Missing College Student Found Dead In Spain
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KNX 1070's Tom Reopelle Reports
Friends said Bice was last seen outside Riviera concert venue and discotheque in the early hours of Feb. 26. The family he was staying with laid a plate for him at lunch later in the day and raised the alarm when they realized he was not in his bedroom.
Friend Maria Garcia said Bice and his friends had been drinking at an apartment before going out to the club. A doorman suggested he rest a while before going in because he looked unwell. A friend stayed outside with him until Bice said he was going home.
"He had left his credit cards and passport in his room, and had not taken a winter coat, so we're concerned because it was very cold that night," said Garcia.
Larry Bice, the student's father, from Carlsbad, Calif., flew to Madrid last week to help search for his son. He has praised efforts by the Spanish police to find Austin.
"They're really behind us," Bice's father told "Early Show" co-anchor Chris Wragge on Monday. "We're at the very top of their list of things to do and take care of."
Asked about the reports that his son may have been intoxicated before disappearing, Larry Bice told "The Early Show" he hadn't sought to interrogate Austin's friends.
"My point is to find Austin... We're not really concerned about that. We're concerned about finding him."
Posters with recent photographs of Bice have been placed around the city seeking information.
(© 2011 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
