Miami junior Rebecca Eldemire shot and killed by ex-boyfriend in Level 27 apartment
Photo contributed Jacqueline Morgan
By Reis Thebault and Victoria Slater, Managing Editors
Miami University is reeling today as students, faculty and the community try to digest the news of junior Rebecca Eldemire's murder.
On Sunday morning, Larry E. Tipton II reportedly shot and killed Eldemire, then took his own life. Tipton, a 27-year-old resident of Blacklick, Ohio near Columbus, was Eldemire's ex-boyfriend.
Oxford Police Department officers responded to a call from Eldemire's roommates at 8:45 a.m. Feb. 1. The roommates reported loud bangs and an activated fire alarm in Eldemire's room. Her door was locked.
When OPD officers entered the room, they found Tipton and Eldemire dead from apparent gunshot wounds. The officers also found a handgun near the bodies. The department is investigating the case as a murder-suicide.
The Sunday morning call was not the first OPD received from Eldemire's Level 27 apartment. At 9:56 the night before, Jan. 31, Eldemire called OPD to make a "public assist" request. When officers arrived, Eldemire told them her ex-boyfriend was coming to see her. The officers waited for Tipton in the parking lot.
When he arrived, Eldemire reportedly asked the officers to escort her and Tipton to her apartment. Once in the apartment, Eldemire, Tipton and the officers had a "brief conversation," according to an OPD press release. Eldemire then reportedly told the officers they were no longer needed and they could leave.
OPD Public Information Officer Sergeant Jon Varley said he could not elaborate on the Jan. 31 call that came just 11 hours before Eldemire's death. Varley said he had planned to tell reporters more, but the City of Oxford's law director Stephen McHugh instructed him against it. McHugh was not available for comment.
To the police, Eldemire referred to Tipton as her "ex-boyfriend." But Tipton's Facebook lists him and Eldemire as "In a relationship since June 5, 2012." He was not a Miami student.
Photo contributed by Jacqueline Morgan
Jacqueline Morgan, junior and close friend of Eldemire's, declined to comment on Eldemire's relationship with Tipton. Morgan did, however, talk of Eldemire's love for people and the environment.
"She wanted to make the world a better place, on campus and off."
Morgan and Eldemire met the first day of their first year at Miami. They lived across from each other in Peabody Hall.
"She was the most genuine person I've ever met," Morgan said. "She was the best person in the world. I was so blessed to be her best friend."
Junior and fellow member of Phi Sigma Pi honor fraternity Matt Serio said Eldemire was never without a smile.
"She was one of the most fun people to be around," he said. "She was such a great person, and was a really wonderful addition to this school. She will be deeply missed."
Serio said he is still in shock.
"I never imagined something like this happening to someone I know," he said.
He is not alone. Students across campus, whether they knew Eldemire or not, are still trying to come to terms with the news.
Sophomore and Level 27 resident Austin Rutledge said he never would have expected this to happen in Oxford.
"I was in complete shock," he said. "When I come home to Oxford from Hamilton, I feel like I'm coming home to a safe place. It was an eye-opening experience realizing that no matter how nice of a community you live in, there are always going to be a select few people that make it unsafe for the people residing in the area."
And, the community should be surprised. This kind of crime does not often happen here. Eldemire's, is the first murder in Oxford in over 30 years, Varley said.
Junior Abby Morris echoed the campus-wide disbelief.
"People are freaking out," she said. "It's so scary how people our age and on our campus may have a gun. You never know what's really going on around you."
Claire Wagner, director of university news and communication, described the campus atmosphere in the wake of Eldemire's death.
"Shock. Sadness. It's hard to believe," she said.
Wagner also discussed Eldemire as a student and active participant in university organizations.
"She was a strong student, on the dean's list and active in many organizations," Wagner said. "By all accounts, Rebecca was a student leader. It's not just students and friends who miss her, but faculty and staff."
Eldemire, 21, was a geography and Geographic Information Systems double major. She was involved in several on-campus clubs, including 4 Paws for Ability Miami and Phi Sigma Pi honor fraternity. She worked at BEST Library and had just been promoted. One of her supervisors lauded her attitude and work ethic.
"[She was a] fantastic worker," the supervisor said. "Her smile and her laughter will be deeply missed at the libraries."
President David Hodge also reached out, via Twitter.
"Our hearts go out to family, friends of Rebecca Eldemire following her tragic death," he said. "She will be greatly missed. Sad and painful time for us."
Eldemire's life and death have affected everyone in the community: friends, classmates and, simply, fellow Miami students.
"I have never met another person who was so happy to be alive," Morgan said. "I'm so glad she got to live as much as she could."
Funeral services will be tomorrow at Weil Funeral Home on 8350 Cornell Rd. in Cincinnati. The visitation will be at 10 a.m. and the funeral at 11 a.m.
Her family set up the Rebecca C. Eldemire Betterment for Environmental and Earth Protection Foundation. Donations can be made to the foundation at Chase Bank.