- A 17-year-old suspect has been arrested in the murder of Catherine Johannet, 23
- The young woman, from Scarsdale, New York was found strangled in February
- Her decomposing body was found on a hiking trail on a Panamanian island
- She had been strangled with her own swimsuit
Johannet’s decomposing body was discovered by police on a hiking trail three days after she had left on a trip to the beach
Authorities from Panama have arrested a teenager for allegedly killing a Columbia University graduate earlier this year.
Catherine Johannet, 23, was strangled with her own swimsuit on Bastimentos Island on February 5.
A 17-year-old suspect has now been caught in connection with the death of the Westchester County native.
The teenager was caught through DNA testing according to Telemetro.
Johannet’s swimsuit was torn off before she was choked with it.
The college grad, who graduated in 2015 with a Bachelor’s degree in comparative literature, had visited six continents and had gone on a recent 18-month trip to Vietnam where she taught English Literature to local students.
Catherine Johannet, 23, was likely strangled on an island off the coast of Panama, just days after posting on Instagram this selfie and gushing that she ‘found paradise’ on the island
Johannet graduated from Columbia University in 2015 after getting her diploma from Edgemont High School in 2011.
She then worked as a teacher in Vietnam from July 2015 until October 2016, and also interned around the US and Portugal, as well.
Johannet is survived by her parents, sister Laura and brother Paul.
The Columbia graduate was described as a ‘world traveler’ and had been visited six continents
This map shows locations off the coast on Panama where Catherine Johannet had visited and where her body was found last February