University of Michigan Student Found Dead After Subzero Nighttime Disappearance

University of Michigan engineering student Lucas Mattson, 19, was found dead Saturday night in Ann Arbor after a roughly 20‑hour multi‑agency search that began when he walked away from a fraternity party around 1 a.m. Friday wearing only a T‑shirt, jeans and sneakers as temperatures fell to about 0°F. Campus and city police say there were no obvious signs of trauma and foul play is not suspected, with the Washtenaw County Medical Examiner now responsible for determining the official cause and manner of death. Mattson was reported missing to Ann Arbor police about 15 hours after he was last seen, prompting a search in "extreme cold conditions" using local officers, University of Michigan public‑safety staff and the campus drone unit. Interim university president Domenico Grasso publicly offered condolences, warned students against spreading misinformation about the case, and ordered officials to retrace the night’s events to identify steps that might prevent similar tragedies. The case highlights ongoing concerns about campus alcohol culture, winter‑weather risk and how quickly universities and fraternities respond when students go missing overnight in dangerous conditions.