MSUPD credits a private investigator for leading them to body believed to be Brendan Santo

Mark Johnson, Lansing State Journal
·2 min read
Search, rescue, and water recovery teams from multiple agencies, including the Michigan State University Police Department, Oakland County Sheriff, and Lansing Police, were staged along the Red Cedar River. MSU Police closed the Lansing River Trail around 1 a.m. Friday between Kalamazoo Street and the U.S. 127 overpass. MSU Police say they are searching for Grand Valley State University student Brendan Santo who has been missing since Oct. 29, 2021, after leaving a gathering at Yakeley Hall on MSU's campus around midnight.

EAST LANSING — Michigan State University police credited a private investigator for helping lead them to what they believe is Brendan Santo’s body in the Red Cedar River Friday.

Police received a call at about midnight on Friday from Ryan Robison, a private investigator who had been working with the family of Brendan Santo, an 18-year-old Grand Valley State University student who disappeared from the Michigan State University campus on Oct. 29. Robison found what he suspected was Santo’s body submerged in the river at a logjam while reviewing underwater video.

Robison shared his findings with Santo’s family and called authorities in Ingham and Oakland Counties. It led police to recover the body at about 12:30 p.m. Friday at a location about a mile-and-a-half downriver from where Santo was last seen and near the Lansing and Lansing Township border. Authorities had planned to search the area next week before receiving the tip.

“Within the hour of notification, resources from MSU Police and Public Safety closed off the area around the logjam,” according to an MSUPD statement released Saturday. “Dive teams and multiple resources were in the water at first light to begin the recovery process.”

MSUPD did not mention Robison’s involvement in initial media releases. Authorities had planned to search the area next week before receiving the tip, but MSU police Inspector Chris Rozman did not explain what specifically led them to that area on Friday.

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

A social media post shared more than 7,000 times explained Robison’s involvement before MSUPD updated their statement. Robison had been working to find Santo’s body for about two weeks, according to the Facebook post, spending the prior six to seven days chopping ice and installing cameras in the area where Santo’s body was recovered.

“Immediately after Brendan was located, we were not sure if Ryan or the Santo family wanted this information known publicly,” according to Saturday’s updated statement. “Our original news release said that we have worked collaboratively with the Santo family and their supporters, and that partnership was essential in our effort to find Brendan. Not only is that statement true, we cannot thank Ryan enough for his relentless efforts.

“It was never our intent not to give proper credit to all those involved; this was about providing closure to the Santo family, Brendan’s loved ones and friends, and our community. Each of our partner agencies, including Ryan, offered important information and resources that led to yesterday’s discovery. Again, we thank them all.”

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 on Friday.

Rozman on Friday said the body is believed to be that of Santo, but “identification is still pending.”

Contact Mark Johnson at 517-377-1026 or at majohnson2@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ByMarkJohnson.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: MSUPD: A private investigator found body believed to be Brendan Santo