After six days missing, a University of Maryland student whose disappearance sparked a major search walked out of the woods dehydrated but safe, authorities say.
Dilan Shaan Ashar, a 22-year-old who was reported missing last weekend, emerged Wednesday night from a wooded area near the Xfinity Center and approached an officer, the head of the campus police department said at a news conference Thursday morning.
“Dilan came out of the woods and he knocked on the driver’s side window of Howard County Search & Rescue and said, ‘Are you looking for me?’ Of course, yes, we are looking for you,” Chief David Mitchell said.
Officers immediately tended to him and called an ambulance, which arrived within minutes, Mitchell said.
“When he came out, [he was] dehydrated, somewhat disheveled, scared, hungry,” he said.
Ashar is receiving medical attention and was reunited with his family.
Police and students posted flyers with Ashar’s face across UMD’s campus and beyond. Police used drones and K9s to search hundred of acres, including the area where he was found near Lot B, close to the Xfinity Center.
Mitchell said police “had reason to believe he could be in grave danger.” He declined to elaborate, citing privacy concerns.
“What he left behind definitely led us to believe that this was a young guy in immediate need of attention and assistance,” he said.
Ashar had left behind his wallet and cellphone. Police believe he went into the woods of his own free will and said there was no sense of any foul play.
His family released a video with an emotional plea for help. Police said they believe it’s possible Ashar somehow saw the video, which prompted him to leave the woods.
Police said they’re waiting for Ashar to receive additional medical attention before they interview him more extensively.
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