Police: Former U-M student Brice Moss believed to be alive, voluntarily missing
Six days after he was reported missing, there’s finally some good news regarding the disappearance of former University of Michigan student Brice Moss: Police believe he is alive.
Brice Moss
Courtesy of Facebook
“The investigation leads led us to believe he’s alive,” she said. “It appears at this time he voluntarily left and he is still considered missing.”
Moss's disappearance was reported to police Saturday after his mother came to Ann Arbor and expected him to graduate. Moss never showed up, and his mother told police she believed he was in danger.
He was last seen by his friend and roommate at 2:40 a.m. Saturday, and his tan 1999 Lincoln Town Car was last seen parked near a friend’s home on Ann Street at 12:30 a.m. Sunday.
Although his mother expected him to graduate Saturday, Moss hasn’t been enrolled at U-M since April 2011, university officials said.
Ever since Moss was reported missing, friends and family members have been expressing their sadness at his disappearance on various social media platforms. A Facebook page titled “Help Find Our Friend Brice Moss” had nearly 1,800 likes as of 9:25 a.m. Friday.
Bush said that outpouring of support might encourage Moss to reach out to someone.
“We’re still hopeful he will reach out to a friend or family member and let them know he’s OK,” she said.
Bush couldn’t confirm a report in The Michigan Daily Wednesday that Moss had been seen on U-M’s North Campus. She said detectives are still investigating the case and, even though it’s believed Moss is alive, the search will not stop until his location is confirmed.
Anyone with information Moss's whereabouts is encouraged to call the Ann Arbor police at 734-794-6921 or 911 if in the city of Ann Arbor.
Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
YpsiVeteran
Sat, May 5, 2012 : 4:46 p.m.
Message to Brice: Dude. Skype the cops so they can close the investigation, then take care of your business. The longer you wait, the worse it's going to be. Face your mom and move on with your life. This too shall pass.
grimmk
Sat, May 5, 2012 : 3:16 p.m.
All I know if I had pulled that stunt I would have to hide too. My dad would have murdered me if he found out I didn't graduate. I still hope he's ok. And that he takes a brave step and steps up and tells everyone he's ok. We put way too much pressure into getting a degree these days. And if someone, god forbid, doesn't make it, we label them failure instead of trying to help them find out why it didn't work. U of M is not the only school out there. Maybe he defected and went to State.
Tru2Blu76
Sat, May 5, 2012 : 2:26 p.m.
Wow, a town with 72% college educated people - with evidently none of them commenting on this or any other story from AnnArbor.com. "If a grown adult is voluntarily missing is he really missing?" Yes, because the individual's actual status then becomes a question for anyone closely associated with him. If a group of hikers on the Appalachian trail discovers one member missing, there follows a process to determine the reason for that person's absence. There's a responsibility and obligation on the part of the individual to maintain contact with the group one is a member of. Searchers ignore those who, after a day or so, prematurely claim that the missing hiker has just gone off to relieve themselves. The reason for the continued investigation and interest is that, in this case, it must be determined beyond doubt that the missing person is alive and is voluntarily desiring the break in contact with close associates. It's an anomaly which humans cannot ignore. It's like a job requirement for belonging to a society of responsible people.
Craig Lounsbury
Sat, May 5, 2012 : 12:15 p.m.
I just noticed it appears he is holding his sunglasses upside down. This must be a subliminal message to somebody. I don't understand why this case wasn't solved in a little less than an hour like most cases I watch.
Robo
Sat, May 5, 2012 : 3:58 p.m.
haha!
Laura Jones
Sat, May 5, 2012 : 1:41 a.m.
I understands some people's frustration here, but it's worth pointing out what the case would be if he turned up dead instead, and the police have not spent the time, money and diligence to look for him. The cry's of foul would be tremendous. 'Why did they stop looking for him', 'what further was required than he wouldn't contact his own mother' and on and on and on.
Jacksonisbetter
Sat, May 5, 2012 : 3:59 a.m.
He obviously left voluntarily, all the evidence points towards that. If he is dead then it was also voluntarily. Either way, no matter what the outcome, I don't see how anyone could fault the police. This guy claimed to be a student at UofM the last year, when he wasn't, and then claimed he was graduating, when he wasn't. What do you want, the CIA and FBI on the case as well?
Chase Ingersoll
Sat, May 5, 2012 : 12:05 a.m.
Glad you are alive buddy. You are giving me a good laugh and I hope you too will find the humor in this sooner rather than later. Maybe he enlisted in the USMC? Chase
Jacksonisbetter
Sat, May 5, 2012 : 9:28 p.m.
So his mother, his family, and his close friends, are all sitting at home right now laughing about how funny all of this is? There are certain things in life to find humor in... this is not one of those things.
Robo
Sat, May 5, 2012 : 3:38 p.m.
I like Chase
Chase Ingersoll
Sat, May 5, 2012 : 3:05 p.m.
He's not dead. And people with a sense of humor about life live longer and better. A lot of kids have dropped out of school and joined the military rather than have to deal with their parents hand wringing.
Jacksonisbetter
Sat, May 5, 2012 : 12:55 a.m.
How is this funny?? He has friends and family worried sick over him. He has the community and the police wasting their time trying to find out if something bad happened to him... and you think what he is putting everone through is all just a big joke? You need to take a second and really contemplate whether this is actually funny or not.
A2comments
Fri, May 4, 2012 : 8:32 p.m.
Once he speaks with police proving he us ok the case will be closed.
Tesla
Fri, May 4, 2012 : 7:23 p.m.
I''m not nearly as tired of reading about this kid as I am Brady Hoke. Good grief....give it a break. Or at least put it all in the sports pages. Ugh. I'm Hoked out. Heck I'd rather read about Zingermans.
5c0++ H4d13y
Sat, May 5, 2012 : 2:34 p.m.
Maybe Hoke will walk his dog off leach at Zingermans?
Susie Q
Sat, May 5, 2012 : 2:41 a.m.
ooh, not me. $50 coffee cakes, not so much. But, Hoke's a little old, too.
justcary
Fri, May 4, 2012 : 7:11 p.m.
This is an adult who makes his own decisions and is responsible for himself. So he's not 'missing,' he's incommunicado.
Jacksonisbetter
Fri, May 4, 2012 : 6:11 p.m.
I say we continue to cover this story as much as possible.... after everything this guy has put his family through, his friends through, the community through, and the police through, a little humiliation is justified. This guy has gone on way too long with all of this.
justcurious
Fri, May 4, 2012 : 10:11 p.m.
Absolutely!!
JRW
Fri, May 4, 2012 : 5:42 p.m.
If he left the area voluntarily, how can he still be considered missing?
YpsiVeteran
Sat, May 5, 2012 : 4:48 p.m.
Once that's confirmed by the police, he won't be considered missing. The police have to be able to confirm it.
Chrissa
Fri, May 4, 2012 : 5:40 p.m.
Yeah, I don't think it requires Captain Obvious to deduce that him becoming missing just before graduation isn't just a coincidences. I don't really believe in those anyway. He could have at least called his mom and been like, "Yo ma, I love you, but I uh, totally not graduating, I'll send you a postcard"
DBH
Fri, May 4, 2012 : 9:14 p.m.
Did Mr. Obvious enter the Armed Forces or Law Enforcement (or, I suppose, The Salvation Army)?
RunsWithScissors
Fri, May 4, 2012 : 7:51 p.m.
If I had had a similar conversation with my mom, then she would have teleported into my apt (moms have super powers) before I completed the sentence.
seldon
Fri, May 4, 2012 : 5:02 p.m.
I don't want to sound like a broken record here, but why does annarbor.com pursue this case to the ends of the earth while refusing to tell us who gets killed in auto accidents? I am confused.
JRW
Sat, May 5, 2012 : 3:36 p.m.
I agree with posters who also mention other stories with no names. It shouldn't matter if the crime was committed by a A2 socialite" or if the student has parents in Grosse Point. Criminals need to treated the same in the press when they are arrested and arraigned. How about learning the name of the other graffiti criminal? We only know one name so far: Jacob Saalberg. Two were arrested.
justcurious
Fri, May 4, 2012 : 10:10 p.m.
Then there was the woman who hit the man and his dog in the wheelchair and just happens to have been a high profile Ann Arborite. What is happening with that case?
seldon
Fri, May 4, 2012 : 9:25 p.m.
HIPAA applies to medical records, but not to police records. It really shouldn't be a barrier to annarbor.com's reporters doing their job. I am just mystified as to why these guys think it's okay to publish stories with no names in them and then never follow up.
ummsw
Fri, May 4, 2012 : 9:10 p.m.
@seldon I was referring to a possible mental health issue that proceeded the incident or injuries after the fall could possibly fall under HIPAA Law, sorry I didn't clarify.
seldon
Fri, May 4, 2012 : 7:59 p.m.
The fact that he fell off a medical building doesn't mean that it was covered by HIPAA.
DBH
Fri, May 4, 2012 : 7:39 p.m.
Actually, @JRW and @ummsw, AnnArbor.com is looking into that case, as stated by Tony Dearing in reply to a comment/question I made on the comments moderation site on 4/27/12. See http://annarbor.com/about/annarborcom-conversation-guidelines-comment-moderation/ . He promised to report the results of the AnnArbor.com investigation on that same site when the investigation is complete.
ummsw
Fri, May 4, 2012 : 6:18 p.m.
Most likely in the case of the student scaling the outside of the Medical Center would fall under HIPPA Laws either medical or mental health.
JRW
Fri, May 4, 2012 : 5:44 p.m.
I'm confused too by the inconsistencies in reporting names, etc. How about that college kid who was drunk and scaled the outside of the medical center? We never learned the identity of that individual either. Maybe his parents from Grosse Point had some influence to keep his name out of the online press? I have no idea how they decide who gets named and who doesn't.
zanzerbar
Fri, May 4, 2012 : 4:54 p.m.
Mom's sure gonna be mad when she catches up with him.
Bertha Venation
Fri, May 4, 2012 : 4:46 p.m.
Uhhh... yaaaaa. If my Mom came to see me graduate... and I had not been to school for over a year.... I'd go voluntarily missing also.... in a heartbeat!
Michigan Man
Fri, May 4, 2012 : 2:56 p.m.
I and many others would be quite happy if this story just went away. It seems reasonably clear this person does not want to be found. Probably would make more sense, in many ways, if law enforcement, public safety, the media, etc got busy with other more pressing matters.
Fatkitty
Fri, May 4, 2012 : 4:34 p.m.
Law enforcement can remain on the case, but A2.com can get on without pursuing it. At this point, it's not "news", and anyone sincerely interested and/or connected with this young man's welfare will likely know the outcome or offer help through other sources - definitely not through the comment section of this A2.com story.
Dennis
Fri, May 4, 2012 : 4:05 p.m.
No crime has been committed. The guy is an adult and seems to not want to be contacted. I don't really see any reason for the police to continue wasting their time.
tomnspats
Fri, May 4, 2012 : 3:55 p.m.
Well the problem is that the police cannot just go on to more pressing matters just because we are bored with this story.
Bob Barker
Fri, May 4, 2012 : 2:52 p.m.
What I find interesting is that he'd be much more likely to return home if AnnArbor.com stopped reporting on him every day. In this case, any publicity is bad publicity now.
Lisa
Fri, May 4, 2012 : 2:16 p.m.
I hope we can learn that he is well, but not have to read about the details of his life. Really, he does deserve some privacy.
justcurious
Fri, May 4, 2012 : 10:07 p.m.
He is spending someone's tax dollars needlessly if he truly is just "in hiding" or something.
leezee
Fri, May 4, 2012 : 2:43 p.m.
I don't agree. Once the police are involved and the public ia asked to be on the look out, I think it's perfectly fine to inform everyone why he disappeared.
Craig Lounsbury
Fri, May 4, 2012 : 2:13 p.m.
It raises an interesting question. If a grown adult is "voluntarily" somewhere other than home is he really "missing" ? Where does ones "right to privacy" intersect the concerns of loved ones?
YpsiVeteran
Sat, May 5, 2012 : 4:36 p.m.
I think the answer is, the point at which there is no doubt he is alive, safe and voluntarily absent. I don't think they've been able to confirm that beyond all question yet. When they do, I think nothing else will be publicly disclosed. I think the finalized police report would be FOIA-able, though....
Kyle Feldscher
Fri, May 4, 2012 : 2:29 p.m.
A very interesting question, Craig. This is something the police have struggled with since he was reported missing. I believe the fact that his mother reported him to be in danger has caused them to release more information than would have otherwise been released.
ThaKillaBee
Fri, May 4, 2012 : 2:16 p.m.
That is an interesting question.
Annette Poole
Fri, May 4, 2012 : 2:09 p.m.
If my mother came to watch me graduate, but I hadn't actually been enrolled for over a year, I probably would have disappeared too. lol
justcurious
Fri, May 4, 2012 : 10:06 p.m.
Disappearing just adds to her heartache and he is definitely old enough to know that. Can't laugh this one off.
porchbear
Fri, May 4, 2012 : 6:04 p.m.
Girl, me too.
Bertha Venation
Fri, May 4, 2012 : 4:46 p.m.
Exactly what I was thinking, Annette. Why is this such a big deal?