ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Ann Arbor Police are still on the hunt for the person responsible for killing a University of Michigan medical student who was found dead in his room this week.
Investigators say 25-year-old Paul DeWolf died of a single gunshot wound. The weapon hasn’t been found.
Police say there was no evidence that any property was taken from DeWolf’s apartment at the Phi Rho Sigma Fraternity house when his body was discovered.
Students say when police and crime scene units started showing up at Paul DeWolf’s, they never imagined he would be the victim of such a violent crime.
“I was very shocked. Nothing like that ever happens around here,” said Irene Kitromelides, a pre-med student at the University of Michigan.
“He was a classmate of mine in med school. “Just fun-loving, always had a great sense of humor,” said Lauren Dennisuk, a fourth-year medical student. “He was interested in going into the orthopedic surgery.”
Dennisuk also lives near the Phi Rho Sigma Fraternity house where DeWolf was found dead. She said it’s unthinkable that DeWolf would have any enemies who would want to kill him.
“I could not see that at all,” said Dennisuk. “He was just such a nice guy and always happy and it would be shocking.”
DeWolf was working at the VA Hospital in Ann Arbor. When he didn’t show up as scheduled, the hospital staff sent someone to check on him. Police say that associate found DeWolf dead.
The University of Michigan Medical School released a statement saying, “We mourn the passing of a promising and aspiring surgeon, who connected quickly with patients.”
“To lose a student of such potential has dealt a blow to our students, and the faculty and staff who worked with Paul.”
Dennisuk said he was likely taking a clinical elective at the hospital for surgery.
“We’re usually part of a team with the residents and the attending physicians, taking care of the patients in the hospital. So we’ll check in on patients everyday and see how they’re doing,” she said.
Some of the residents in the Phi Rho Sigma house who may have been home at the time of DeWolf’s death did not want to comment Friday.
Dennisuk said the crime has taken away the sense of security in the tight-knit medical community.
Most students generally live near the fraternity house where DeWolf was killed because the neighborhood is very close to the medical school.
“Being right down the street from where this all happened, to know if there’s someone out there doing this, is scary,” said Dennisuk.
Fellow students also say it’s tragic that DeWolf’s death occurred so close to his graduation date.
Full statement issued Friday from Ann Arbor Police:
July 26, 2013
On July 24, 2013, Police responded to the 200 block of North Ingalls where, Paul DeWolf, a 25
year old U of M medical student and Air Force Second Lieutenant, was found deceased in his
apartment by a coworker who had been sent to check on him after he did not report for work.
Upon Officers’ arrival, the apartment was orderly and valuables appeared to have been
untouched. The Medical Examiner’s Office was notified and subsequently responded to the
scene. The cause of Mr. DeWolf’s visible injury was unknown at that time and would require an
autopsy to determine cause of death.
the autopsy conducted by the Washtenaw County Medical Examiner’s Office
revealed that Mr. DeWolf had suffered a single gunshot wound. No firearm was found at the scene.
The Ann Arbor police are actively investigating this crime. Anybody with information is asked to
call the Ann Arbor Police tip line 734-794-6939, or e-mail TIPS@a2gov.org or Crimestoppers at
