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Boone Police Conducting Death Investigation, Working With App State To Console Friends

On Saturday, Oct. 29, 2016, at approximately 1:15 p.m., Boone Police, Fire, and Watauga Medics responded to a parking lot on Tracy Circle near the intersection of Mac Street for a reported deceased individual. A 21-year-old female was found deceased inside a vehicle suffering from a gunshot wound.

The victim has been identified as Savannah Taylor Karten, 21, of Glen Allen, Va.

Savannah was a sophomore at Appalachian State University. The Boone Police Department has been in close contact with the Appalachian State Police Department to make sure that those closest with Savannah get the help that they may need.

“We want to let the Boone and Appalachian community know that we have a team of detectives working on this case. We have certain protocol that we utilize to ensure a thorough, fair and impartial investigation. It is far too early to make a determination as to the type of death,” Boone Police Chief Dana Crawford said in a statement on Monday.

“There is always a balance between guarding the integrity of the case, not making premature speculations, and providing information to the community. We can tell you that at this time we do not have any information that leads us to believe that we are looking for a suspect. No information has led us to believe that this is a homicide; however, we still have a lot of work to do. We will keep the community posted of any public safety concerns. We extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Savannah. Unfortunately, we see this type of tragic loss of life too often.”