ATHENS, Ga. --- A former Clarke Central High School valedictorian was found shot to death Thursday morning near the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she was the student body president.

Eve Marie Carson, 22, a senior from Athens, was found dead about dawn in the Hillcrest neighborhood of the city, according to published reports.

Police detectives reportedly are trying to find Ms. Carson's stolen 2005 blue Toyota Highlander, which had a Georgia tag. Police think the sport utility vehicle was taken during the crime.

According to the News & Observer of Raleigh, Chapel Hill police Chief Brian Curran said investigators had no immediate motive for the killing.

"At this point, what I'm thinking, what it feels like, is a fairly random crime," Chief Curran told the newspaper. She was last seen alive at 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, Chief Curran said.

Ms. Carson was UNC-Chapel Hill student body president and spent the spring semester of 2006 on a UNC Study Abroad program in Cuba and later studied in Ecuador.

She was majoring in political science and biology and hoped to go to medical school.

She came to UNC in 2004 with a prestigious Morehead Scholarship, was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society, and was part of a four-year leadership development program for undergraduates.

Ms. Carson was a 2004 graduate of Clarke Central High School, where she was the valedictorian. She was the daughter of Athens financial planner Bob Carson and Teresa Bethke.

According to the News & Observer , officers found Ms. Carson's body lying in the intersection of Hillcrest Road and Hillcrest Circle before dawn today when they responded to a 911 call reporting gunfire.

She had been shot a number of times, including at least once in the head, Lt. Kevin Gunter, of the Chapel Hill Police Department, told the newspaper.