The disappearance of a Michigan man who has not been seen since October took a mysterious and tragic turn when his body was found in a vent inside a community college.
Who is Jason Thompson?
Jason Anthony Thompson, 36, was reported missing by his family after he was last seen on 25 October.
Over a month later, a body identified as Thompson was found in a ventilation system in a Performing Arts facility at the Macomb Community College in Michigan on Sunday.
How his dead body was found?
The discovery came after a foul smell started to come through the vents, the college campus police said in an initial news release.
‘There is no reason to suspect foul play,’ Macomb College Police Chief William Leavens said.
‘At this point, it is important to remember that this an ongoing investigation, with the goal to understand the circumstances,’ he added.
The college police said they are awaiting a cause of death from the Macomb County medical examiner.
In Facebook posts made to her local community, Shelby Thompson, the sister of the deceased father-of-two, had made pleas throughout November to help find her brother.
The time he was last seen
She said in a post that showed CCTV footage of Thompson leaving her apartment at around 5.41pm on 25 October and was last heard from via text message at around 9.40pm.
Ms Thompson said she went to local hospitals, jails, and police departments to try and find her brother, but was met with no avail.
‘Never in his life has he ever gone without contact with our family for more than 24 hours, not once,’ she wrote in her appeal posts.
The discovery has horrified students at the college and left many with unanswered questions.
‘They say they don’t suspect foul play?’ demanded former business studies student Sean Kalil.
‘So the dude just went in the vent himself and said this is where I’m choosing to spend my final days? ‘That all sounds fishy to me.’
Jason’s records of crime
Thompson had a lengthy criminal record including a nine-year sentence for an armed robbery in 2008, and was on probation for retail fraud at the time of his disappearance.
