Authorities search campus for Nicholas Garza '11 Officials classify search efforts as 'recovery'; investigation still ongoing

Author: Zamir Ahmed

FEBRUARY 13, 6:30 a.m. - Police and search teams have suspended their search for Nicholas Garza '11 until Feb. 16 at the earliest, after their initial search for the missing first-year student on Monday and Tuesday failed to turn up significant clues regarding his disappearance. The 19-year-old Garza was reported missing on Feb. 10 by his mother, Natalie Garza, after she had not heard from him since Feb. 5.

The Vermont State Police (VSP) Search and Rescue Team is currently heading the search after arriving at the College on Monday afternoon, with between 95 and 100 people from numerous search and rescue teams from around Vermont, as well as search dogs, taking part in the search. According to Lt. Jocelyn Stohl, who commands the VSP Search and Rescue Team, the search for Garza is being conducted as a recovery and not a rescue.

"As a result of our evaluation that began yesterday afternoon into late last night, we determined and developed a search plan to search the campus area in hopes that we might find the subject," said Stohl at a press conference on Tuesday night. "We conducted that search today utilizing specialized resources and we did not turn up any clue information or any evidence of the subject."

With heavy snow expected in the next few days, searchers have postponed their operations until Saturday, when it is believed the weather will allow them to continue the investigation. Officials said that the search would continue on in a particular area of the College, though they would not divulge that location.

Garza was last seen in Stewart Hall at what police have described as a "social gathering" on Feb. 5, during the College's February Break. Investigators and students who attended the party have declined to comment on whether or not alcohol was present that evening.

According to witnesses, Garza left the dorm at approximately 11:30 p.m. to presumably return to his dorm room in Allen Hall. He was described as being underdressed for the weather, as he was wearing tennis shoes and his winter jacket was found in his room. Almost two feet of snow has fallen on Middlebury since Garza's disappearance, including a snowstorm that hit the area early Wednesday morning. Friends approached College officials after they could not locate Garza the following day, leading to an inquiry into his whereabouts conducted by the Department of Public Safety.

"A friend had communicated with his Commons Residential Advisor (CRA) his concerns that he hadn't seen Nick over the course of the previous day and that CRA called Public Safety and passed that concern on," said Dean of the College Tim Spears at a press conference on Feb. 12. "Public Safety went into Allen and checked his room. At that point, he encountered the friend who had passed the inquiry on, and through a series of exchanges there, the Public Safety officer came to understand that it was very likely that Nick had left campus with other students."

At the time, it was speculated that Garza had left the campus for a friend's cabin in New Hampshire. However, Spears commented that Public Safety followed up with the students who had stayed at the cabin, who confirmed that Garza had not been with them.

Garza's mother became concerned about her son's whereabouts after neither she nor Garza's younger brother heard from Nicholas Garza for a couple of days. Natalie Garza, who said she is in contact with Nicholas almost every day through e-mail or text messages, then contacted College officials with the hopes of locating her son.

"I was on the phone first thing Saturday morning to tell [the Department of Public Safety] that I was extremely worried about Nick," she said. "I wanted someone to go into his room to see if he was there or if there was anything suspicious that was in the room."

Natalie Garza filed a missing persons report with the Middlebury Police Department (MPD) on Feb. 10. MPD, with the assistance of the Department of Public Safety and the Middlebury Fire Department, searched for Garza early Monday afternoon, using poles to probe the snow in the area around McCullough Lawn before darkness forced searchers to suspend their operations.

Natalie Garza arrived at the College late Monday, along with other family members, to assist with the investigation.

Spears alerted the College community of Garza's disappearance in an e-mail on Feb. 11, asking that anyone with information regarding Garza's whereabouts notify authorities. Spears said that the College did not send out an e-mail notification earlier because of the possibility that Garza had left campus with friends and would return when the spring semester started on Feb. 11.

"One of the important points in sort of thinking through where Nick may be was the start of spring classes," said Spears. "Our students, during these kinds of breaks, will leave campus and come back, and some will come back at the last minute, and so we were all sort of hoping that Nick would show up to his morning classes. When he didn't, I sent out, along with Director of Public Safety Lisa Boudah, an e-mail asking for information."

Though officials left open the possibility that Garza had gone off-campus to visit friends, Garza's mother doubted that he had any intention on leaving, having just returned from a trip to Manhattan to visit relatives.

"Nick was not going anywhere," said Natalie Garza at a press conference on Feb. 12. "He knew he was going to spend the break there. He was kind of looking forward to the time of having the room alone and he had a lot of reading to do. So I had no indication that he had plans to leave anywhere and if he would have left, I would have received a text. He just would not have left without alerting us."

According to Tom Scanlon, spokesman for the Middlebury Police Department, there is no evidence of foul play in Garza's disappearance. He noted that Garza has not made any financial transactions on his bank card and has not used his cell phone since the night of his disappearance. The College's Library and Information Services also accessed Garza's College e-mail account in order to track his communications, revealing that Garza had not sent any e-mails since the night of Feb. 5. As part of their investigation, authorities have removed several items from Garza's dorm room, including his laptop computer.

Natalie Garza said her son had no history of mental illness and she had no reason to believe he was unhappy at Middlebury and wanted to leave.

"He loved Middlebury. That was his top college to come to," she said. "He loved it here, he loved the environment. He loved this town."

President of the College Ronald D. Liebowitz, who had been in California on a fundraising trip and had planned on staying for this week's Board of Trustees meeting at the Monterey Institute, cut short his trip and returned to the College on Tuesday. Friends and other concerned students also gathered in Chateau on Feb. 12 to meet with counselors and members of the Office of the Chaplain, who offered support and help to cope with the situation.

Investigators have asked that Middlebury property owners check their land and any outlying buildings such as garages and sheds to aid the search for Garza. Those with useful information about Garza or his whereabouts have been asked to contact the College's Department of Public Safety at 802-443-5911 or the Middlebury Police Department at 802-388-3191.

Additional reporting by Scott Greene.