New London ― The state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has ruled the death of 17-year-old New London High School student D’Nazia Uzzle a homicide, sparking further frustration by some family members seeking answers about her death.

There have been no arrests in connection with Uzzle’s April 15 death. On that morning, she was found unresponsive at a home occupied by her boyfriend and boyfriend’s mother at the corner of Jefferson Avenue and Buchanan Road.

Up until this week, the cause and manner of Uzzle’s death had been “pending further study.” The cause of her death on Monday was revealed to be “sudden death during a physical altercation with neck compression and blunt injuries,” according to the medical examiner’s office.

D’Nazia, known as ‘Nay’ by family and friends, died just short of her 18th birthday and left family wondering if an arrest is imminent.

“I’m puzzled and concerned as to why nothing’s been done,” Michele Lucas, Uzzle’s aunt, said Monday.

“Our patience is running a little thin. In the beginning we knew (police) had to dot their I’s and cross their T’s. I get that. How long does it take? I expect an arrest. I expect more than one arrest,” she said.

Police have said little up to this point, calling the case the subject of a continuing investigation.

New London Police Capt. Matthew Galante released the following statement on Monday.

“Our Agency has been and will continue to work diligently in collaboration with the New London County States Attorney’s Office and the State of Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory in furtherance of this investigation. The investigation continues to remain a priority.”

Uzzle was found unresponsive at 3:09 a.m. on April 15, a Saturday morning. She was taken to Lawrence + Memorial Hospital for medical treatment but pronounced dead that same day.

Two other people, Uzzle’s 19-year-old boyfriend, Nshon Cherry, and his mother, 40-year-old Erica Cherry, were also at the scene and treated at the hospital for what police at the time described as “non-life-threatening stab wounds.”

What happened that morning has been the source of rumors and speculation, Lucas said, and Uzzle’s family continues to question what information is real and what is fiction.

“Anger has set in. You have the anger of losing her and now of nothing being done,” she said.

Lucas, the sister of Uzzle’s mother, said family attended last month’s New London High School graduation, where there was an empty seat decorated with a pink bow and a photo of Uzzle. As the students walked past the empty chair they laid carnations. Her class also voted her prom queen.

Lucas described her niece as an artist, a “goofy jokester,” and a “dancing fool” with teenage issues that brought with it “ups and downs like any other teenager.”

“She was not one of these children up on a pedestal. But she was perfect for us,” Lucas said. “She’s loved. She’s missed immensely.”

Uzzle, who was born and raised in New London, was living in Groton at the time of her death. Lucas said Uzzle has a lot of young family members who still keep her memory alive. She was with her 5-year-old granddaughter recently when she said the girl pointed to a butterfly and said “look, Nay came to play.”

g.smith@theday.com