Body found hanging from tree at Austin high school

A young woman’s body was found hanging from a tree at a Texas high school Thursday morning, prompting administrators to cancel classes, police said.

Staff at Travis Early College High School in South Austin made the horrifying discovery just before 8 a.m. on what would have been the fourth day of school, Austin Independent School District Police Chief Wayne Sneed said during a news conference.

Police and EMS responded to the scene and found a female body hanging from a tree near the rear side of the building, Sneed said.

The female victim, who local medical examiners believe is between 15 and 20 years old, was pronounced dead at about 7:55 a.m.

She has not yet been identified and officials are waiting on medical examiners to determine her cause of death.

Students were either at school early for extracurriculars or on the bus headed to campus Thursday when the district made the decision to cancel classes at about 8:30 a.m.

Since the body was found toward the rear side of campus, near a staff parking lot, students were shielded from seeing the crime scene, according to Sneed.

None of the students were in the area of the crime scene, he added.

“Staff reacted very quickly in securing the area and making sure no students ever got into that immediate area,” Sneed said during a press conference. “So there was no exposure to students at all.”

Students and staff aren’t in danger and the campus is safe, according to the district’s statement.

It’s unclear whether the deceased was a student at Travis Early College High School.

Schools only opened for the 2023-2024 school year on Monday.

The district will provide ongoing support for staff and students following the incident, Sneed said.

A spokesperson for the school district said more information would be released later.

The investigation into the incident is ongoing.