Found Deceased MI - Brendan Santo 18, visitor, Michigan State University campus, East Lansing, 29 Oct 2021

[borndem]

Please excuse if this is a repeat:
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FBI reviewing GVSU student's phone data after he went missing on MSU campus

While investigators do not believe foul play is suspected in Brendan Santo's disappearance, they also do not believe he had any intentions to harm himself.
Author: Kayla Crandall
Published: 2:38 PM EDT November 4, 2021
Updated: 2:58 PM EDT November 4, 2021

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State University Police and other agencies are continuing their search for a Grand Valley State University student who went missing while visiting friends last week.

Brendan Santo is a student at Grand Valley State University in Allendale. He was visiting friends at Michigan State University on Friday, Oct. 29, and was last seen leaving Yakeley Hall shortly before midnight that day.
[...]
On Thursday, MSU Police and Public Safety said they believe foul play is not suspected, and they also believe that Brendan Santo did not intend to harm himself.

The search is zeroing in on the Red Cedar River, which is close to where he was last seen.

Local authorities and the FBI are reviewing his cellular, smartphone and GPS data.

At this point, police said they have not recovered his phone, and records show no current activity.
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Source:

FBI reviewing GVSU student's phone data after he went missing on MSU campus | wzzm13.com

 

[AllBeenDone]

On New Years Eve in 1997 Ryan Getz who was visiting friends at MSU went missing after a night of drinking. His body was found in the Red Cedar River several months later. My husband was a student at MSU at the time and we both lived in East Lansing. The search of the river was quite intense, but it still took months to find him.

I graduated from MSU last May (yes, I’m old, but I was determined to finish what I had started 25 years ago). I haven’t been on campus since the spring, but I will say that Michigan has had a lot more rain than normal over the past several months, so it wouldn’t surprise me if the water levels are high right now.

I hope that this situation ends differently, but it is hard not to think of Ryan Getz when following this story.

Clipping from Lansing State Journal - Newspapers.com

ETA: The following is from an email from Marlon Lynch, MSU’s Chief of Police, that was sent to my student email address this afternoon:

“I want to reassure you that there are no current safety threats to our campus community -- our officers work hard to make campus a safe place for our students, faculty, staff, and visitors. At this point, foul play is not suspected in Brendan’s disappearance, and we have received no other reports of missing persons. We also do not believe that Brendan intended to harm himself.  

Our investigation has led us to focus on the Red Cedar River which is in very close proximity to Brendan’s last known location. However, we continue to investigate other possibilities. We have engaged specialized resources from the Michigan State Police Marine Services Division, Ingham County Sheriff’s Office, and the Capital Area Dive Team for this intensive search of the water. “

 

[JurassicParker]

This is just a really sad story. Poor kid. Life is just so unpredictable and finicky. I hope he is found soon.

 

[GMS]

The family, in particular BS aunt, posted this morning that police have given the ok for them to organize volunteer civilian searches. Police did ask that searchers stay away from the river and banks as LE is still active in those areas.

 

[happyday]

Gosh I hate these cases. Thanks to all the Michiganders for local insight. I lived in Northville—not too far from RH, for a while a few years ago. We visited Michigan State often for horse shows. Lovely area and university. Still holding out hope that he’s somewhere safe, but it’s getting harder by the day…

 

[borndem]

Just saw this article -- please forgive if it's a repeat. Updates on what has been, and is being, done.

This is frustrating and sad for everyone involved.
Hoping for good news soon.
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NEWS / CITY
Search efforts for Brendan Santo ramp up, including search in Red Cedar River

Wajeeha Kamal
November 4, 2021
On Nov. 4, Michigan State University's Police and Public Safety released an update on the missing person, Brendan Santo, assuring the community campus is a safe place for students, faculty, staff and visitors.

Foul play is not suspected in Santo’s disappearance and MSUPD has received no other reports of missing persons.

Brendan did not intend to harm himself, the release said.

“There’s been a lot of misinformation,” Rozman said. “I can confirm that there's no other reports of any missing students on campus. I can confirm that we have not received any reports of any criminal activity related to this. ... There is nothing we have that we have not released to the public that involves this case.”
[...]
MSP’s Marine Services Division has been conducting its search operation by boat and is using advanced sonar technology, along with the Capital Area Dive Team for this intensive search of the water.

As of now, the search operation has included searches by foot, helicopter, drone and boat. Since Saturday, several canines have been used as well.
[...]
Two miles of the river run through the MSU campus.

MSUPD’s digital forensics and cybercrime unit and MSP’s Technical Services Unit have also been involved in the search operation.
[...]
“We’re asking people to kinda avoid the area,” he said. “We can’t completely secure the area. ... We’ve been really open in terms of what we’ve done so far.”
[...]
Rozman said investigators are piecing together where Santo went and what he did. There are no significant leads at this point.
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More here:
Search efforts for Brendan Santo ramp up, including search in Red Cedar River

 

[borndem]

On New Years Eve in 1997 Ryan Getz who was visiting friends at MSU went missing after a night of drinking. His body was found in the Red Cedar River several months later. My husband was a student at MSU at the time and we both lived in East Lansing. The search of the river was quite intense, but it still took months to find him.

I graduated from MSU last May (yes, I’m old, but I was determined to finish what I had started 25 years ago). I haven’t been on campus since the spring, but I will say that Michigan has had a lot more rain than normal over the past several months, so it wouldn’t surprise me if the water levels are high right now.

I hope that this situation ends differently, but it is hard not to think of Ryan Getz when following this story.

Clipping from Lansing State Journal - Newspapers.com

ETA: The following is from an email from Marlon Lynch, MSU’s Chief of Police, that was sent to my student email address this afternoon:

“I want to reassure you that there are no current safety threats to our campus community -- our officers work hard to make campus a safe place for our students, faculty, staff, and visitors. At this point, foul play is not suspected in Brendan’s disappearance, and we have received no other reports of missing persons. We also do not believe that Brendan intended to harm himself.  

Our investigation has led us to focus on the Red Cedar River which is in very close proximity to Brendan’s last known location. However, we continue to investigate other possibilities. We have engaged specialized resources from the Michigan State Police Marine Services Division, Ingham County Sheriff’s Office, and the Capital Area Dive Team for this intensive search of the water. “

Thanks for the good info and article. Also, this:

Welcome to Websleuths,
AllBeenDone !!​

 

[AllBeenDone]

Thanks for the good info and article. Also, this:

Welcome to Websleuths,
AllBeenDone !!​

Thank you - I've been around for years, just never really had anything to contribute until now.

 

[CLGM]

The family, in particular BS aunt, posted this morning that police have given the ok for them to organize volunteer civilian searches. Police did ask that searchers stay away from the river and banks as LE is still active in those areas.

They have organized a search for tomorrow to cover wooded areas and trails. That seems like such a long time to keep waiting and through another cold night. The temps have dropped into the 30s this week. He will have been gone a week as of tonight. At what point do family members in a situation like this begin to assume the worst? And the river isn't that wide, and I think it's only maybe 5-6 feet deep -- how could LE, with all their equipment, not have found him yet if he was there?? So sad.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

They have organized a search for tomorrow to cover wooded areas and trails. That seems like such a long time to keep waiting and through another cold night. The temps have dropped into the 30s this week. He will have been gone a week as of tonight. At what point do family members in a situation like this begin to assume the worst? And the river isn't that wide, and I think it's only maybe 5-6 feet deep -- how could LE, with all their equipment, not have found him yet if he was there?? So sad.

Thank you! It's easy to see in photos of the river that it isn't very wide, but I had no idea about the depth. The river appears to be very murky, so that is probably a hindrance to LE's underwater search. I hope something breaks soon in this case. BS has been missing for almost a week. His family and friends must be frantic.

 

[CLGM]

Thank you! It's easy to see in photos of the river that it isn't very wide, but I had no idea about the depth. The river appears to be very murky, so that is probably a hindrance to LE's underwater search. I hope something breaks soon in this case. BS has been missing for almost a week. His family and friends must be frantic.

I did some googling to find out the depth, but was interpreting water gauge readings - I was surprised it wasn't deeper too. I'll add a link to my source in a bit. Also, the river was rising that night I believe, so it was deeper and perhaps moving more quickly.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

They have organized a search for tomorrow to cover wooded areas and trails.

To all searchers - Stay safe, be careful, thank you for searching.

 

[GMS]

The river runs approximately 2 miles through campus. The initial command center for the water search was near Parking 67 which is by Jenison Field House.

MSM reports indicated LE had moved their search after the first day or two, but didn't indicate if they were looking upriver or downriver. I know LE reported at one point, they were seeking any possible video, etc. at the corner of Beal Street and Michigan Ave. which would be upriver on the northern edge of campus.

If BS did indeed accidentally fall into the river, I wonder if LE has a better idea now after reviewing any possible cell information, surveillance video, etc. where that point may have been.

 

[CLGM]

I did some googling to find out the depth, but was interpreting water gauge readings - I was surprised it wasn't deeper too. I'll add a link to my source in a bit. Also, the river was rising that night I believe, so it was deeper and perhaps moving more quickly.

This link should take you to a USGS water gauge on the river where it runs through the campus. The graph at the top is the discharge rate and the second one is the water level, I think. You'll have to click on the arrow to open the water level graph. You can see that it was around 5 1/2 feet last Friday night.

USGS | Monitoring Station

 

[borndem]

Thank you - I've been around for years, just never really had anything to contribute until now.

Yes, I know you've been around for a while although WS marked you as "New."
I just wanted to greet you again for jumping back in it with us!

 

[Steve McQueen]

This link should take you to a USGS water gauge on the river where it runs through the campus. The graph at the top is the discharge rate and the second one is the water level, I think. You'll have to click on the arrow to open the water level graph. You can see that it was around 5 1/2 feet last Friday night.

USGS | Monitoring Station

A depth of 6 ft is deemed river action stage, one stage below minor flood stage.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Not a game day in East Lansing, so campus should be relatively quiet for searchers today. Hoping Brendan is located: He's been missing for a week now.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Search party for missing student Brendan Santo gathering Saturday at MSU (lansingstatejournal.com)

EAST LANSING — Volunteers on Saturday will continue the search for Brendan Santo, a Grand Valley State University student who went missing while visiting friends at Michigan State University Oct. 29.

According to the Facebook page Bring Brendan Santo Home, volunteers will gather for a meet-and-search between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturday at the MSU Union and stay out until dusk. A post on the page called specifically for volunteers with knowledge of MSU's campus...

 

[borndem]

Not a game day in East Lansing, so campus should be relatively quiet for searchers today. Hoping Brendan is located: He's been missing for a week now.

Thanks for the MSM article, BDE.
Fortunate that there's no home game today -- that will possibly bring out more students and others to help search. Listening to the game may inspire some students to get out and help. School spirit will prevail, let's hope.
And yes, those searching will have some "room" to do whatever today's plan entails.
One week is a long time, isn't it, folks?
His worried family -- I just cannot imagine. Positive thoughts for all.

 

[CLGM]

This is the link to the latest update from the MSU Police. The family is offering a $5000 reward for information that leads to Brendan being found.

Missing Person Investigation – MSU Police and Public Safety

"The department’s expanded partnership includes the following partner agencies:

• East Lansing Police Department
• Federal Bureau of Investigation
• Grand Valley State University Police Department
• Ingham County Sheriff’s Office
• Michigan Department of Attorney General
• Michigan State Police
• Oakland County Sheriff’s Office

“Our genuine hope is that with these additional resources and collaboration we will ensure that all investigative avenues are being explored and the work that we have already done can be reviewed by other professional agencies for collective investigative practices,” Rozman added.

“We recognize that this has been a concerning time for members of our community and beyond and we appreciate the outpouring of support from each of you and your individual efforts to spread awareness about our ongoing efforts,” said Vice President for Public Safety and Chief of Police Marlon Lynch. “We will continue our tireless search and investigation, and we will do everything we can to bring Brendan home.”
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