Leads running out in search for UC student

Police are running out of leads in their search for missing University of Cincinnati student Brogan Dulle, Lt. Col. James Whalen said at a press conference at District 4 headquarters Thursday afternoon.

"The Cincinnati Police Department gets about 1,500 missing persons cases per year. What makes this one different is that we are in our fifth full day here since Brogan has been missing, we have exhausted most of the leads that we could find and I don't know anything more today than I did when I first found out about this Monday evening when it was first reported to us," Lt. Col. James Whalen said.

The police department did recently receive exterior surveillance video that shows Dulle looking for his cellphone near his apartment building around 3 a.m. Sunday, Whalen added.

The video provides police with the last known images of Dulle before he went missing.

Whalen said when Dulle left his home to search for his phone early Sunday he left his keys in his apartment door and would have been locked out of his apartment building when or if he returned.

Police said Thursday that they do not suspect foul play.

Whalen added Dulle spent Saturday afternoon with his mother and spent the evening with his friends.

"There was no other indications he was going to go somewhere or do something drastic," Whalen said.

In addition to the video, police have also recently acquired Dulle's tablet and a laptop computer he used with the Turpin Swim Club as a coach.

To help police acquire more information, a large reward is now being offered by various people including University of Cincinnati President Santa J. Ono for information leading to the location of Dulle.

The 21-year-old's family is offering $2,500; restaurateur Jeff Ruby tweeted Wednesday night he would add $7,500 and, early Thursday, Ono confirmed he will give $10,000. This afternoon, the Turpin Swim Club added $500 to the reward fund, which has raised more than $13,000 by Thursday afternoon and Cassady Schiller & Associates, Inc. also contributed an additional $5,000.

"We have had a lot of (reported sightings) and we have responded on every one of those," Whalen said. "We haven't been able to confirm anything. We don't think, yes he was here and now he is gone as far as some of these sightings go … we have had them in public places, we had one at the public library yesterday and nobody, who was actually there said, yeah I saw him.

"But, I will tell you what, that is not a waste of our time. Please continue to send us those calls and we will investigate."

The search expanded Wednesday as Cincinnati police brought in additional volunteers to search for Dulle, who went missing early Sunday.

The Turpin High School grad was last seen in Clifton Heights at The St. Clair and Mac's Pizza Pub. He was headed back to his apartment at about 2 a.m. when he realized he lost his cellphone and decided to retrace his steps.

He never returned home.

Students and friends have used Gilpin's on Clifton Avenue as a search headquarters over the last several days.

Brien Dulle, Brogan's second cousin, said the outpouring of support has been "awesome."

"It shows how small and community-based Cincinnati can be," Brien said. "I' ve heard from people I haven't heard from in years. It's very comforting because it feels like it's not just us together as a family, but a whole city's effort."

That doesn't mean it's been easy.

"It seems like such a foreign story to happen to someone you know that closely," he said. "It's almost like your emotions are sitting there in a holding pattern. At one point you see everyone's efforts coming together, but at the same time it is kind of scary to think it's been days" since anyone has seen him.

About 50 people attended a vigil Wednesday night to pray for Brogan's safe return. For those in attendance, it was a small way to give back to a family that's given a lot to the community over the years.

"They're a huge, huge family and anybody in Forest Hills has been touched by the Dulle family," said Jennifer Adams, an Anderson Township resident who works in the Forest Hills Local School District.

"I'm sure life feels so surreal for them right now. And I just hope that (they) have that peace and just know that they are loved ... and everybody is praying for them."

Brogan, one of six children in his family, is a sophomore at UC. He is studying to be a teacher.

"Overwhelming" is the word Max Elliot used to describe the situation. Elliot lives across the hall from Dulle in an apartment on East McMillan Street.

It's overwhelming because Dulle isn't the type of person to miss work, according to Libby MacVeigh, his cousin.

"Brogan is not the kid that this would happen to. It's not, 'Oh, he just ran away.' Brogan doesn't just disappear," MacVeigh said.

"He's a really, really responsible kid. Then he missed work and things that would not be the norm for Brogan. That's when it all started to sink in."

Dulle is 6 feet tall, weighs 145 pounds and has blonde hair and blue eyes. He wears glasses.

His parents, Tom and Beth Dulle, released this statement Tuesday evening:

"We would like to thank everyone who has searched, posted, shared or tweeted in our efforts to find Brogan, including those who love him and know what a wonderful and caring young man he is. We also want to thank the many complete strangers who are working so hard to help find Brogan. The kindness and love shared by so many is helping us tremendously during this difficult time. We are hopeful that Brogan will be found safe and soon. We miss him and love him very much. Brogan if you see this, nothing matters but getting you home. Please reach out to any of us, mom, dad, siblings, aunts, uncles or cousins. We are all here for you."

HOW TO HELP:

• If you have any information or tips about Dulle's whereabouts, please contact Cincinnati District 4 Police at 513-765-1212 or Crime Stoppers at 513-352-3040.
• Join the Help Find Brogan Dulle Facebook page
• Head to Gilpin's restaurant at 2504 W. Clifton Ave. starting at 5 a.m. to hand out fliers and help with search efforts