BATON ROUGE – Police said Thursday, an LSU student and an out-of-town woman planned their deaths and died together at an off-campus apartment they’d rented through a short-term rental website.

The bodies of Max Raymond, 19, and Joy Gentil, 21, were found Monday at an apartment complex on Highland Road near LSU’s North Gate area.

Raymond, an LSU freshman, was reported missing Saturday by his grandfather who called a member of LSU’s staff after going a while without hearing from Raymond. Raymond’s roommate at their dorm said he had not seen him for up to three days prior – last Tuesday or Wednesday.

Gentil had ties to California and Hawaii, according to posts on social media.

The coroner's office released its preliminary autopsy report Tuesday afternoon. The results show no trauma or any other apparent sign of foul play. The autopsy did reveal signs of swelling/fluid in the brain and lungs. But a comprehensive toxicology test will take up to a month to complete, the coroner said.

Police confirmed Thursday the pair had killed themselves.

“...Investigators have learned from additional evidence to believe this incident to be a suicide,” police told WBRZ, and added that they found notes leading to the assumption of a planned suicide. 

Police did not reveal if they were able to connect how Raymond and Gentil knew each other. Posts on social media insinuate the pair had never met in-person before and Gentil was not familiar with Baton Rouge.

********************

Follow the publisher of this post on Twitter: @treyschmaltz