Lauren Mann, a 25-year-old Colorado native studying in Vienna, Austria, and working as an au pair, was found dead in her apartment in an apparent homicide, authorities say. (Facebook)
An American au pair was found dead in her Vienna apartment Tuesday night in an apparent homicide, authorities say.
Lauren Mann, 25, was discovered half naked after firefighters and police forced their way into her apartment, NBC News reports.
Mann, originally from Colorado, was studying in Austria while working as a nanny.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. She Was Found Near a ‘Considerable Amount of Blood’ in Her Apartment’s Bedroom
(Facebook)
Mann was found near a “considerable amount of blood,” when police and firefighters entered her Vienna apartment, NBC News reports.
“We are still awaiting the final autopsy report, but are presently treating this as a homicide case,” Vienna Police spokesman Thomas Keiblinger told NBC News.
Her half-naked body was found face-down on a mattress in her bedroom, according to CBS News.
All the light bulbs in her apartment were burnt out and had to be replaced before a forensics team could investigate, according to The Local, an English-language Austrian newspaper.
Detectives told The Local that she had no external injuries, and a toxicological report has been ordered to see if she was poisoned. Keiblinger told the newspaper the blood found near her bed could indicate an internal injury.
2. Her Employer Grew Concerned After She Failed to Show Up for Work on Tuesday
(Facebook)
Police and firefighters went to Mann’s apartment in the 4th District of Vienna on Tuesday after her employer grew concerned because she did not show up for work, The Local reports.
Her employer told police she was “very reliable,” so it was unusual when she didn’t come to work, Keiblinger told The Local.
3. She Is Originally From Paonia, Colorado
(Facebook)
Mann is originally from Paonia, Colorado, according to her Facebook page. Paonia is a small town of about 1,400 people in Delta County, Colorado.
“We extend our deepest condolences to her loved ones,” U.S. Embassy in Vienna told NBC News, adding that it is working with Austrian authorities on the investigation.
Mann had a work of fiction published in The Doctor T.J. Eckleburg Review.
Her bio on the review’s website says she “grew up in one of the small mining towns/arm pits of Colorado, took her Bachelor in Piano and French, and then fled the scene. Now studies Philology in Vienna convinced that the written word is the only viable answer to the nihilist’s dilemma, is nevertheless an outlaw of languages, which in her probable eventual monasticism will lend itself to an idiosyncratic form of apoplexy with brief and fugacious euphemiac paroxysms.”
4. She Was Studying German at the University of Vienna
(Facebook)
Mann was studying German at the University of Vienna, according to her Facebook page. She has been studying in Austria for about three years, The Local reports.
She plays piano and graduated from the University of Colorado-Boulder College of Music in 2012, the New York Daily News reports.
“We are saddened to hear the news of her death and extend our deepest sympathies to her family,” the university said in a statement.
5. Police Have Not Said if There Are Any Suspects in Mann’s Death
(Facebook)
Austrian authorities have not said if there are any suspects in Mann’s death.
She lived alone in her apartment in Vienna, according to ABC News. No weapons were found at the scene, police said.
