26-year-old tech CEO Pava LaPere found dead at Baltimore apartment building; homicide investigation underway

BALTIMORE -- A homicide investigation is underway after Pava LaPere, the 26-year-old CEO of a Baltimore technology company, was found dead at a Mount Vernon apartment building Monday morning, police said.  "The circumstances surrounding Pava's death are deeply distressing, and our deepest condolences are with her family, friends, and loved ones during this incredibly devastating time. Pava was not only the visionary force behind EcoMap but was also a deeply compassionate and dedicated leader. Her untiring commitment to our company, to Baltimore, to amplifying the critical work of ecosystems across the country, and to building a deeply inclusive culture as a leader, friend, and partner set a standard for leadership, and her legacy will live on through the work we continue to do."  "The Johns Hopkins community deeply mourns the tragic loss of Pava LaPere, a 2019 graduate who made Baltimore home and invested her talent in our city. Pava was well-known and loved in the Baltimore entrepreneurship community and will be profoundly missed. Our solemn thoughts are with her family in this time of grief." "The entire team at UpSurge Baltimore expresses its profound shock and sorrow over the tragic and untimely death of Pava LaPere, Founder and CEO of EcoMap. Pava was a friend and inspiration to so many of us. Our deepest, most heartfelt condolences go out to Pava's family, friends, and the entire EcoMap team. We stand in solidarity with them, mourning the loss of a true visionary. The Baltimore tech community has lost a shining star, and it is difficult to put into words the depth of the community's sorrow at Pava's death." "The Loyola University Maryland community is deeply saddened to learn of the loss of Ecomap CEO, Pava LaPere. Ms. LaPere served on the newly established advisory board for the Simon Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship. She was a phenomenally accomplished CEO and innovator, and an inspiration and a friend to so many. She always led with values first, and was deeply committed to Baltimore, and the promises of technology and entrepreneurship for all. Loyola University Maryland joins the communities Ms. LaPere built at Ecomap and across the city in grieving the loss of a true star. She and her family are in our prayers."

Officers responded around 11:30 a.m. to an apartment building on the 300 block of West Franklin Street for a call for service, where  LaPere's body was found with signs of blunt-force trauma, police said.   -EcoMap Technologies -Johns Hopkins University -UpSurge Baltimore  -Wendy Bolger, founding director of the Simon Center on Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Loyola University Maryland

WJZ confirmed Tuesday that LaPere co-founded and leads EcoMap, a company that says it digitizes ecosystems with its proprietary technology.