Police on Long Island say a 22-year-old woman who went missing last month has been found dead of apparent suicide.
Jasmine V. Joseph had been last seen leaving her Syosset home in her 2012 gray Nissan Altima on Feb. 24. Her body was found in her car at a Syosset shopping center parking lot, less than a half-mile from her home.
Nassau Police Inspector Kenneth Lack said Joseph "apparently inhaled a noxious substance, but the medical examiner will determine the exact cause of death."
Police said Joseph last spoke to her parents by phone on Feb. 24, when she told them she was studying at a local college library. But police later confirmed she had misled her family about being a student at that college.
"She was somewhat deceptive about her personal life, which made the investigation more complicated," said Lack.
Police would not comment on any other issues in Jospeh's personal life and wouldn't speculate about why she apparently took her own life.
Family and friends were in shock Tuesday.
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"Honestly, we're still in disbelief. It still hasn't really hit us," said friend Simi Jawandha.
She added that Joseph was "an absolutely incredible human being, both inside and out, and she absolutely loved her friends and family."
