To the Middlebury community:
I write to update you on the search for Nick Garza '11, which continued over spring break and remains a high priority for the College, the Middlebury Police Department, and local law enforcement agencies. Last Thursday, the Vermont State Police Search and Rescue team, working with groups of trained canines, returned to campus and conducted a limited search of the grounds. That search was unsuccessful.
Snow and ice continue to hamper the search, and the state police intend to come back after the snow has melted—some time in the next few weeks—to undertake a major search, focusing on the ridgeline, where snow cover has persisted, and other peripheral areas such as the golf course and the Trail Around Middlebury, which have not yet been canvassed as thoroughly as the main campus has been. In the meantime, the Middlebury Police Department will conduct smaller searches of some of the yards and outbuildings between the campus and the village of Weybridge.
If these efforts to locate Nick are unsuccessful, the Middlebury Police Department may turn its attention to Otter Creek and consider a more extensive search of the waterways leading to Lake Champlain. Current water levels and icy conditions make this sort of search difficult, but as conditions change, MPD's efforts may expand in that direction.
While we continue to hope for Nick Garza’s return, we also recognize that completing the academic year without a clear answer to his disappearance will be a significant challenge for all of us. Let us all try to support one another during this difficult time.
— Tim Spears
Dean of the College