COLLEGE PARK, Md. (7News) — A 22-year-old University of Maryland (UMD) student who disappeared for nearly a week was found alive Wednesday night after spending six days in the woods.
Dilan Ashar was found around 7:30 p.m., dehydrated, disoriented and extremely hungry, UMPD Police Chief David Mitchell said during a news conference Thursday. Ashar was immediately treated by emergency crews before being transported to a hospital.
The search began Oct. 2 after Prince George’s County police received a missing-person report near Knox Road in College Park.
Mitchell said investigators became particularly concerned after learning Ashar had left behind his cellphone, identification and wallet.
“We had reason to believe that [Ashar] could be in grave danger,” Mitchell said.
Surveillance footage showed Ashar at the Terrapin Trail Parking Garage around 2:30 a.m. on Oct. 2, near the Xfinity Center. Police determined he left the garage and headed northeast toward a wooded area of campus.
Over the next six days, investigators searched hundreds of acres, repeatedly checking campus buildings, parking garages and surrounding wooded areas. Police also reviewed footage from more than 1,000 cameras and brought in K-9 teams, including bloodhounds, to help with the search.
Mitchell said the investigation was especially challenging because Ashar did not have his cellphone or another electronic device that police could use to track his location.
READ | Missing University of Maryland student found alive after days-long search
Following his discovery Wednesday night, Ashar was reunited with his parents and older brother. Chief Mitchell described the emotional moment when Ashar saw his family again.
“It’s hard to put into words,” Mitchell said.
Police have not yet determined what led to Ashar’s disappearance or exactly what happened during the six days he was missing.
Mitchell said investigators plan to speak with Ashar once he is medically ready.
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