Who Is Catherine Johannet? Columbia Graduate Found Dead After Going Missing In Panama

A former undergrad student at Columbia University in New York City was found dead in Panama Sunday after she had been missing for three days. Catherine Johannet, 23, was reported to have traveled to Bastimentos Island from Colon Island, the Journal News reported Monday.

The last location Johannet was seen in was Colon Island on Thursday. Johannet’s hostel on Colon Island reported her as missing when she did not return from her trip to Bastimentos Island. Authorities found Johannet’s body in a wooded area located near a beach on Bastimentos Island, one police spokesperson in Bocas del Toro told the news outlet.

Bastimentos Island is a popular tourist spot and is most noted as a destination for beaches and hiking trails. Johannet, who hailed from Edgemont, New York, had originally journeyed to the island for a day trip.

A cause of death was not revealed. Suspicious circumstances related to cause of death was not immediately suspected, but the FBI and Panamanian officials were investigating the situation, CBS News reported.

Johannet had graduated from Columbia University in 2015 with her bachelor’s degree in Comparative Literature. Prior to her Panama trip, she had lived in Vietnam working as a teacher at IvyPrep in Hanoi until this past October, according to her LinkedIn profile. Before locating to Vietnam, she had interned in New York and in Portugal.

After news of Johannet's death was confirmed this weekend by the U.S. Embassy in Panama City, her sister, Laura, posted a message on Facebook thanking people for their unwavering support.

“My family is thinking of all our beautiful memories with our laughing, adventurous, warm little girl,” Laura Johannet wrote in the post. “She was always there to listen to you and just enjoy life with her loved ones.”