EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State University president Samuel L. Stanley Jr. released a statement Friday addressing safety concerns across the campus.
In this release, Stanley says the security cameras placed at the entrance of Yakeley Hall, where Brendan Santo was last seen, were not operational the night he went missing.
18-year-old Santo is a Grand Valley State University and had been visiting Yakeley Hall at MSU on Friday, Oct. 29. He was last seen exiting the building just before midnight. His vehicle remains in the last location it was parked, and he has been missing ever since.
Since then, police have conducted searches on foot, by helicopter, by drone and by boat. Civilian searches have also begun, drawing hundreds of volunteers to MSU to look for Santo. Police say foul play is not suspected, and they also believe that Santo did not intend to harm himself.
Stanley said that the MSU campus has thousands of security cameras installed, and that MSU Police have been asked to order and install 300 new cameras across campus. Those are expected to be installed next week.
"When combined with our other safety measures — including university I.D.-only access to all residence hall room floors, 24/7 campus patrol and presence by MSU Police and Public Safety, ongoing improvements to campus outdoor lighting and a campus safety app that will be rolled out soon — we are making sure Michigan State University’s campus is as safe as it can be," said Stanley in the statement.
The search for Santo and the investigation into his disappearance is still ongoing.
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