Police found the body of 22-year-old Eve Carson at the intersection of Hillcrest Dr. and Hillcrest Circle.
They do not have any suspects, but say her SUV was stolen during the murder.
It's a blue, 2005,Toyota Highlander with Georgia tag AIV6690.
Carson was a Chapel Hill resident. Police think she was murdered around 1 a.m. Wednesday and say it was a random act of violence.
She was the cuurent student body president and a Georgia native.
UNC Chapel Hill alerted its campus Wednesday after Carson's body was found not far from campus. She had been shot.
Police were called to the scene after residents were awakened by the sound of gunfire.
Hours after Carson's body was found, police began canvassing the neighborhood, hoping someone would give them vital information in a murder that has left the community stunned.
"I hope it's not true, and if it is, I'm very shocked," Chapel Hill resident Laurie Thorp said. "I'm really sad. I'm disturbed. Don't quite know what to do with it. I don't know what else to say. I hope it's not true."
"It was really scary," UNC student Taylor Anderson said. "The first reaction I got was it could have been me, or one of my friends. I was glad that it wasn't but I don't know. It's just sad."
People in the area continue to deal with the shock.
"I hate to admit that when we live in Chapel Hill, we kind of live in an idyllic paradise and nothing wrong ever happens here," Thorpe said. "And I know that's a total fantasy. And things do happen -- scary and bad."
Anyone with information about Carson's her stolen vehicle should contact police.
