Body of IU student from Fishers found in Brown County; 1 arrest made

UPDATED at noon Saturday:

Hannah Wilson, the 22-year-old Indiana University student found slain Friday, was a graduate of Hamilton Southeastern High School in Fishers and a senior at IU.

Wilson also was a member of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority at IU-Bloomington.

In the wake of the news of her slaying, IU basketball player Yogi Ferrell said Saturday that he has postponed his planned Saturday-night news conference on his decision about whether to enter the NBA draft. Festivities for the Little 500 also were canceled Friday night.

The Hamilton Southeastern School District said on Twitter that the Indiana Elite Cheer Center will open at noon Saturday and a counselor will be there to provide support. A balloon release also will be held in Wilson's memory at 5 p.m. Saturday at the cheer center at 14888 Herriman Blvd., Noblesville.

The school district also released this statement on Twitter about Wilson:

"Our heart breaks at the loss of @HSESchools alum Hannah Wilson. Our thoughts & prayers go out to her loved ones and entire school community."

Sorority members are being supported with counseling services from the university and sorority volunteers.

Gamma Phi Beta said in a news release that it was heartbroken to learn of the death of Hannah Wilson on Friday. Hannah was a senior at Indiana University.

"The entire Gamma Phi Beta family mourns the tragic loss of Hannah. She was a sister, friend, and cherished member who will be genuinely missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with Hannah's friends, family and the women of (the sorority)," said international president Krista Davis.

An autopsy was performed on Wilson's body Saturday morning to learn the exact cause of her death.

This story will be updated.

BLOOMINGTON — A body identified as Hannah Wilson, a 22-year-old Indiana University student from Fishers, was found Friday in Brown County. Indiana State Police have arrested a man on a preliminary charge of murder in connection with her death.

Daniel E. Messel, 49, of Bloomington, was taken into custody by Indiana State Police detectives.

Wilson was a student from Fishers at IU-Bloomington. Her death brought to an end the revelry of Little 500 weekend Friday night as friends and family gathered to grieve.

As midnight neared, a crowd of several dozen sat in quiet mourning outside Wilson's house, at the corner of Eighth Street and Dunn, blocks from IU's campus and within earshot of downtown Bloomington.



Little 500 weekend at Indiana is known for its accompanying party atmosphere. Kirkwood Avenue, just three blocks away, lit up in neon, its bars packed and their music loud.

But outside Wilson's house, there were tears, and silence. A police car blocked automobile traffic on Eighth Street, though it eventually left. People silently entered and exited the house, and it wasn't immediately clear whether the police were still at the house as of late Friday night.

Friends declined to speak, but grief poured out from the student community on Twitter. The Indiana men's basketball program's official account sent its thoughts and prayers to Wilson's family and friends, and the university's offered "deepest condolences."

"The entire IU Bloomington community mourns the tragic death of Hannah Wilson," said Mark Land, a spokesperson for IU. "Our deepest sympathies go out to Hannah's family and friends during this unspeakably sad time."

Wilson was a member of Gamma Phi Beta sorority, according to a tweet from IU's Panhellenic Council.

Bloomington Police Department had taken a missing persons report regarding Wilson's disappearance Friday afternoon, before the discovery of her body.

The news hit the IU community hard, revisiting memories of Lauren Spierer, a student who disappeared in 2011, and Jill Behrman, a student who disappeared more than a decade ago.

Behrman's body was recovered years after her disappearance. John Myers, a local man, was convicted of her murder. Spierer's disappearance remains unexplained.

Call Star reporter Michael Anthony Adams at (317) 444-6123. Follow him on Twitter: @michaeladams317.