Sarmistha Sen, 43, went for her usual morning jog August 1. Her body was found less than two hours later at a creek, according to the Plano Police Department in a release. Police classified her death as a murder and a confirmation from an arrest said her death was the result of “blunt force injuries” consistent with evidence found at the scene of the crime.
Bakari Abiona Moncrief of Frisco, Texas was charged with capital murder in connection with Sen’s death and is being held at the Collin County Detention Center in McKinney, Texas, according to a press release from the Plano police.
Moncrief’s attorney Joshua Andor told CNN that his client was arrained Monday afternoon over the murder charge, but could not comment on anything else. Moncrief was also charged in connection with a burglary that took place near the scene of where Sen’s body was found, police said.
Moncrief was arrested for the Aug. 1 burglary, according to Collin County Jail records, and according to police, Moncrief was identified as a person of interest in Sen’s death at the time of his arrest.
The confirmation said that DNA tests linked Sen’s burglary and murder and that Sen’s blood was found on Moncrief’s shirt as well as on his person.
Moncrief is being held on a $ 10 million bond for the murder charge and a $ 1 million bond for the burglary charge, according to jail records.
Sen was an avid runner and cancer researcher
Besides her husband, Sen leaves two children behind.
Locals obeyed Sen by dropping off pairs of running shoes near the site where she was killed.
Sen was born in Sindri, India, later moved to Bangalore and then married and moved to Plano in 2004, the site CaringBridge said. She studied at the University of Texas at Dallas and the University of Alabama at Birmingham and worked on cancer research for most of her career, the site said.
“Sarmistha lived a free and fearless life that inspired many with her infectious energy and carefree smile,” the family wrote on CaringBridge. “Sarmistha was an avid runner, gardener and a great cook. She practiced healthy mindful lifestyle and she could cook extremely healthy food that tasted great.
“She was a trained singer of Native American classical music and loved teaching and performing music. She was passionate about cancer care and was a lifelong supporter of cancer research.”
Allison Flexner, Jennifer Henderson and Eric Levenson of CNN contributed to this report.
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