A 45-year-old New York man found running naked in the city of Rome Tuesday night has been charged with the murder of his girlfriend, a beloved Oneida County elementary school principal and mother of a son.

Police did not say who called them to the home of Elizabeth Gerling, the 50-year-old principal of Utica’s Columbus Elementary School, Tuesday morning.

“Miss Gerling was an amazing educator, a beloved principal and dear friend to so many throughout the entire community,” Sheriff Robert M. Maciol told the Rome Sentinel. “It’s just a tragedy for the community. Obviously she was very beloved by many, many people in the community.”

Maciol said someone went to Gerling’s home Tuesday morning and found her dead in bed. Police were contacted at about 10 a.m. and quickly identified Jeremy J. Kirch as a suspect, saying he had been at Gerling’s home Monday night into Tuesday morning, and began searching for him.

Later in the day, he was spotted running naked near the Fort Stanwix National Monument in Rome, and Rome Police officers took him to a hospital for an evaluation. He was taken into custody by the sheriff’s office on Wednesday after his release from the hospital and later charged with second degree murder. He pleaded not guilty in court Thursday morning.

Maciol said the Onondaga County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Gerling’s death a homicide caused by “asphyxia due to strangulation.”

Kirch has been ordered held without bail.

Gerling’s obituary says she began her teaching career on a Diné (Navajo) reservation in New Mexico in 1999 and then returned to Utica in 2004 to teach English. She served as assistant principal at Proctor High School before becoming principal of Columbus Elementary in 2013.

Utica Superintendent Dr. Christopher Spence wrote in a letter to the community that Gerling “was not just an exceptional educator and leader but also a dear friend and colleague to many.”

“Her dedication to education and her unwavering commitment to our students will not be forgotten,” he said. “As we grieve together, let us also support one another with compassion and understanding. Our strength as a community will help us through this difficult time.”

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[Featured image: Jeremy Kirch/Oneida County Sheriff’s Office and Elizabeth Gerling/Utica City School District]