Sue Marcum, 52, an executive in residence and an accounting and taxation professor in the Kogod School of Business, was found dead in her home Monday morning.
There were signs of forced entry into Marcum’s home and signs of a struggle inside, leading Montgomery County Police to treat her death as a potential homicide, according to Daniel Friz, a public information officer.
A friend found Marcum on the lower level of her home and contacted police, according to Montgomery County Police.
Marcum’s 1999 tan Jeep Cherokee, with the Virginia license plate YXE-1456, was driven off from the house before 10 a.m.
Friz said AU students should call 911 if they see the vehicle.
Tearful students left Marcum’s 2:10 p.m. Principles of Financial Accounting class Monday after an AU official announced the class was canceled.
Marcum was beloved by many of her students.
As he left the Kogod classroom where Accounting 240 was supposed to be held, student José Ferreiro said Marcum was the most helpful professor he ever had.
“She was always available to answer e-mails and had helpful office hours,” Ferreiro said.
Provost Scott Bass and Richard M. Durand, dean of Kogod, sent an e-mail to the campus community to announce her death.
“Professor Marcum was a beloved member of the Kogod community and her sudden death is a tremendous loss to her students and colleagues,” the e-mail said.
Arielle Sodowick, a sophomore in Kogod, said she was in shock as she left the classroom.
“She was an amazing professor,” Sodowick said.
Marcum graduated from Kogod with an undergraduate degree in Accounting and a Master of Science in Taxation. She received a BSBA in Professional Accounting, also from Kogod.
After working nine years in public accounting, Marcum spent seven years working for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey as tax director, which involved managing the company’s taxes and supervising eight staff, according to the AU website.
She returned to teach at AU in 1999. She served as president of Kogod’s Alumni Chapter and was the faculty adviser to the Kogod Accounting Club and a faculty brother of Alpha Kappa Psi, according to the AU website.
Anyone with information about Marcum’s death is encouraged to call the Montgomery County Police Major Crimes Division at 240-773-5070.
mfowler@theeagleonline.com
