Virginia Tech student, 21, 'shot dead and stashed in sleeping bag by fellow student and her friends'

Jessica Ewing, 22, is accused of murdering Samanata Shrestha, 21, a biology major who had just been accepted into Penn State College of Medicine

The student was reported missing by her parents Saturday morning after they couldn't get hold of her

Finally, on Monday, police discovered Shrestha's body wrapped in a sleeping bag in the back seat of her abandoned car, a black 2004 Mercedes

Keifer Kyle Brown and Michael Heller allegedly helped Ewing stash the body and have been charged with accessory after the fact

Investigators have not yet determined a motive for the shock slaying, nor do they know how the suspects knew their victim or if they in fact did

Tragic: Two Virginia Tech students have been charged in the brutal murder of a fellow student, Samanata Shrestha, pictured

A Virginia Tech student and two of her friends have been charged in the brutal murder of a fellow female student who had just been accepted into medicine school.

Jessica Michelle Ewing, 22, is accused of killing Samanata Shrestha, 21, a popular senior, some time after 7 a.m. Saturday in the Blacksburg area.



Keifer Kyle Brown, a 23-year-old who graduated from the college last year, allegedly helped Ewing stash the body, and has been charged as an accessory in the murder.



Another friend, Michael Christian Heller, a Blacksburg resident, was also arrested and is accused of helping to cover their tracks.



Investigators have not yet determined a motive for the shock slaying, nor do they know how the three knew their victim or if they in fact did.

The biology major from Vienna in Northern Virginia, who friends and family called 'Sam,' was reported missing by her concerned parents Saturday morning. They told police they hadn't heard from her since Friday and couldn't reach her.



'Something was wrong; that was my immediate reaction,' her mother, Rajshree Shrestha, who tragically lost another daughter in a motorcycle accident five years ago, told ABC News. 'Me and my husband said, "This is not right."'

The complaint sparked a widespread search for the missing student.



Finally, on Monday, investigators discovered Shrestha's body wrapped in a sleeping bag in the back seat of her car, a black 2004 Mercedes. The car was abandoned on the side of the road.

University Herald is reporting that the victim was shot dead, however the school newspaper, the Collegiate Times, reports that she was strangled.



Ewing was arrested Monday and has been charged with second-degree murder. Brown who was also arrested Monday faces accessory after the fact charges for helping to conceal the body. Heller was arrested Wednesday and is also charged with being an accessory.



Suspects: Jessica Michelle Ewing, 22, left, is charged with murder and Keifer Kyle Brown, 23, a graduate, right, allegedly helped her stash the body

Ewing is a senior at the school, double majoring in fisheries science and biological sciences, according to the Collegiate Times.



Brown graduated last August with a degree in interdisciplinary studies and Heller never attended the college but lives in the area.



Ewing and Brown are both being held without bond. Brown is in the Montgomery County Jail, but Ewing has been transferred to the Western Virginia Regional Jail. Heller was released on $3000 bond.

'We have no idea what is the motive,' a family friend, Ram C. Kharel, told the Washington Post.

Shrestha was a popular senior who was majoring in biology and minoring in medicine and society and psychology.



Stunning: The beatiful and intelligent student, known as 'Sam' is pictured with her boyfriend

Sad: Virginia Tech has suffered it's share of tragedies, including a mass shooting in 2009

She aspired to be a doctor, her parents said, and shortly before her death she had received some exciting news.



'Her dream had been fulfilled,' her mother told ABC News. 'She wanted to become a doctor and she has been accepted to the Penn State College of Medicine.'

Blacksburg Police Department Lt. Nathan O'Dell wouldn't comment on the ongoing investigation, but insisted he'd do all he could to ensure the those charged are convicted.



'We lost a very beautiful and intelligent person from our community and the Blacksburg Police will be very thorough and meticulous with our investigation to ensure the three we have charged are convicted in connection with this murder,' he told ABC News.



The death has shaken the campus community and Shrestha's classmates were organizing a candlelight vigil in her honor, and a memorial fundraiser was being set up to benefit an organization where she volunteered.

Killer? Jessica Ewing, pictured, was allegedly the shooter

In custody: The suspects, including Keifer, pictured left and right, are being held without bond at the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office. They haven't yet entered pleas

'That an inspiring young woman would lose her life to violent crime hurts beyond belief,' Virginia Tech President Charles Steger said in a statement.



'We extend our deepest sympathies and condolences to the family and will assist in any way possible. No amount of words can counteract their grief.'



He added: 'We know such crime should not happen in a special place like Blacksburg, yet we also know from our own history and that of similar towns throughout our nation that crime can visit even the most placid communities.'



Shrestha's academic adviser, Jack Evans, described the student to University Herald as eager to learn. She was 'like a wet sponge and just gobbled it all up,' he said.