MSU police find body believed to be missing teen Brendan Santo in Red Cedar River

EAST LANSING — The search for Brendan Santo is finally over.

Police on Friday recovered a body from the Red Cedar River they believe to be that of the 18-year-old Grand Valley State University student who disappeared from the Michigan State University campus about 12 weeks ago.

MSU police Inspector Chris Rozman said police recovered a body from the river about 12:30 p.m. Friday, about a mile-and-a-half downriver from where Santo was last seen in October and near the border of Lansing and Lansing Township

Rozman said they believe the body is Santo's, but "identification is still pending." Police do not believe foul play was involved in his death, he said.

Santo, of Rochester Hills, was last seen leaving MSU’s Yakeley Hall on foot before midnight Oct. 29. He had been visiting friends for the MSU-University of Michigan football game.

The Michigan State Police Marine Services Division, the Capital Area Dive Team, the Oakland County Sheriff’s Dive Team and Ingham County Sheriff's Office assisted MSU police with the search, Rozman said.

The parking lot near the Lansing River Trail entrance by Kalamazoo and Clippert streets had been closed since around 1 a.m. Rozman said the trailhead was closed in preparation for search teams arriving later that morning.

Friday's efforts were focused on a "complex and dangerous" point in the river where a "significant" log jam was located, Rozman said. Search partners, including arborists from MSU, cleared trees and brush to allow divers to get a boat into the river, he said.

Rozman noted that searchers had been interested in that section of the river and had talked about how to search it safely. He did not explain what specifically led them to that area on Friday.

Many volunteers have helped in the search, but they did not produce information that led police to the area where Santo's body was found, Rozman said.

Resources from across the state have been involved in the search since the beginning, and police were committed to finding the missing teen, he said.

"I'm glad we could at least bring some resolution" to Santo's family and friends, he said.

Investigators have no reason to believe foul play was involved in Santo's death or that he intended to harm himself, Rozman said. Even so, the investigation remains open, and police are limited in what they can discuss, he said.

Rozman also asked that people respect the family's privacy.

Counseling and psychiatric help is available at both MSU and GVSU for anyone who needs it, he said. At MSU, those services are available by calling (517) 355-8270, he said.

In a written statement, MSU President Samuel Stanley Jr. and MSU Police Chief Marlon Lynch said the search effort was a collaboration between many police agencies, Santo's family and "countless" volunteers.

"While the news today may bring some closure to such a tragic incident, our hearts ache for the Santo family, Brendan’s loved ones and friends," they said.

"We want to thank everyone who has contributed in some way to the search efforts to date, including our campus partners, the volunteers who posted flyers across our community and joined the search efforts with us and the Santo family, and every law enforcement agency who dedicated time and resources to bring Brendan home."

GVSU President Philomena Mantella said staffers are available to support any student in need.

"Our university role at this time is to support Brendan’s family, roommates, professors and friends," she said in a prepared statement. "The death of any student in our community is painful and distressing ... Our thoughts and prayers continue for Brendan's family and friends as they deal with this tragic loss."

Ken Palmer contributed to this report.

Contact reporter Jared Weber at 517-582-3937 or jtweber@lsj.com.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: MSU police find body believed to be Brendan Santo in Red Cedar River