A 21-year-old college student has been missing for over two weeks after leaving a bar in Michigan during a blizzard – as cops admit “we’ve searched everything we could possibly search.”
Northern Michigan University student Trenton Massey was last seen in downtown Marquette, near the shoreline of Lake Superior, around 3 a.m. on February 22. At the time he appeared “disoriented” and was having “difficulty walking,” the Marquette Police Department said.
Camera footage captured Massey walking near Founders Landing Boardwalk, and out onto the ice from the pier before disappearing from camera view, police said.
Police paused their search for Massey within a matter of days, saying on February 25 that their investigation was ongoing but the search wouldn’t continue without any new evidence.
“We’ve searched everything we could possibly search with all of the equipment that we’ve had available to us,” Police Chief Ryan Grim told First Alert 4. “And we’re at the point now, there’s nothing left we can actually physically search.”
Authorities said that Massey was walking home alone from the bar and may have been impaired and disoriented.
It had been snowing for several days when Massey went missing. He was also not dressed appropriately for the cold, winter weather, as temperatures hit about 20 degrees Fahrenheit.
Fellow Northern Michigan University students joined hundreds of volunteers in search of Massey, including Ryder Amesbury, who told First Alert 4 that he met Massey at the bar the night he went missing.
“It’s scary,” Amesbury said. “It was an absolute blizzard that night. Like, I walked home, and I got lost walking home. So, it’s horrible to hear and obviously see, but it’s amazing to see how many people came out here to help search for him.”
Search teams scoured the land and ice surrounding Founder’s Landing Boardwalk, where Massey was last seen. A day after he was reported missing, police asked residents and local businesses to check their camera footage for signs of Massey.
“MPD is also requesting residents to make a check of their property, including vehicles and outbuildings, for signs of him,” police said on February 23.
Lt. Brian Kurin with the Marquette County Sheriff’s Special Operations Division said crews were having difficulty determining if the 21-year-old may have fallen through the ice due to the constantly changing weather conditions.
“Holes are freezing up, new ones are opening up, so it’s hard to say what reliably could’ve been where someone fell through or something like that,” Kurin said.
While police suspended their search for Massey after four days, they said volunteers were free to search on their own. The Independent has contacted the Marquette Police Department for updates on the case.
The community has since come together in support of Massey’s family, including the local Texas Roadhouse where he worked. The restaurant held a vigil for the missing college student on March 2.
During the event Massey’s family thanked the volunteers who were out in the cold searching for him, Upper Michigan Source reported.
In the weeks since Massey went missing, locals have made Facebook pages to help with the search and to support his family.
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