Tuesday: St. Paul man missing after party at Ithaca College

Freshman William Jacobson disappeared after a party over the weekend. Rescue workers will resume their searches today for the 19-year-old Central High grad.

By MARY LYNN SMITH, Star Tribune

Last update: April 30, 2008 - 11:04 AM

Rescue workers were scouring the rugged hillsides around Ithaca College in New York late Tuesday for a missing 19-year-old freshman from St. Paul.

William Jacobson, a 2007 graduate of St. Paul Central High School, was last seen leaving a party about 3 or 4 a.m. Sunday, said Dave Maley, an Ithaca College spokesman. Friends began looking for Jacobson on Monday and called police Monday night.

Maley said it's not unusual for college students to not know the whereabouts of their friends.

Rescue workers searched briefly Monday evening before darkness set in and then conducted aerial and ground searches Tuesday, Maley said. A state dive team will search two ponds on campus today, he said.

"Ithaca is on a hillside, bounded by steep gorges on either side,'' Maley said. "We're looking to see if he got lost on his way back [to his dorm] or whether he could have fallen on a hillside. There's a lot of heavy brush.''

Nighttime temperatures have been in the 40s recently, he said.

Jacobson would have had to walk about a half-mile from the party back to his dorm, Maley said. "We're widening the search area in case he got lost or misdirected."

Police said Jacobson had been known to hike the trails in the area.

The party's host reportedly directed Jacobson to a walking trail on the edge of campus, Maley said.

Jacobson was dressed as William Shakespeare for the themed party and was last seen wearing a white, long-sleeved dress shirt, navy-blue vest, black dress pants and black dress shoes.

Tynan Alexander of St. Paul has been one of Jacobson's best friends since they were in elementary school. "He was committed to academics and got good grades," Alexander said. "But he was all about having fun. ... He always got along with people and was good at finding what makes a person interesting. He knew how to get the best out of people and have fun.''

Friends in the Twin Cities and at Ithaca are keeping one another updated through Facebook.

There are feelings of concern and worry on the campus of 6,300 students, Maley said. Friends are tacking up "missing person" posters and police are knocking on doors and canvassing neighborhoods, he said.

"There's no reason to suspect foul play," Maley said.

Jacobson's mother and brother arrived in Ithaca on Tuesday.

Mary Lynn Smith • 612-673-4788

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