N.J. college student found beaten to death

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. – A 22-year-old college student was found beaten to death in the backyard of a north New Jersey home on Saturday, reports CBS New York.

William McCaw was found around 10:30 a.m. Saturday, in the yard of a New Brunswick home after suffering blunt force trauma, according to Middlesex County prosecutors. The Tennessee native was a student at Kean College in northern New Jersey, roughly 25 miles from where his body was found.

Authorities say he had been visiting friends at Rutgers University, where he had transferred from last semester, according to CBS New York. The station reports McCaw had spent Friday night hanging out with his fraternity brothers at Pi Kappa Phi.

Prosecutors say McCaw had no connection to the people who lived at the home where his body was discovered. Where the attack took place is unclear.

An unidentified resident found McCaw’s body. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

“It’s pretty shocking and we know what kind of neighborhood this is so we are pretty cautious around these parts,” said a resident of the neighborhood where McCaw's body was found. “When kids go out and drink that’s when stuff gets pretty crazy around here.”

Friends said the victim was popular and well-liked. Together with loved ones at a family member’s home in Flemington, N.J., McCaw's father asked for privacy.