The search for a missing NDSU freshman ended this morning after ground searchers discovered a body in Moorhead.
Fargo Police Chief Keith Ternes says a deceased male fitting the description of Thomas Bearson was located in "an outdoor area" that had been scheduled for a ground search. Ternes says at this point it is too early to tell if foul play is suspected.
"I think it's safe to say that we express our grief and sadness and our condolences to the Bearson family, but it's early into our investigation as to the cause of death."
NDSU President Dean Bresciani says the situation is traumatic for the tight-knit campus, and encourages the community to be respectful of the Bearson family in the days ahead.
"My hope would be that as a campus and tight knit community that out of respect for the family, that we would limit conversations and not try to imagine what did or did not happen. We are obviously dealing with a family that is also lacking that information in detail, and with no ill intentions conversations like that can be exceptionally painful to family members that are grieving over this. So I would request that everyone would be respectful of that feature and that as information becomes available, it will be distributed appropriately."
Ternes says the investigation will now shift from a missing persons case to an investigation into the cause of death, which will involve the Moorhead Police Department and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
