Woman, 21, found dead in Columbia dorm room

Authorities Sunday were investigating the death of a woman in a Columbia University dormitory room, police and school officials said.

The woman, who a university dean said was a student on leave who was visiting campus, has not been identified by Columbia or the NYPD.

"When we lose a member of our community, we are all affected by the loss," Kevin G. Shollenberger, dean of student affairs, wrote to students and parents Sunday in an emailed note.

He encouraged students and families to seek counseling through campus services or chaplains, and to discuss among themselves any emotional issues.

"We extend our deepest condolences to the family of this student," he wrote. "While this is a difficult time for our community, we are united in our grief and committed to ensuring the health and well being of every member of the Columbia family."

Sunday's death at Columbia's East Campus dorm comes a little more than six months after a student jumped to her death from a window of John Jay Hall at 114th Street and Amsterdam Avenue.

First-year student Martha Corey-Ochoa, plunged from her 14th-floor window Aug. 27. The high school valedictorian had not yet attended a single class.

Police responded to a 911 call about 11:45 a.m. reporting an unconscious 21-year-old woman in the dorm at 70 Morningside Dr.

Emergency workers pronounced the unidentified woman dead a short time later.

The medical examiner's office was still trying to determine the woman's cause of death Sunday evening.