EAST LANSING, Mich – The body of Brendan Santo was found Friday, Jan. 21, in an area of the Red Cedar River full of debris, but what led law enforcement to the location?
Michigan State University Police and Public Safety said the search was planned and coordinated to get the Oakland County Dive Team into the river.
“We did have an area of interest down here in the river we were interested In,” said Chris Rozman. “It was a very complex and dangerous point of the river to search, and we required a lot of resources to do that.”
Read: Body believed to be Brendan Santo found in river months after disappearance on Michigan State campus
For more than 80 days, Brendan Santo’s family, friends, Rochester Hills, Grand Valley, and Michigan State communities rallied around the Santo family in hopes of a positive outcome.
“The goal is that we find Brendan and come home,” said one of the searchers.
A reward reached $30,000; a petition circulated urging to dam the river to make it safer for divers.
Mikela Bray was out searching when the discovery was made.
“It seemed odd to me this kid could just vanish,” Bray said.
And now, she would like to see a memorial to Santo at the very spot where his body was found.
“That’s one-way that MSU and our campus can carry on his name,” Bray said.