The body of a University of Wisconsin-La Crosse student who went missing Friday was found in the Mississippi River Monday.
Police recovered Luke Homan's body from the water around 10 a.m.
Sgt. Jim Ballas of the La Crosse Police Department said the search, which began Saturday, took place with the assistance of numerous law enforcement departments as well as K-9 units, diving teams and hundreds of volunteers, citing the Police Department's statement.
Homan, 21, was last seen early Saturday morning celebrating the city's Oktoberfest at Vibe, a club in downtown La Crosse. Ballas said Homan's friends realized he was missing when Homan failed to show up for a golf outing Saturday.
According to the Ballas, when dogs were brought in to search the area Saturday for Homan's scent, they picked up a trail that led to the Mississippi River.
Diving teams joined the search starting Sunday. Over 100 volunteers — including UW-Madison football players Joe Thomas, Ben Strickland and Steve Johnson — joined family and friends in searching La Crosse for any signs of Homan.
Searching continued Monday from 7:30 a.m. until the body was pulled from the river later that morning. An autopsy was scheduled for Monday afternoon, but results will not be made available until Tuesday evening.
According to an official statement from the La Crosse Police Department Monday, the case is still under investigation and foul play has not been ruled out.
A letter was sent out to all UW-La Crosse students and staff by Interim Chancellor Elizabeth Hitch informing them of the death. A memorial service took place at 7 p.m. Monday to honor Homan at the university's Hoeschler Clock Tower.
"UW-La Crosse isn't a large campus, so everyone is coming together to celebrate his life," said Cary Heyer, director of university relations for UW-La Crosse.
According to Heyer, even students who did not know Homan are grief stricken due to the loss.
Heyer said the news that Homan was missing "really hit the campus hard," and students seemed to experience three stages of emotion throughout the weekend.
"[Sunday], people wanted to find Luke, then after the news hit [that he was found in the river], they wanted to see if they could help in any way. Now they're accepting the reality that he's gone," Heyer said. "Our first priority is to make family and friends who knew Luke comfortable."
Because students saw Homan drinking the night he disappeared, La Crosse Mayor Mark Johnsrud has immediately called for a stronger stance within the community about the dangers of alcohol.
University officials say the school has always informed students about the dangers of alcohol and binge drinking.
"We've always taken the issue seriously," Heyer said. "We've been active in informing students about the dangers of alcohol consumption; we want an environment that's safe for students."
Homan was a member of the UW-La Crosse basketball team and was a graduate of Brookfield Central High School, where he was a basketball standout and set numerous school records.
A memorial fund at the high school is being set up in his name.
