Autopsy Expected In Yale Grad Student Murder; No Arrests Yet

Amid speculation that a suspect in the murder of Yale graduate student Annie Le would be arrested today, authorities say there will be no arrests today. However, autopsy results will be released after 3 p.m.; according to the Hartford Courant, the ME's office declared Le's death a homicide yesterday but withheld the report for a day, with a spokesperson explaining, "We have to give police time to do what they need to do, and the family needs to be notified."

Le, a 24-year-old pharmacology doctoral student, was reported missing last Tuesday; on Sunday, which was to be have been her wedding day, her body was found in a basement wall of the research building she was last seen entering. Reports suggest that police believe a lab technician may be involved with the 24-year-old's death. According to the New Haven Register:

The Yale employee, who is involved in animal testing, has been under law enforcement’s microscope since before the body of Annie Le was discovered stuffed in a mechanical chase in the basement of the 120,000-square-foot building at 10 Amistad St.

He had scratches on his chest, which drew police attention, the sources confirmed. He also took, and failed, an FBI-administered polygraph exam, they said, and at some point during questioning invoked his right to have an attorney and stopped answering questions.

Over the last week, police interviewed and re-interviewed roughly 100 people who work in or have access to the building, and the lab technician was among them. He has not been charged and was not in custody Monday.

The New Haven police have emphasized that the murder did not seem like a "random act." Yale University President Richard Levin said that those working in research building shouldn't worry, "The people in the basement aren’t going to cause any trouble until the matter is resolved." He also explained it took so long for the authorities to find Le's body because of the wall's material, "It was only after a number of days that the scent became detectable."

The university, which held a candle light vigil for Le last night, has also increased security near the building.