Dilan Shaan Ashar, a 22-year-old senior at the University of Maryland, was found on the night of October 7 after nearly six days missing and has been reunited with his family, the university announced. Police have not yet said where or in what circumstances he was found.
Ashar, a senior psychology major at the University of Maryland, College Park, was last captured on surveillance video at about 2:30 a.m. on Friday, October 2, entering the Terrapin Trail Garage near the Xfinity Center on campus. He had no cell phone, wallet, or identification with him, according to family and police. Campus police classified him as "critically missing."
His parents filed a missing-persons report with Prince George's County police on the morning of October 2 and met with university and county police around 9:23 a.m. In a video released through campus police on October 6, his mother appealed to the public to check doorbell, vehicle, and business cameras: "Dilan, we love you so much, and we hope you are safe. We want you home."
The search began late on the night of October 2. Around noon on October 3, police flew a drone over wooded areas near the garage; that evening a K-9 unit tracked through the woods. On the morning of October 4, close to 50 first responders and nine dogs conducted a systematic search of roughly 110 acres around the garage, followed by an afternoon drone sweep of the university golf course. Police also searched other parking garages, wood lines, parks, and nearby Lake Artemesia.
In a campuswide alert, President Darryll Pines, campus police Chief David Mitchell, and Vice President for Student Affairs Patty Perillo wrote: "Tonight we write to share good news: Dilan has been found! Thanks to the immense efforts of UMPD and our entire community, Dilan has been reunited with his family." The message acknowledged the "distressing" days and urged anyone struggling to use the University Counseling Center and other support resources.
As of Wednesday night's reporting, authorities had not released where Ashar was found, his condition, or what happened during his disappearance, multiple outlets reported. FOX 5 DC and the student newspaper The Diamondback both reported that police scheduled a media-only news conference for Thursday morning, October 8, to share details.
His mother described Dilan as "a kind, thoughtful young man who cares deeply about people… He loves sports and he loves to cook." About 6 feet 2 inches tall and 185 pounds, he was last seen wearing a black UMD hooded sweatshirt, gray sweatpants, and white shoes.
For the Maryland campus community, the news ended nearly a week of anxiety. Thursday's police briefing is expected to answer the question everyone is asking: what happened during those six days.