EAST LANSING (WWJ) -- On the evening of Friday, Oct. 29, Brendan Santo left a dorm at Michigan State University and disappeared.
Nearly three months later, Santo’s family, friends and members of the metro Detroit community have continued to search tirelessly for the missing 18-year-old, who seems to have vanished without a trace.
Santo, a freshman at Grand Valley State University from Rochester Hills, had been visiting friends the weekend of the Michigan/Michigan State game in East Lansing when he went missing.
Here’s what authorities know so far about the events leading up to Santo’s disappearance:
--Santo was last seen leaving Yakeley Hall on the north side of campus by himself just before midnight on Oct. 29.
--His last cellular activity was on Beal Street near Michigan Avenue.
--His friends believed he was traveling back to the Brody neighborhood where he was staying, but a Snapchat he reportedly sent to a friend suggested he was lost.
--The cameras in the area where Santo is believed to have been walking were not working at the time of his disappearance.
--Santo was last seen wearing a black Red Wing "Yzerman" baseball hat, a black shirt, gray sweatpants with a zipper back pocket, white Converse hi-top shoes, and a gold necklace with a cross.
--He was carrying an iPhone 12 in a blue case with no screen protector and a dark brown wallet.
As the Red Cedar River runs near Beal Street and Michigan Avenue -- the location of Santo’s last cell phone activity -- police suspect he may have disappeared into the river.
Speaking with Deadline Detroit, Inspector Chris Rozman with the Michigan State University Police and Public Safety Department says the 51-mile river remains the “primary focus” of the investigation, and they have not received information from any credible witnesses to provide other leads.
"Our investigative work has been reviewed by our local, state, and federal partners and we still have no reason to believe foul play is involved,” Rozman said. “There have been no confirmed sightings of Brendan since he was last seen on Oct. 29. Our investigation and search efforts have not located any items of interest or any of Brendan’s personal property."
Over the last several months, authorities have searched the Red Cedar River multiple time using cadaver dogs, sonar, divers and other tactics, but no clues have been found.
There is an online petition to dam the Red Cedar River to help with the river search. To sign, click here.
The Facebook group Bring Brendan Santo Home, which has been handling updates on the missing teen, recently shared information about an upcoming fundraising event.
The benefit is set for Saturday, Feb. 26 from 6 p.m. - 9 p.m. at. Rochester Adams High School -- Santo’s alma mater.
Tickets are $50, with proceeds going to search efforts and the reward for information on Santo’s whereabouts, which is currently set at $20,000.
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