NJ beauty queen found dead, possibly strangled

A former New Jersey beauty queen was found dead Sunday in a Chelsea apartment building with bruising on her neck, the New York Daily News reports.

According to the report, citing both official accounts and unnamed sources, Kiersten Rickenbach Cerveny was found after a night of partying in a West 16th Street building's vestibule with marks consistent with strangling, though no official cause of death has yet been announced.

The report also quotes Cerveny's father saying he'd been told she'd gone into the city to stay with a friend.

Cerveny, a New Jersey native who lived in Long Island, was crowned America’s Junior Miss in 1995. She was listed as the chief of dermatology at Brooklyn Hospital Center and is an assistant professor of clinical dermatology at Weill Cornell Medical College, according to the Daily News. The couple have two children, according to the report.

She graduated from Washington Township High School in 1995.

In a Facebook post Monday, The Distinguished Young Women program — the new name for the Junior Miss contest — said Cerveny "was a stunning and intelligent young woman, destined for greatness even before she captivated the hearts of America in Mobile, Ala.. We will always remember her warmth, her laughter and her desire to make a difference in this world!"

Louis C. Hochman is digital managing editor for NJ1015.com. Reach him at louis.hochman@townsquaremedia.com or on Twitter @LouisCHochman.