Grinnell man attending Iowa State goes missing

February 4th, 2010 | By | Section: Article

Grinnell resident Jonathan Lacina, a 21-year-old graphic design major at Iowa State University was reported missing by his father on Jan. 30 after he was unable to establish contact with his son for a week.

Lacina was last seen leaving a small party at a friend’s apartment in Ames the evening of January 22. He was said to have been in “good spirits” and unlikely to do harm to himself or others when he left the party. As for the possibility of over-intoxication, officials say that although alcohol was served at the party, it is unclear if Lacina was intoxicated at the time of his departure.

Following the report, a search party of 250 people, plus a search helicopter and diving team has been deployed. Iowa State University spokeswoman Annette Hacker told AOL News, “The search on Saturday and Sunday included ground areas in and around campus. Police searched wooded areas, culverts, ditches, local waterways and the cross-country field.”

As of Monday, backhoes and dogs were used to search through remote areas around the Iowa State campus as well as through the accumulating snow piles, though to no avail.

Iowa State Police Chief Jerry Stewart said investigators plan to continue speaking with Lacina’s family and acquaintances in hopes of retrieving clues surrounding his disappearance and current whereabouts. Although neither Lacina’s cell phone nor ATM card have been used since the night of his disappearance, investigators will also continue to monitor his electronic trail.

To raise public awareness and gain helpful information, Lacina’s friends have created the Facebook group, “Help Find John Lacina!” According to AOL News, Lacina was last seen wearing a black coat and blue jeans. He is 5 feet, 11 inches tall, 155 pounds, with brown hair and green eyes. Anyone with information in this case is asked to call ISU police at (515) 294-4428 or Ames police at (515) 239-5133.