The suspect believed to be responsible for the mass shooting at Brown University last weekend has been found dead in New Hampshire, US federal officials have confirmed.

Authorities are investigating whether the same individual may also be linked to the fatal shooting of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor two days later.

Christina Sterling, a spokesperson for US Attorney Leah Foley in Boston, said the suspect’s body was found inside a storage unit in Salem, about 30 kilometres north of Boston. Two federal officials said the discovery followed a large law enforcement operation in the area on Thursday night.

A Department of Justice official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said investigators believe the suspect died by suicide. The suspect’s name has not been released, and officials have not explained how the individual was formally identified.

Federal prosecutors in Massachusetts had prepared draft charges against an individual they were actively seeking, according to officials. Authorities have declined to say what evidence prompted investigators to reassess a possible connection between the Brown University shooting and the later killing of the MIT professor.

The development follows days of heightened security and uncertainty in Providence, where Brown University is based.

Saturday’s shooting took place inside a classroom building on the Ivy League campus, killing two students and wounding at least eight others. Police said the attack appeared targeted but unfolded rapidly, triggering a large-scale manhunt.

Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said the city remained on edge in the days that followed, as students faced class disruptions and increased security. Police warned that the suspect’s identity and motive were unknown, urging the public to remain vigilant.

Investigators said the suspect fled the scene on foot. The search was complicated by limited surveillance coverage in and around the building, forcing police to rely heavily on private security footage and public tips.

The investigation intensified further on Monday after MIT professor Nuno Loureiro, 47, was shot dead at his home in Brookline, Massachusetts. Loureiro was a senior academic affiliated with MIT’s departments of nuclear science and engineering and physics.

At the time, an FBI official said authorities did not believe the two cases were connected. That assessment is now under review, although officials have not publicly explained what prompted the renewed scrutiny.

MIT said Loureiro’s death had deeply affected students and colleagues, describing him as a dedicated educator and researcher.

The investigation has been marked by setbacks. Police initially announced that a person had been taken into custody a day after the Brown University shooting, but later released him after determining he was not involved.

With the suspect now believed to be dead, authorities say their focus will turn to establishing the full sequence of events and whether anyone else may have assisted, knowingly or unknowingly.

Law enforcement agencies across several states remain involved, as investigators work to determine whether the two shootings were connected or occurred independently.

• Brown University: 'Person of interest' detained in shooting
• Rhode Island Brown University gunman still at large as police go door to door for CCTV

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