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

[Valerie D.]

Valerie D., welcome to Websleuths!

There is always "a lot going on behind the scenes" in most missing persons cases, but the public generally has a lot more information about the missing person than is known about Brendan Santo. I find myself questioning the veil of secrecy surrounding Brendan's whereabouts that night, who he was with, and why his friends weren't with him when he supposedly left Yakely Hall. Why was he walking alone in the dark on a cold and rainy night, and where was he going? I'm sure his friends were interviewed and have likely provided these details to LE, but this information hasn't been released to the public. I find the lack of information very peculiar. JMO

 

[Valerie D.]

I couldn't agree more. Hopefully there is a good reason for this. I'M NOT SAYING this same thing happened to Brendan Santo but...just a few weeks ago a Utah college student went missing after leaving her dorm. She was rescued by the police from the home of her "alleged" kidnapper. Police kept the whole thing under wraps until she was rescued. I'm just saying THESE THINGS HAPPEN. The issue with the security cameras is unexplained. This summer, the school had to release information about the number of security cameras on campus due to a FOIA (Freedom of information act) request by a local news agency. Campus officials recently claimed that security cameras were disabled due to a USG banned computer chip and this also happened this past summer. I'd love to get that info released due to the FOIA and the exact cameras they are taking about.

Sorry if I'm posting replies incorrectly. I'm new to this platform. Any advice is welcome.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

...Sorry if I'm posting replies incorrectly. I'm new to this platform. Any advice is welcome.

If you want to respond to a particular post, click on "Reply" in the lower right-hand corner of said post. You can then respond directly below the post to which you are replying. Your post and the post to which you are responding will appear together when you hit "Send". Hope this helps

 

[Valerie D.]

If you want to respond to a particular post, click on "Reply" in the lower right-hand corner of said post. You can then respond directly below the post to which you are replying. Your post and the post to which you are responding will appear together when you hit "Send". Hope this helps

If you want to respond to a particular post, click on "Reply" in the lower right-hand corner of said post. You can then respond directly below the post to which you are replying. Your post and the post to which you are responding will appear together when you hit "Send". Hope this helps

Thanks!

 

[Valerie D.]

Valerie D., welcome to Websleuths!

There is always "a lot going on behind the scenes" in most missing persons cases, but the public generally has a lot more information about the missing person than is known about Brendan Santo. I find myself questioning the veil of secrecy surrounding Brendan's whereabouts that night, who he was with, and why his friends weren't with him when he supposedly left Yakely Hall. Why was he walking alone in the dark on a cold and rainy night, and where was he going? I'm sure his friends were interviewed and have likely provided these details to LE, but this information hasn't been released to the public. I find the lack of information very peculiar. JMO

 

[Valerie D.]

News reports say that Crime Stoppers is involved with managing the reward money and that the Michigan Attorney General is involved. Just wondering if this is common practice in all missing persons cases or if this means something else.

 

[Angleterre]

I have kept very quiet on this thread but the more time that passes, the limited information released, the involvement of certain officials that wouldn’t ordinarily be involved in a missing person case and the numbers of such individuals and the apparent veil of secret (MOO) is giving me a gut feeling that there is more to this case than just a ‘missing’ young man. I have nothing to back this up, apart from my decades working in LE as a Detective and Senior Investigative Officer responsible for the leading of investigations into Murder and suspicious deaths, Missing persons and other hi profile violent crimes and spree offenders . It may well be that Brendan is in the river and not ready to be given up, if ever, but as much as this seems to be the most popular theory for what happened, I just can’t get a niggling doubt out of my mind that cements itself further as each day passes. Where are you Brendan?
I understand more than most about protecting the integrity of an investigation and LE are not duty bound to tell anything but If you are engaging with the public and asked for their help then it becomes a two way street and it’s only fair to give a generalised update of 5WH (What, When, Where, Who, Why and How? Even if the answers to these are generalised without too much substance, it will help keep the volunteers and helpers in BS search motivated and encouraged to keep on with their assistance in either physical form or information submission but when there’s nothing coming back from the investigation team then sometimes momentum can be curtailed or even lost.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

News reports say that Crime Stoppers is involved with managing the reward money and that the Michigan Attorney General is involved. Just wondering if this is common practice in all missing persons cases or if this means something else.

I thought that Michigan Attorney General might be involved because Brendan allegedly went missing on the campus of a major state university. JMO

 

[Valerie D.]

I hope it's okay that I just copy/pasted this. It's from the official Michigan AG website:

Attorney General Duties -
The Attorney General is the state's top lawyer and law enforcement official, protecting and serving the people and interests of Michigan through a broad range of duties. The Attorney General's responsibilities include safeguarding the public from violent criminals, helping victims of crime, leading the fight against human trafficking and opioid abuse, preserving Michigan's spectacular natural resources, protecting consumers and addressing illegal business practices.

Overseeing more than 500 lawyers, investigators, and other employees, the Attorney General:

• Represents the People of Michigan in civil and criminal matters before trial courts, appellate courts and the supreme courts of Michigan and the United States.
• Serves as legal counsel to state officers and, with few exceptions, to state agencies, boards and commissions.
• Assists prosecuting attorneys, local law enforcement and federal criminal justice agencies in the administration of justice.
• Renders opinions on questions of law when requested to do so by the governor, legislature, or any other state officer.
• Prepares and reviews contracts and agreements involving the State of Michigan.
• Manages programs and special projects to detect and crack down on fraudulent, unfair and illegal activities that victimize consumers or threaten public safety.

 

[Valerie D.]

You might be right. AG involved due to this happening on a university operated and funded by the state of Michigan.

 

[MontereyMama]

Bumping for Brendan. I check on a (nearly) daily basis.

 

[Colorado303]

I saw a recent interview of a campus police official saying that there is a lot going on "behind the scene" and he cannot comment further. I agree that there is little more to go on other than Santo's physical description and his last known whereabouts and that might have an impact on the quality of tips they receive. Regarding his phone- the last confirmed location of his phone was Beal Street. At that point his battery drained to 0%. The family FB page states this is "confirmed by authorities". So...a phone with a dead battery can't respond to GPS triangulation (or however LE came to know this location). This means the last ping on Beal "near the river" doesn't mean "near/in the river" necessarily is his last location. A person can keep moving while holding a phone with a dead battery. Where he was "last seen" did not have security cameras in operation that night. Not sure what to make of all of this.

BBM
If someone’s believed to have accidently fallen into a river I’m having trouble imagining what kind of activity would be described as “A lot going on behind the scene”. Anyone?

JMO

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

BBM
If someone’s believed to have accidently fallen into a river I’m having trouble imagining what kind of activity would be described as “A lot going on behind the scene”. Anyone?

JMO

Just a way of saying that there are things that the public doesn't know about the ongoing investigation. I don't know if it's true or not in this case. What I do know is that there is far too much secrecy and a lack of transparency surrounding this missing young man. I keep asking myself why authorities and/or the family haven't been more forthcoming with details of the circumstances surrounding Brendan's disappearance. JMO

 

[Valerie D.]

Just a way of saying that there are things that the public doesn't know about the ongoing investigation. I don't know if it's true or not in this case. What I do know is that there is far too much secrecy and a lack of transparency surrounding this missing young man. I keep asking myself why authorities and/or the family haven't been more forthcoming with details of the circumstances surrounding Brendan's disappearance. JMO

The public currently knows the same few details we knew two months ago. There have been no new developments or updates other than there was an increase in reward money. I find the few details intriguing especially since they are the few they decided to release. One is that the security cameras "were not working". Now that's an interesting detail. Reports have stated that "security cameras placed at the entrance of Yakeley Hall, where Brendan Santo was last seen, were not operational" AND "Brendan's phone was last located in an area where the campus cameras were not working". So...presumably cameras were not working where the last eyewitness saw him AND in the location where his phone drained to 0% (last known location). Why do they think the public needs to know this? I'm also wondering if something happened involving minors (ex: an incident involving underage drinking, etc.) and that's why names and info are being withheld.

 

[Valerie D.]

BBM
If someone’s believed to have accidently fallen into a river I’m having trouble imagining what kind of activity would be described as “A lot going on behind the scene”. Anyone?

JMO

BBM
If someone’s believed to have accidently fallen into a river I’m having trouble imagining what kind of activity would be described as “A lot going on behind the scene”. Anyone?

JMO

 

[Valerie D.]

They're not explaining why it's implied that he's in the river. Reports state that he was "last seen leaving Yakeley Hall" (not exactly on the river) and that his phone was last pinged (last known location) on Beal St. This is near the river but supposedly his battery died. A phone with a dead battery can't be "pinged" for it's location but that doesn't mean the person can't keep walking. They're leaving a lot out.

 

[Rtael]

The public currently knows the same few details we knew two months ago. There have been no new developments or updates other than there was an increase in reward money. I find the few details intriguing especially since they are the few they decided to release. One is that the security cameras "were not working". Now that's an interesting detail. Reports have stated that "security cameras placed at the entrance of Yakeley Hall, where Brendan Santo was last seen, were not operational" AND "Brendan's phone was last located in an area where the campus cameras were not working". So...presumably cameras were not working where the last eyewitness saw him AND in the location where his phone drained to 0% (last known location). Why do they think the public needs to know this? I'm also wondering if something happened involving minors (ex: an incident involving underage drinking, etc.) and that's why names and info are being withheld.

Because they knew people were going to start asking about cameras so they were trying to get out in front of it and admit the issue right up front, not that they thought that fact was especially relevant for the public to know other than that they didn't have any actual footage of Brendan right before he disappeared.

 

[Rtael]

News reports say that Crime Stoppers is involved with managing the reward money and that the Michigan Attorney General is involved. Just wondering if this is common practice in all missing persons cases or if this means something else.

I thought it was common practice for Crime Stoppers to manage these types of things? Like SOP. Not sure why that would strike you as odd. Do you not know this?

 

[Valerie D.]

I thought it was common practice for Crime Stoppers to manage these types of things? Like SOP. Not sure why that would strike you as odd. Do you not know this?

I didn't know that. Thanks.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

The public currently knows the same few details we knew two months ago. There have been no new developments or updates other than there was an increase in reward money. I find the few details intriguing especially since they are the few they decided to release. One is that the security cameras "were not working". Now that's an interesting detail. Reports have stated that "security cameras placed at the entrance of Yakeley Hall, where Brendan Santo was last seen, were not operational" AND "Brendan's phone was last located in an area where the campus cameras were not working". So...presumably cameras were not working where the last eyewitness saw him AND in the location where his phone drained to 0% (last known location). Why do they think the public needs to know this? I'm also wondering if something happened involving minors (ex: an incident involving underage drinking, etc.) and that's why names and info are being withheld.

The elephant in the room. JMO