adults where she worked as a dietary aide.
Sotelo, 26, was last seen by his roommate, who dropped him at a Chicago Transit Authority L train station, his family said. When he didn't return home after a few days, a friend notified his sister, Jennifer.
"It’s very tough. I can only imagine as a parent how that would feel to have one of your kids go missing," Jennifer Sotelo told WFLD-TV. "I would just tell him, please come home, you’ve got a lot of family members, friends, cousins who are worried about you and we just want to hear from you."
The sister said Daniel did not reply to texts or phone messages and he missed his graduation ceremony last week, all of which is totally out of character for him.
Anyone with information about Sotelo is asked to contact Chicago police. A GoFundMe account has been established to help with funeral costs for Brookson.
"Natally's family and friends are devastated by the news. We (her friends) are hoping to raise money to cover her funeral costs and other financial expenses. We wish to help her family in any way we can, relieving them from any financial burdens," the site says.
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