(WWJ) -- It has been 45 days since 18-year-old Brendan Santo went missing and his family has provided an update on what has happened in the last month and a half.
Brendan's aunt, Dawn Brewer, provided a letter Monday with a synopsis of the events that have taken place since her nephew vanished on Oct. 29, shortly before midnight in East Lansing, MI.
"Brendan would not leave on his own accord," said Brewer.
Brewer continued the letter with praises of her nephew, stating how good of a kid he is with a "kind heart" and a "zest for life."
The family remains hopeful that he will be found and returned home, said Brewer.
The family's Facebook page and group created to spread the word about Brendan's story currently has over 21,000 members, in which Brewer refers to as the Bring Brendan Home (BBH) Warriors. They gained 3,000 new members in just the last week,
"The kindness shown is overwhelming," said Brewer. "It is incredible to see that we have reached so many people. Unfortunately, Brendan is still out there and we need to find him."
In an effort to find him, the family has been doing flyer pushes, in which a family friend has been keeping track of where they end up posted.
"Someone must have seen something and we are hoping to get this information to that person," said Brewer.
Brendan's aunt said this continues to be an active investigation with their task force that includes Michigan State University Campus Police, East Lansing Police, the FBI, Grand Valley State University Police, Ingham County Sheriffs, the Michigan Attorney General, Michigan State Police and Oakland County Sheriffs.
Searches for Brendan have been made by foot, drone, helicopter, K9 units, boats with sonar equipment and certified divers. In addition, there have been two civilian searches done by more than 800 volunteers. Rock climbers have even volunteered to conduct a search into a ravine area on the MSU campus.
These efforts have not been fruitful, though, as none of his items have been found or any clues collected.
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The day that Brendan went missing, he was visiting friends for the weekend at MSU for the football game against the University of Michigan that was scheduled to happen the following day.
He was last seen leaving Yakeley Hall on campus by himself and 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 with friends, but he apparently sent a Snapchat to a friend saying he didn't know where he was.
The cameras in the area were not working so there is no footage to show where his exact location was or in which direction he was walking.
He was last seen wearing a black Red Wing "Yzerman" baseball hat, a black shirt, gray sweatpants with a zipper back pocket and white Comme des Garcons Converse hi-top shoes. He was also wearing a gold necklace with a cross and carrying an iPhone 12 in a blue case with no screen protector and a dark brown wallet.
He is identified as a white male with brown hair, 5'10" tall and weighing 160 lbs.
Brewer said he didn't have his car keys but he was instead carrying a set of keys belonging to a friend -- neither vehicle was moved all weekend.
Information obtained by the police verified that his phone battery drained to 0% at the time he went missing.
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There also wasn't any financial activity on his accounts since early evening on the day he went missing and no unusual activity was noted on his social media accounts.
"Keep the faith, keep sharing, never give up hope, like or follow and POSITIVE VIBES," wrote Brewer in the letter.
The tip line can be reached at 844-99-MSUPD (844-996-7873) or tips@police.msu.edu. Tips can be anonymous.
A $20,000 cash reward is being offered by Crime Stoppers of Mid-Michigan to anyone with credible information that leads to bringing Brendan home.
The GoFundMe for the Brendan Santo search effort can be accessed here.
There are also two fundraisers being done by Ring True and Painting with a Twist Rochester Hills.