Brown was having dinner at her boyfriend’s house Sept. 28 in Wright Township when she decided to spend the night. She planned to return to MSU in the morning, said Russ Barkow, a father figure to Brown since her dad’s death about two years ago.

Brown’s boyfriend Jeremy Zimmer, his mother Sharmaine and his brother Tyler were shot in their home, which was set on fire, police said. The Sept. 29 blaze was an arson to cover up the three shootings and beating, police added.

“It appears as though the arson fire was set to cover up the crime,” Bennett said.

Friends and family said the foul play behind the deaths is unsettling.

“It’s a lot harder to deal with now that it’s not an accident,” said Rachel Umlor, Brown’s friend of almost six years and a prenursing sophomore.

Umlor and Brown graduated from Coopersville High School in 2007.

“It just keeps getting worse and worse the more details come through,” Umlor said. “It’s just really upsetting that someone could do that.”

Brown’s friends attended a memorial service Thursday at Trinity Lutheran Church in Conklin.

“It was really sad, but I’m really glad we all went together. It definitely helped with the closure,” said Brittany Bellamy, one of Brown’s friends and a psychology sophomore.

Brown’s family sent The Grand Rapids Press a statement Monday asking for community support as they mourn her death.

“Katherine’s death was unthinkable,” the statement said. “But learning that she was the victim of homicide makes our grief almost unbearable.”

“It’s hard enough the fact that it was Katherine, and that she died, period,” Bellamy said. “I don’t know how (Brown’s family) are handling the homicide part.”

Bennett said 16 detectives have been assigned to investigate the case. Several detectives have been working with MSU police to talk to Brown’s friends and roommates on campus.