>>> SAID, BRIAN, IF ANYBODY CAN FIND, BRIAN AND I KNOW THAT YOU
CAN.
CAN. AND YOU NEED TO GO FIND HIM.
>> A WIFE’S PLEA TO HER HUSBAND
TO GO OUT AND FIND THE BODY OF
MISSING COLLEGE STUDENT BRENDON
SANTO.
SANTO. SO THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT THIS
PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR DID.
>> 18-YEAR-OLD BRENDON SANTO WAS
VISITING FRIENDS AT MICHIGAN
STATE UNIVERSITY OVER HALLOWEEN
WEEKEND LAST YEAR WHEN HE WENT
MISSING.
MISSING. FOR TWO AND A HALF MONTHS,
POLICE SEARCHED THE MISSING
COLLEGE STUDENT ON CAMPUS AS
WELL AS IN THE RED CEDAR RIVER
AND CAME UP EMPTY-HANDED.
>> AND THAT ALL CHANGED.
A FEW WEEKS AGO, PRIVATE
INVESTIGATOR RYAN ROBINSON
CALLED BRENDON’S FATHER TELLING
HIM HE WOULD LIKE TO HELP IN
THAT SEARCH AND NEVER HAD A CASE
LIKE THIS BEFORE.
BUT HIS WIFE HAD BEEN FOLLOWING
BRENDON’S STORY CLOSELY ON
SOCIAL MEDIA AND TOLD RYAN IF
ANYBODY COULD FIND RYAN, HE
COULD.
COULD. AND THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT HE DID.
>> Reporter: THE RED CEDAR
RIVER.
RIVER. FOR MONTHS, INVESTIGATORS WERE
LURED TO THIS BODY OF WATER.
COULD IT HOLD THE CLUES TO THE
DISAPPEARAY WAS, YOU KNOW,
APPREHENSIVE TO TAKE SOMETHING
LIKE THAT ON.
>> Reporter: PRIVATE
INVESTIGATOR RYAN ROBINSON SAYS
IT WAS A FIVE-HOUR TALK WITH
BRENDON’S DAD THAT BONDED THE
TWO FATHERS.
TWO FATHERS. >> HE’S A DAD, YOU’RE NOT GONNA
QUIT.
QUIT. I SAID I WON’T QUIT.
>>> THE 48-YEAR-OLD PRIVATE EYE
STARTED HIS SEARCH JANUARY
6th, ABOUT 100 YARDS
DOWNSTREAM FROM THE LIVER STREET
TRAIL HEAD.
TRAIL HEAD. HE STARTED HERE BECAUSE OF
BRENDON’S FATHER.
BRENDON’S FATHER. >> I JUST FELT IT WAS LIKE A
DAD’S INSTINCT.
DAD’S INSTINCT. HE WOULD ALWAYS GRAVITATE BACK
HERE AND SO WHEN YOU SEE
SOMEBODY DOING, THAT YOU KNOW,
YOU JUST -- YOU CAN’T DISMISS
IT.
IT. >> Reporter: FOR 14 BITTER-COLD
DAYS IN JANUARY, ROBINSON SPENT
MUCH OF HIS TIME AT THIS
LOCATION.
LOCATION. >> AND THEN HOLD ON TO THIS.
>> Reporter: WE FOLLOWED HIM
THERE JUST LAST WEEK SO WE COULD
SEE HOW HE SOLVED THE CASE.
>> I MEAN, JUST SAT HERE FOR
LIKE AN HOUR AND A HALF THE
FIRST TIME AND JUST CONTINUED TO
NOTICE THAT IT WAS BOUNCING OFF
THAT SHORE.
THAT SHORE. RIGHT.
RIGHT. IT’S BOUNCING OFF THAT SHORE AND
COMING HERE, LIKE EVERYTHING
WANTS TO COME RIGHT HERE.
>> Reporter: THEN HE NOTICED
SOMETHING STRANGE A PUMPKIN.
>> ONE DAY I TOOK OUT ABOUT SIX
TO EIGHT PUMPKINS.
WHEN I LOOKED HOW LONG THEY HAD
BEEN IN THE WATER IT HELPED ME
ESTABLISH A TIMELINE OF ANYTHING
THAT WENT IN THE WATER DURING
THAT TIME PERIOD WHERE IT WAS
GONNA END UP.
>> AND GATHERING HERE.
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. >> Reporter: NOW, IF PUMPKINS
WERE COLLECTING HERE AFTER GOING
IN THE WATER AROUND HALLOWEEN,
COULD BRENDON’S BODY ALSO BE
HERE?
HERE? >> HE STARTED CHOPPING AWAY FOR
HOURS AND HOURS, DAY AFTER DAY.
RECORDING HIMSELF ALONG THE WAY.
>> AND THAT’S WHEN ONCE I GOT
ONE OF THE HEAVIER CHISELS
THROUGH, I REALIZED NOT ONLY IS
IT NOT SOLID, IT WAS LIKE 8 FEET
DEEP IN THE MIDDLE.
>> SOME OF THIS UNDER HERE IS 6,
SEVEN FEET, IT LOOKS LIKE IT
SHOULD BE ROUND.
IT WILL GOES FROM ALMOST ALL OF
THIS AND RUNS UNDERNEATH IT,
IT’S AN ABSOLUTE MESS.
>> Reporter: AND THAT’S WHEN HE
REALIZED BRENDON’S BODY COULD
POSSIBLY HAVE GOTTEN PUSHED
UNDER THE TWISTED TANGLED MESS.
>> THE PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR
STARTED DRILLING HOLES AND
PUTTING CAMERAS IN THE WATERED.
>> ONLY TO SEE 16 INCHES IN
FRONT OF HIM.
AT TIMES HE WORKED AT NIGHT.
>> I FELT LIKE WHEN I WAS ABLE
TO PUT LIGHTS CLEAR ON THE
BOTTOM, IT WAS COMING UP TO ME
VERSUS ME TRYING TO LOOK DOWN.
>> SOMETIMES HE TOOK PHOTOS
UNDERWATER.
UNDERWATER. THEN ON JANUARY 20th OF THE
IMAGE STOPPED HIM IN HIS TRACKS.
>> IT WAS LIKE 11:00 THAT NIGHT
AND I’M SITTING DOWN THE STAIRS
AND LOOKING THROUGH THE FRAMES.
I KNEW WHAT BRENDON WAS WEARING
THAT NIGHT.
THAT NIGHT. PROBABLY THE MOST IDENTIFIABLE
AS SPECT OF THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN
THE TYPE OF SHOES THAT HE WORE,
SO I WAS ABLE TO SEE IN THAT ONE
FRAME THE SHOES THAT HE HAD ON.
>> HE KNEW HE HAD TO GO SEE
BRENDON’S FATHER.
BRENDON’S FATHER. I’M NOT GONNA WAIT UNTIL THE
MORNING.
MORNING. I DROVE OVER THERE AND JUST
KNOCKED ON HIS DOOR AND
OBVIOUSLY ME SHOWING UP AT
MIDNIGHT WAS NOT SOMETHING THAT
--
-- >> YOU PRETTY MUCH SAID IT BY
YOUR PRESENCE.
YOUR PRESENCE. >> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> Reporter: THE NEXT DAY, RYAN
ROBINSON WAS BACK AT THE SITE
AFTER HE CALLED AUTHORITIES HE
QUIETLY SAT IN THE BACKGROUND
WATCHING THE CREWS REMOVE
BRENDON’S BODY.
BRENDON’S BODY. HE HAD TO KEEP HIS PROMISE TO
BRENDON’S FATHER.
BRENDON’S FATHER. >> THIS IS THE FIRST TIME YOU’VE
BEEN BACK.
BEEN BACK. >> YEAH, IT IS THE FIRST TIME
I’VE BEEN BACK.
>> WHAT IS THAT LIKE?
>> IT’S SAD AND PEACEFUL, BOTH
IN A WAY.
IN A WAY. IT’S CERTAINLY MORE PEACEFUL.
THE.
THE. >> PEACEFUL, ROBINSON SAYS, IS
KNOWING BRENDON’S BODY WAS NO
LONGER IN THE RIVER.
IT WAS ABLE TO BE BURIED
PROPERLY.
PROPERLY. THERE IS STILL MANY QUESTIONS.
WE ARE STILL WAITING FOR THE
AUTOPSY RESULTS TO BE MADE
PUBLIC.
PUBLIC. TOXICOLOGY RESULTS COULD TAKE
WEEKS.
WEEKS. AUTHORITIES DON’T SUSPECT FOUL
PLAY OR THAT BRENDON TRIED TO
HARM HIMSELF.
HARM HIMSELF. THE INVESTIGATION JASON IS STILL
ACTIVE.
ACTIVE. >> I’VE BEEN WATCHING THAT STILL
AS A PARENT SO HEART BREAKING
EVEN THOUGH THERE IS CLOSURE TO
IT NOW AND SOME OF THE QUESTIONS
SO MANY ARE ASKING, KAREN, HOW
WAS HE ABLE TO FIND BRENDON?
WE KNOW THERE WERE SO MANY
DIVES, LIKE AT ONE POINT THERE
WERE 55 DIVERS OUT THERE.
HOW DID THAT TURN UP ANYTHING
THIS?
THIS? >> WELL, ROBINSON DID NOT WANT
TO CRITICIZE POLICE.
HE DID SAY, THOUGH, AUTHORITIES
WERE TREATING THIS AS A
RECOVERY.
RECOVERY. SO WHAT MOST LIKELY HAD PUT
DIVERS INTO THAT SPOT WHERE THEY
WERE SEARCHING TRULY WAS DEADLY.
HE ON THE OTHER HAND TREATED IT
STILL LIKE A RESCUE, SO HE DID
THINGS THAT MOST PROBABLY NEVER
TRIED, PUTTING HIS LIFE AT RISK
AND PARTLY IN PART BECAUSE THAT
HAVE FATHERLY PROMISE.
SO VERY TOUCHING.
BY THE WAY, THERE IS SO MUCH
MORE TO THIS STORY.
WHEN YOU SIT DOWN AND TALK WITH
RYAN, I LEARNED SO MUCH,
ESPECIALLY ABOUT HIS FAITH.
I POSTED THE EXTENDED CUT OF
RYAN’S INTERVIEW ON OUR WEB
SITE.
SITE. YOU CAN CHECK IT OUT ON