Paige Aiello, Missing TCNJ Girl Jumped Off GW Bridge to Death, Suicide? Student's Body Allegedly Found Near Hudson River, Disappearance Investigated [PHOTOS]

TCNJ student Paige Aiello went missing on April 9 - her purse, cell phone, and car keys were discovered near the George Washington Bridge that same night. Now, exactly one month later, authorities have discovered the remains of a female body along the Hudson River shoreline in Manhattan. The medical examiner is currently using dental records to determine whether the body belongs to the 22-year-old college senior, but sources reveal to The New York Post that the body's description does match that of Aiello's. Police believe that the body may belong to Aiello, and that she may have plummeted to her death by jumping off of the GW Bridge last month. The case is still under investigation.

Reports confirm that Aiello went missing just two days before her 22nd birthday. At the time of her disappearance, Aiello's father Christopher admitted that his youngest daughter had been under a lot of stress lately. Aiello (a communications major) was preparing to graduate from the College of New Jersey in May - the top honors student and tennis captain was working two jobs and preparing to attend Rutgers Law School in the fall. According to family members, Aiello recently moved back to her Hillsborough home to help deal with the stress of her busy schedule.

"She has been all-conference (in tennis) and has been accepted into approximately nine law schools for next year," Christopher Aiello told WCBS. "It's maybe just too much. She had hit almost like a wall where she felt she was not maybe either worthy of all this or she just couldn't handle it... So the message that at least I've been saying all day is not only do we have to be watching our children that are not doing well and getting in trouble, but we have to see and watch the kids that are the over-achievers. They have a self-imposed stress. She did express stress."

And that's when the self-described "perfectionist" vanished - she wouldn't return any calls made by her worried friends and family.

The body of a young female was recently discovered by NYPD Harbor Patrol on the shore near West 158th Street. Medical examiners are awaiting a dental report before officially identifying the body.

The Somerset County Prosecutor's Office is handling the case - they were notified of the NYPD discovery on Wednesday (May 8) at around 1:15 p.m. An NYPD spokesperson stated that on initial examination, there was no reason to suspect foul play.

After a passer-by initially found Aiello's belongings by the GW Bridge immediately following her disappearance, a thorough search was conducted. Police found nothing to hint at what had happened to the popular college student. Several "Help Find Missing Paige Aiello" community pages were then founded on Facebook.

A spokesman for the New York Police Department said officers were sent to rocks on the riverbank Wednesday afternoon, where the body of the female was discovered. Police and the Port Authority of NY/NJ had no information on the race or age of the female, or how long her body had been in the water. Authorities announced the woman dead at the scene.

As the Christian Post points out,

Although no one reported seeing a person jump from the George Washington Bridge last month, it is a notorious spot for those wanting to end their lives. Last year a student from Rutgers University, Tyler Clementi, jumped from the bridge after being exposed as homosexual by a fellow student.

The NYC medical examiner plans on conducting a thorough examination of the body on Thursday, May 9.

Detectives from the 34th Precinct in New York are investigating the body discovery. Anyone with information on Aiello's disappearance is asked to call Hillsborough police at (908) 369-4323, the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office at (908) 575-3300, or the Somerset County Crime Stoppers Tip Line at (888) 577-TIPS (8477). People may also go online at www.888577tips.org or www.scpo.net and click on either Crime Stoppers or Tips Hotline. All calls are confidential.