Body of college student missing since February found in river, Wisconsin officials say

A 25-year-old college student missing for a month was found dead in the Mississippi River on Thursday, March 17, Wisconsin officials say.

Hamud Faal, a student at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, was reported missing on Feb. 21 and was last seen the day prior, police said. Search efforts continued for nearly a month until La Crosse firefighters located his body on Thursday.

Police say Faal’s body was found in about 25 feet of water near the river landing off Division Street in La Crosse. The location is a few blocks from where he was seen walking alone on Feb. 20.

Faal’s death is being investigated, and a cause of death will be determined through an autopsy, police said.

Faal was a senior at the university and was majoring in psychology, according to a GoFundMe. He was reportedly of Gambian descent.

“You were the nicest person to anybody and everybody,” one friend said on Facebook. “I can’t wrap my head around this and don’t know when I’ll be able to. Rest in peace to truly one of the most beautiful souls ever.”

La Crosse is in Western Wisconsin about 150 miles southeast of Minneapolis.

This story was originally published March 18, 2022 at 8:44 AM with the headline "Body of college student missing since February found in river, Wisconsin officials say."