The body of a 19-year-old University of Michigan student was recovered Saturday afternoon after an extensive overnight search conducted in dangerously cold weather, authorities said.
Lucas Mattson was found dead in the 1900 block of Cambridge Road at approximately 12:05 p.m. Friday, according to a Facebook
post from the Ann Arbor Police Department. Police said there were no obvious signs of trauma and foul play is not suspected.
The Washtenaw County Medical Examiner's Office will determine the cause and manner of death. Campus newspaper The Michigan Daily
reported that Mattson was an engineering sophomore.
Mattson was last seen at 1 a.m. Friday walking alone in the 1700 block of Hill Street wearing a light-colored T-shirt, blue jeans, and white shoes—without a coat, police said. He was not reported missing to the Ann Arbor Police Department until about 15 hours later, at 4:30 p.m. Friday.
The search effort spanned nearly 20 hours in what police described as "extreme cold conditions." Officers from the Ann Arbor Police Department and the University of Michigan Division of Public Safety and Security conducted the search, along with the University of Michigan Police Department Drone Unit.
“It is with deep sadness that we share Lucas Mattson has been found deceased. Our hearts are with Lucas’s family, friends, and all those who knew and loved him during this incredibly difficult time,” the University of Michigan Division of Public Safety and Security said in a
press release Saturday.
Crisis support resources have been made available to students struggling with the news. The Ann Arbor Police Department noted that Wolverine Wellness, University Health Service, and Counseling and Psychological Services are available to students in need.
The tragedy comes as extreme winter weather has impacted communities across the nation. Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said in a
post on X that at least one exposure-related fatality occurred in Texas during the winter storm. Watson noted that temperatures remained below freezing with icy road conditions continuing.
In the post Sunday, Watson said 24-hour cold weather shelters had been extended through Tuesday morning, with 659 people sheltered the previous night.
Numerous
local news outlets reported that Austin police are investigating after a man's body was discovered at a gas station in central Austin early Sunday morning following the winter storm.
In New York, Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani
posted on X Saturday that at least five New Yorkers lost their lives. While the causes of death had not been determined, Mamdani stated it served as a reminder that New Yorkers succumb to the cold every year.
The Emporia Police Department in Kansas
reported Sunday that a 28-year-old woman who was reported missing Saturday had been found dead, likely due to hypothermia. Police said she had left the Town Royal bar on Friday and was last seen walking on foot at 11:44 p.m. Friday, according to video footage. She was found in a wooded area covered in snow approximately 300 yards from where she was last seen.
