A female tech CEO who appeared on the Forbes 30 under 30 list has been found dead in her Baltimore apartment with blunt-force trauma wounds after being reported missing.
Pava LaPere, 26, was found inside her luxury Mount Vernon apartment by police Monday morning shortly after she was reported missing.
The EcoMap founder was found with blunt-force trauma wounds, according to police.
The Medical Examiner’s Office “took possession of the victims body,” police said.
It is unknown if LaPere had any guests over prior to her death and it appeared she was single on her social media pages.
“That’s pretty horrifying,” building tenant Chris McNees told CBS News Baltimore.
“I mean, just for that to happen anywhere in the city is obviously a bad thing but it’s hard to imagine why this would happen specifically in this building.”
The Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree lived in the former Congress Hotel, which has since been renovated into apartments. One-bedroom apartments go for around $1,500 per month, according to the building’s management company Zahlco.
LaPere started her eco company from her dorm room at Johns Hopkins University. The purpose of her company is to make ecosystems information accessible to everyone and to “powerful technology to digitize ecosystems,” according to the company’s website.
“Whether you’re talking about a college alumni network or an entire industry, ecosystems are largely invisible. When ecosystems are invisible, they are inaccessible. When they are inaccessible, they are inequitable. When they are inequitable, they are inefficient. We’re making the invisible, visible so that all ecosystems can thrive,” it said.
LaPere’s company has managed to raise $7 million in funding in the last year and a half.
EcoMaps also prioritizes diversity. LaPere proudly touted on her LinkedIn page that her company is “50% female, 50% [persons of color].”
Her clients include The Aspen Institute, Meta, and more, according to its website.
The company released a statement, following her death, sending their condolences and calling her passing “deeply distressing.”
“Pava was not only the visionary force behind EcoMap but was also a deeply compassionate and dedicated leader. Her untiring commitment to our company, to Baltimore, to amplifying the critical work of ecosystems across the country, and to building a deeply inclusive culture as a leader, friend, and partner set a standard for leadership, and her legacy will live on through the work we continue to do,” it said in a statement, according to CBS News Baltimore.