Search Continues For Missing St. Cloud State Student
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – The search continued Monday morning in St. Cloud to find a 21-year-old man who went missing over the weekend.
Jesse Aaron Dady was last seen in the city's downtown area around 1:30 a.m. Saturday, St. Cloud police say.
Surveillance video shows Dady walking north on 5th Avenue North, crossing 1st Street North. Police searched the area for Dady, but did not find him.
Dady is a junior at St. Cloud State University studying biochemistry. He graduated from Princeton Senior High School in 2013.
The school issued a statement Monday morning.
"St. Cloud State University offers its support, thoughts and prayers to Jesse's friends and family. While this is a very concerning time for the campus community, we are doing everything we can in coordination with the St. Cloud Police Department as the search for Jesse continues," the statement said.
Dady is described as standing 6 feet tall and weighing 150 pounds, with hazel eyes and brown hair. He was last seen wearing a blaze orange hat, a gray jacket and blue jeans.
Drake Thompson says he met Dady while they were students at the university and became close friends. He said he's been in touch with Dady's mother as well.
"He's the nicest guy I've ever met, probably. Super funny, hard to be mad at, super smart -- just a good friend to have," Thompson said. "I spoke with his mom the last few days. She's taking it very hard, obviously. She appreciates all the help that everyone's giving. We just want answers."
Foul play is not suspected in his disappearance, police say. So far, investigators are focusing their search in an area around the Mississippi River, though they aren't reporting any new leads.
But Thompson says he doesn't think Dady was heading home.
"Sometimes you get lost and have to walk home by yourself, but he was seen going the wrong direction," Thompson said. "I don't know why he would walk that way."
Shayna Evans, Dady's sister, says she doesn't believe her brother was in that area for a reason.
"We believe he was coming here to meet somebody, because who else comes down here at 2 a.m.?" she said. "I wouldn't, and then he just disappeared."
Police also want to speak with the driver of a vehicle that was spotted in the area where Dady was last seen. The vehicle was observed on surveillance video driving around the back of the Empire Apartments at around 1:30 a.m. Saturday morning and leaving a few minutes later. The driver or anyone with information on the driver/vehicle is asked to call St. Cloud police.
Anyone with information on Dady's whereabouts is asked to call St. Cloud police at 320-251-1200.
