DURHAM, N.H. (AP) — The father of a University of New Hampshire student who investigators say was killed by an acquaintance has tearfully told students at a campus gathering to go home and hug their parents.

Bob Marriott was one of over 200 people who gathered to reflect Thursday on the life of 19-year-old Elizabeth “Lizzi” Marriott of Westborough, Mass. She disappeared Oct. 9 after attending an evening class at the Durham campus.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030′s Lana Jones reports

A 29-year-old Dover man and UNH graduate, Seth Mazzaglia, has been charged with second-degree murder. He is accused of strangling or suffocating her in his apartment the night she disappeared.

Marriott was a sophomore in the College of Life Studies and Agriculture.

A high school friend, Carli Barnes, called her the kindest, most vibrant person she ever met.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.