August 10, 2020
The body of 43-year-old scientist, Sarmistha Sen was found near a creek in Plano, Texas on Saturday morning, August 8.
About two hours after starting her jog, a witness discovered Sen’s body about 20 to 25 feet near a creek. Sen’s death has been classified as a homicide by investigators, according to CNN.
Sen was an avid runner and often woke up early for morning jogs around her neighborhood. Her husband, Roy Arindam, stated she was “brutally killed by a stranger for no apparent reason.”
Local residents paid tribute to Sen by dropping off pairs of running shoes near the site where her body was discovered.
29-year-old Bakari Moncrief has been detained and currently being held at the Collin County Detention Center for a burglary, which happened near where Sen’s body was discovered, according to Fox 4. His bail has been set unusually high for a burglary, $1 million.
A Ring doorbell captured the very moment Moncrief broke into a Plano home early Saturday morning. He can be heard saying at least twice, “I’m not a fu**ing coward.”
Moncrief made his way upstairs and removed a television from a table and set it on the floor. Detectives took “DNA swabs of the television and took a large piece of stone used to smash the glass for possible DNA evidence,” reports Fox 4.
Sen was born in Sindri, India. She then moved to Bangalore to get married and moved to Plano, Texas in 2004. She studied at UT Dallas and the University of Alabama Birmingham. Sen would later become a cancer researcher for the rest of her career. She leaves behind two children, ages 6 and 12, and her husband, according to CNN.
“Sarmistha lived a free and fearless life inspiring many with her infectious energy and carefree smile. Sarmistha was an avid runner, gardener and a great cook. She practiced healthy mindful living and she could cook extremely healthy food that tasted amazingly good,” her family stated.
“She was a trained singer of Indian classical music and loved to teach and perform music. She was passionate about cancer care and was a lifelong supporter of cancer research.”
Feature Images via Fox 4