An American woman who worked for the United States Embassy in Ukraine has died after she was found injured in a Kyiv park on Wednesday.
Kyiv National Police said in a statement that the woman was found unconscious with a head injury near railway tracks that pass through park just southwest from the embassy.
We are heartbroken to report the death of an American member of the U.S. Embassy Kyiv community. Officials from U.S. Embassy Kyiv are currently working with authorities to determine the circumstances of the death.
— U.S. Embassy Kyiv (@USEmbassyKyiv) September 30, 2020
The woman was taken to a hospital where she later died, police said. Among her belongings was a U.S. embassy employee identification badge.
The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv confirmed in a statement that the employee was a U.S. citizen, adding that they were heartbroken. Further details of her identity were not released.
Embassy officials are working with local authorities in their investigation, the statement said.
After speaking to witnesses in the area, police say they are searching for a 30-year-old man with short dark hair who was wearing black shorts, dark blue sneakers and a T-shirt.
Artem Shevchenko, spokesman for the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, said on Facebook that police are investigating her death as an intentional murder.
However, he said, the circumstances of the woman’s death remain unclear and that while a suspect was being sought, it may have been accidental.
The woman was found close to the tracks and was wearing athletic wear and headphones, indicating she may have been jogging, he said.
