A Minnesota family spent all of Christmas Day looking for a missing young college student instead of celebrating the holiday.
George Musser, 20, a student at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, was reported missing on Christmas Eve after he was last seen leaving a bar without a coat, and didn’t return home.
He was found dead by authorities in Baytown Township on Sunday, Christmas Day, at around 7 pm.
Musser was at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Brian’s Bar and Grill on Christmas Eve even though he was underage. A bar customer said she spoke briefly to him at around 1:30 am.
“He came over to the booth where I was sitting with my friends and he talked to us,” the patron recollected. “And he told us he had to visit the washroom and he never returned back.”
The young man’s car was found in the parking lot and his keys and wallet were found outside near the bar.
The weather was -2 degrees and the student had left the bar wearing jeans, a gray flannel top, and a black hat. He was not wearing a coat or other protective clothing.
Family searched for him during the night and then resumed their search the following morning.
On Sunday morning, 100 volunteers joined family and friends in a massive search for the young man. They searched the entire day in the freezing cold.
On Sunday, Stillwater police confirmed that they had informed Musser’s family that they had found his body at 7 pm.
In an update on Wednesday, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office released new information from video footage seen during their investigation.
In a press release, the Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Musser left the bar at around 2 am when temperatures were below zero.
Available footage showed a young man who fit his description, walking at around 2:20 am from downtown Stillwater in the direction that Musser was found, not dressed for the cold weather.
Authorities have concluded that Musser froze to death, but an autopsy will make the final determination.
Family and friends held a candlelight vigil for Musser on Monday.
