In the quiet town of Danvers, Massachusetts tragedy has struck. On Wednesday, October 23, Colleen Ritzer’s body was found just outside the school at which she worked.

Ritzer was only 24 years old and a math teacher at Danvers High School.  She had only just graduated college, with a bachelor’s degree, in 2011.  She still had her whole life ahead of her.

There is currently one suspect in custody, a fourteen year student who attended Danvers high school, Philip Chism. It had been reported that he moved to Massachusetts from Tennessee before school started in September. Students who knew him said he was an average student and did not find anything out of the ordinary about him. Mitchell Bussone, who knows Chism through soccer and gym class, stated that, “A lot of us welcomed him in. He fit in and we liked him. He seemed like a normal kid.” In fact, that’s what most people thought about Chism; no one seemed to have a problem with him.

Chism pleaded not guilty to the charges. His attorney had asked the judge for the proceeding to be closed and that Chism’s identity to be hidden because of his age. The judge denied their request, but did allow for Chism to be mentally evaluated.

Although Chism pleaded not guilty, he admitted to killing Ritzer. He told authorities that he had followed Ritzer into the women’s bathroom. After he entered the room, he punched her in the face and slit her throat with a box cutter. He then put her body into a recycling bin and brought it out into the woods next to the school. In addition to Chism admitting to the murder, there is surveillance video of him leaving the school with Ritzer’s body in the recycling bin and bringing it towards the woods. Danvers High School is a new building and there are 130 brand new surveillance cameras throughout the school.

Prior to Ritzer’s body being found, both Ritzer and Chism were reported missing. Ritzer’s family had reported her missing Tuesday night after she had not returned home from work and did not answer her cell phone. When police arrived at the high school to look for Ritzer, they had found blood in bathroom. Chism was also reported missing when he failed to come home after school, so police searched for him also.  Students at the high school volunteered to help in the search for the missing teen. They later found Chism walking along Route 1.

Out of respect for Ritzer and to honor her memory, hundreds of people came to Danvers High School and attended a candlelight vigil on Wednesday night.  A moment of silence for Ritzer was held before the first pitch of  the World Series. Ritzer was the second teacher to be killed during the week of the October 21.