The body of 22-year-old William McCaw, of Gallatin, Tennessee, was found in the backyard of a home in New Brunswick. McCaw attended nearby Kean University.
A neighbor called police after finding McCaw's body face down in the snow Saturday morning at a home on Hartwell Street.
He was pronounced dead at the scene. A preliminary investigation determined that he suffered blunt force trauma. Autopsy results have not yet been released.
On Sunday, detectives were back at the home where McCaw was found, looking for any evidence that might lead them to a killer.
Investigators say McCaw was a former Rutgers University student who transferred to Kean, and he would often return to New Brunswick to visit friends. Investigators have not said whether McCaw knew anyone in the neighborhood where he was found.
Friends say they last saw McCaw on Friday night.
The body was found in a neighborhood where mostly college students live. Some students are now concerned about their own safety, while friends are asking why McCaw was beaten so severely and left to die.
"No one deserves that, especially someone that great," said Megan Shea, who went to high school with McCaw. "He was just an all-around great kid. He had a huge group of friends, his family was very loving and loved him very much. He was just an all-around great guy. He was never into any bad crowds or anything like that."
No arrests have been made. Anyone with any information is asked to call Detective Martinez of the New Brunswick Police Department at (732) 745-5217, extension 6028, or Investigator Daniewicz of the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office at (732) 745-4018.
