Police in Chile are investigating the death of a 22-year-old Kentucky woman as a possible homicide — as family and friends remember the young English teacher for her charisma and kindness. Erica Hagan traveled to the southern Chilean city of Temuco in late July as a teaching assistant following her graduation from Georgetown College, a private Christian school. Her body was found Saturday in her apartment in Temuco with injuries appearing to be from a sharp object, reported NBC affiliate WLEX. She was also found with injuries to the head, the station said.
Hagan was scheduled to return home to Murray, Kentucky, in December. Friends said Hagan had previously traveled abroad to Spain and Chile, and being able to teach was one of her joys. “She wanted to help people, and she wasn’t judgmental,” Hagan’s aunt, Charlene Martin, told WLEX. “She went where she felt like she was needed and most helpful.” Her family is traveling to Chile while the investigation continues. A memorial service, meanwhile, is planned in the coming week at Georgetown College, officials told NBC News.