LSA senior Brice Moss was reported missing on Saturday afternoon, but he is believed to have been in Ann Arbor early Sunday morning. His whereabouts are currently unknown.
Moss’s case has been publicized on Twitter and Facebook by members of the University community, and many people have forwarded information including where he was last seen in an attempt to locate him.
According to Sgt. Craig Flocken of the Ann Arbor Police Department in an interview Sunday night, Moss’s family reported him missing to the AAPD after coming to Ann Arbor for the commencement ceremony.
According to University spokeswoman Kelly Cunningham, the University has not conferred a degree on Moss and there is no record of Moss graduating Saturday. Moss’s name is not found in the 2012 Spring Commencement program.
Cunningham added that Moss was enrolled in classes at the University from summer 2008 until winter 2011 but has not been enrolled at the University since April 19, 2011.
Despite not being enrolled in over a year, Moss had his senior portrait taken for The Michiganensian, the University’s yearbook, and purchased a yearbook, according to a document obtained by The Michigan Daily with a list of the Michiganensian’s sales.
In an interview yesterday, AAPD spokeswoman Lt. Renee Bush said the AAPD is currently continuing investigation.
“Our detectives are actively working on it and we’re hopeful and optimistic that … the case will be resolved,” she said.
Bush added that the use of Twitter and Facebook could help in finding Moss. A Facebook group titled “Help Find Our Friend Brice Moss” currently has over 1,000 likes.
“I’m very hopeful that with all this contact with social media getting the word out, I’m hoping he’ll reach out wherever he is to contact someone,” Bush said.
Moss, who lives on Vaughn Street, south of the Diag, was reportedly last seen at 2:40 a.m. Saturday in Kerrytown on Ann Street. Flocken said the AAPD followed up on the report late Saturday night, meeting with Moss’s friends and roommates.
Flocken said Moss’s car, a tan 1999 Lincoln Town Car, was seen at 12:30 a.m. Sunday parked outside a friend’s house on Ann Street, a few hours after police had met with his friends and roommates trying to find him.
The car sighting was reported Sunday as police continued the investigation, Flocken said.
He added that the friend who noticed the car parked in front of his house had not had any contact with Moss and saw that the car was gone later Sunday morning.
While his location is still unknown, Flocken said it was known that Moss had friends at Tulane University, Michigan State University, Eastern Michigan University and Central Michigan University.
Flocken explained that the case will now be turned over to the Ann Arbor Police Detective Bureau. He added that similar missing persons cases are unusual but not unheard of and said he is optimistic that the case will be resolved within the next two days.
Moss lives with five other people on the 1000 block of Vaughn.
Two of Moss’s housemates, who wish to remain anonymous, said they don’t know where Moss is and declined to comment on several questions, including whether they knew if Moss had been enrolled in classes during the past year and if they thought Moss seemed distraught during the last few weeks.
“We don’t want to answer any questions that don’t add value to finding Brice Moss,” one housemate said.
According to the other housemate, Ann Arbor police have visited their house five or six times, and a private investigator also attempted to talk to them, though they were not sure who hired the P.I.
The first housemate said Facebook, through which most people have heard about Moss, has not been completely accurate.
“People maybe know a small thing so they post something, but they’re way off,” he said. “Some people even posted that he had a different car in the beginning.”
The housemates added that Moss also has a close friend at Oklahoma State University.
The housemates said they could not guess how long it would be until this case is closed but stressed the importance of Moss’s safety.
“It’s about finding him, it’s not about learning about his life,” the housemate said.
Managing News Editor Anna Rozenberg contributed to this report.
This is a developing story. Check back at michigandaily.com for updates.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation is encouraged to call the Ann Arbor Police Department at 734-994-2911 or the Department of Public Safety at 734-763-1131