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

[Spartygirl]

Oh dear.. just saw on the local news here ( I live close to Lansing) that they found Brendan.
Had to jump in here to see if updated yet and you all are already on it.

So sorry for whatever happened to him on what should have been a fun football day/weekend with friends--so sad

I am glad they finally found him and it was in the Cedar River like most thought.

My prayers go out to his family and friends during this sad time.

 

[Kittybunny]

Oh dear.. just saw on the local news here ( I live close to Lansing) that they found Brendan.
Had to jump in here to see if updated yet and you all are already on it.

So sorry for whatever happened to him on what should have been a fun football day/weekend with friends--so sad

I am glad they finally found him and it was in the Cedar River like most thought.

My prayers go out to his family and friends during this sad time.

So heartbreaking.

I can't imagine what is worse - not knowing what happened or having the last spark of hope extinguished with such cold finality.

 

[Valerie D.]

Snipped by me.

They had good reason to be focused on the river, did they not? Considering he was found there.

Maybe an eyewitness since the dogs only pick up the scent of a dead person (but no one in particular) and the phone's last location doesn't help much if the battery dies making it untrackable from that point on.

 

[Kittybunny]

How did they not find him before? I hope his parents hire a really good PI and a independent forensic pathologist to get to the bottom of what happened to him. Especially since the police were so focused on the river without giving a satisfactory reason for doing so (cadaver dog hits and cell phone location theories have flaws). I also hope the family sues the heck out of the school for not having operational security cameras. Sorry or the rant.

If you read the article, and have been following this case you know that LE and searchers had a very strong suspicion that the body might have been in that area where he was found, that is also known as a log jam. There's a lot of debris because of the way the river flows - so a lot of things get trapped there, which makes it an extremely hazardous area to search for divers but also a highly likely place for a body to get snagged. They have been trying to figure out how to safely search that area and that is what happened today - they partnered with another team to search.

 

[Nancy19XX]

I know there was a Gray Hughes video posted a few days ago and he talked about where he thought he was most likely to be found if he went in the river. I'm wondering where he was actually found and if this was accurate, it sounds close to where he was last seen. Either way, it's just a terrible outcome. I always hope for the best, but have been sadly disappointed often lately. MOO

 

[Valerie D.]

Click on Detroit reporter said that police told him that it was very dangerous for them to go into the river today to recover this body. Just wondering if it is a normal practice for police to take risks like this to pull a dead person out of a river.

 

[Valerie D.]

Click on Detroit reporter said that police told him that it was very dangerous for them to go into the river today to recover this body. Just wondering if it is a normal practice for police to take risks like this to pull a dead person out of a river.

This is an honest question. Michigan State Police Marine Services Division, Oakland County Sheriff’s Department Dive Team, and Capital Area Dive Team were out there searching again today and put themselves in a "very dangerous" situation to pull a body from the icy river in the middle of winter. I am just trying to put these things into perspective. Do police do this for all missing persons (devote as many man hours, resources, risk) particularly if they don't suspect foul play? I hope so!

 

[Valerie D.]

If you read the article, and have been following this case you know that LE and searchers had a very strong suspicion that the body might have been in that area where he was found, that is also known as a log jam. There's a lot of debris because of the way the river flows - so a lot of things get trapped there, which makes it an extremely hazardous area to search for divers but also a highly likely place for a body to get snagged. They have been trying to figure out how to safely search that area and that is what happened today - they partnered with another team to search.

Why did it take them three months to search this area if they've had "a very strong suspicion" because it's a log jam and a body can get trapped there? Sorry, can you post the article in particular you are referring to? Thanks.

 

[JurassicParker]

Wow. This is heartbreaking. I am so glad he was found though. He can rest now. Sending love to his family and friends. RIP Brendan.

 

[CluelessWonder]

Being the parent of a college freshman, this hits close to home. I sent my son off to school knowing from these cases what can happen to a college kid. It can be such a fun, adventurous time in life. But kids out on their own are susceptible to so much danger. Sometimes, young people exhibit risky behavior and naivete, but there are also those who just go for a walk and suffer an unlikely accident or become the victim of an evil actor. They all deserve our sympathies. My heart goes out to Brendan's family.

 

[Ilex]

Why did it take them three months to search this area if they've had "a very strong suspicion" because it's a log jam and a body can get trapped there? Sorry, can you post the article in particular you are referring to? Thanks.

Here's an article that transcribed that portion of the news conference.

"A significant log jam in the area made the portion of the river a point of interest. According to Rozman, the area was very complex and dangerous to search and required a lot of resources.
Divers came from all over the state of Michigan to assist. The operation required teams to clear brush and trees to create a point to get a boat into the river, and access the area of the log jam where they wanted to focus."
Body found in search for missing college student Brendan Santo

Why did it take three months? It takes as long as it takes. They searched what they could when they could. Remember it's winter, it's cold, they have to utilize resources, get additional aid, etc. This is a typical time frame to find a body in moving water. A young man here in MA wasn't found for 9 mos.

And to answer your question about foul play, they search hard and long until they exhaust all avenues. This isn't an indication of foul play.

 

[Ilex]

I know there was a Gray Hughes video posted a few days ago and he talked about where he thought he was most likely to be found if he went in the river. I'm wondering where he was actually found and if this was accurate, it sounds close to where he was last seen. Either way, it's just a terrible outcome. I always hope for the best, but have been sadly disappointed often lately. MOO

An article says he was found just after the overpass. Those areas tend to be really dense with small brush and garbage. I've done site walks for environmental agencies and I've been in these areas and they can be very dangerous.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Hadn't seen this People Magazine article previously: Search Continues for Brendan Santo, Who Vanished Nearly 3 Months Ago | PEOPLE.com

Police are continuing their months-long search for 18-year-old student Brendan Santo.

Santo was visiting friends at Michigan State University, a school he did not attend, at the time of his disappearance in October, according to MSU police. The Grand Valley State University student was last seen near Yakeley Hall, a dormitory, shortly before midnight on Oct. 29 — the weekend of a big football game between Michigan and MSU.

The student, who is 5-foot-10 and 160 pounds, was last seen wearing gray sweatpants, a black t-shirt, a black baseball hat and white Converse high-top shoes, police said.

"He had intended to walk back to the Brodie neighborhood, which was less than a half mile west southwest of Yakeley Hall," MSUPD inspector Chris Rozman told NBC affiliate WDIV. "He never made it to that destination."...

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Police: River search executed early after private investigator saw Brendan Santo’s body on underwater camera (clickondetroit.com)

Police share new details in recovery of missing Michigan teen from Red Cedar River

EAST LANSING, Mich. – The body of a teen who went missing while visiting Michigan State University last October was recovered from a river on Friday after a planned search of that area was executed sooner than expected...

Still, despite relentless searching for nearly three months, investigators were not able to locate Santo -- until Friday, when police received information from a private investigator of his possible location...

Private investigator Ryan Robison reportedly notified police of his findings on midnight Thursday, and authorities were “in the water at first light to begin the recovery process” on Friday, Rozman said. Santo’s body was recovered from the river at about 12:30 p.m. Friday, about a mile and a half west of where the teen was last seen.

That particular area was reportedly filled with debris, like trees and brush, that had gathered and needed to be cleared for police to safely get a boat in the water...

 

[Ilex]

Police: River search executed early after private investigator saw Brendan Santo’s body on underwater camera (clickondetroit.com)

Police share new details in recovery of missing Michigan teen from Red Cedar River

EAST LANSING, Mich. – The body of a teen who went missing while visiting Michigan State University last October was recovered from a river on Friday after a planned search of that area was executed sooner than expected...

Still, despite relentless searching for nearly three months, investigators were not able to locate Santo -- until Friday, when police received information from a private investigator of his possible location...

Private investigator Ryan Robison reportedly notified police of his findings on midnight Thursday, and authorities were “in the water at first light to begin the recovery process” on Friday, Rozman said. Santo’s body was recovered from the river at about 12:30 p.m. Friday, about a mile and a half west of where the teen was last seen.

That particular area was reportedly filled with debris, like trees and brush, that had gathered and needed to be cleared for police to safely get a boat in the water...

So the investigator saw the body with an underwater camera. So glad the investigator kept searching. Usually in waterways under an overpass there will be extra dirt that gets stuck there, and more undergrowth on downstream side, usually due to whatever they use to make a retaining wall out of. Trash and debris will get caught up in these areas and dragged under the current. I read in an article that the visibility was two feet and it's hard to see anything farther than the end of your nose in those conditions. They're lucky to have found him.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

MSU police: PI's tip led to recovery of body believed to be that of Brendan Santo (detroitnews.com)

Michigan State University police said Saturday that a private investigator working with Brendan Santo's family first alerted them to what is believed to be Santo's body located in the Red Cedar River.

Police said they had planned to search that area of the river the following week but the tip from private investigator Ryan Robison at about midnight Friday led them to close off the area around that location and begin assembling dive resources within an hour of notification.

The search, which began at first light, resulted in the recovery of a body believed to be that of 18-year-old Santo at about 12:30 p.m. Friday in an area of the Red Cedar River near the intersections of Kalamazoo and Clippert streets in Lansing...

 

[Valerie D.]

Body recovered from Red Cedar River is Brendan Santo

EAST LANSING — Michigan State University police say a body recovered from the Red Cedar River Friday has been positively identified as Brendan Santo, who's been missing since Oct. 29.

 

[Cassady]

It is frustrating when LE is claiming there is no foul play even before the young man's remains were recovered.

This is especially true when there apparently is no video of BS around the time he went missing. I get saying there is not foul play if you have video of or witnesses to him accidentally falling into the river. I do not believe that is the case here...IMO.

Now, even before a cause or manner of death is determined or toxicology reports are back, LE still claims no foul play. That may turn out to be the case, but what are they basing that determination on?

The body will not be in good shape after being in the water with a swift current and lots of debris for 80 days, even if the water is cold. The condition of the body when found is critical to the investigation.

Next, they need to screen for GHB in the tox, along with the other normal panels for controlled substances.

This young man had a pretty easy walk to navigate between where he left and where he was going, even with a river nearby. That alone should merit some scrutiny.

I assume thousands of "impaired" students walk the same path all the time during any given night on campus. Unless they are having kids fall in the river all the time and it is routine, it seems like you might want a little more evidence before determining there was no foul play?

See the Chris Jenkins case in Minnesota.

IMO

 

[PommyMommy]

Body found in Red Cedar River confirmed to be Brendan Santo, police say
Michigan State University Police Inspector Chris Rozman confirmed on Jan. 22 that the medical examiner positively identified the body as Santo based on dental records.

Rest peacefully, Brendan.

 

[minneolo]

At long last, Brendan is found. I wish this were not the outcome, and my heart aches for Santo family.

I continue to be so troubled by how many young men go missing and are later found in nearby water. My own opinion is that most are unfortunate accidents - and I wish I understood more about the circumstances and why some young men are drawn to water.

Rest easy, Brendan