Investigators: Scarsdale Woman Found Dead In Panama Was Hit In Head, Strangled

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A Scarsdale woman found dead in Panama was hit in the head with a rock and strangled, investigators said.

Catherine Johannet, 23, had been staying at a hostel on nearby Colon Island according to officials.

Her body was found Sunday in a wooded area near the beach in Bastimentos Island on Sunday.

Panama's Minister of Security Alexis Bethancourt says her family identified her after flying to Panama. Relatives -- accompanied by a member of the FBI and the American embassy -- were met at the airport by local authorities.

Johannet graduated from Columbia University in 2015 and had worked as a teacher in Vietnam until last October. She was also a graduate of Edgemont High School.

Nobody at the family's Scarsdale home wished to speak with CBS2 on Wednesday, but many family members posted fond remembrances of the young world traveler on Facebook.

The family says there will be a memorial service held at the Scarsdale Congregational Church Saturday at 11 am.

No arrests have been made as Panamanian authorities and the FBI continue their investigation.