Missing student's body found in river

Police in St. Paul have identified a body pulled from the Mississippi River as that of missing University of St. Thomas student Dan Zamlen.

Police spokesman Peter Panos says the body was found Friday in the river near the Ford Motor Co. plant.

That's downriver from the area where Zamlen disappeared. The freshman was last seen leaving a party by himself in the early morning hours of April 5. His 19th birthday was on April 8.

Zamlen is from Eveleth. More than 1,200 volunteers from the Iron Range and the St. Thomas community, many of whom had never met Zamlen, assisted police in several searches.

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"The Zamlen family would like to thank everyone on the Iron Range who gave time, donations and prayers to help bring Daniel home," Zamlen's parents, Sally and Dale, said in a statement issued to The Mesabi Daily News. "It has been a very difficult past four weeks. And now Dan's family and friends can start the healing process. They ask that you all continue to pray for their family as they begin to cope with the loss of Daniel."

Zamlen's parents had been living at a faculty residence on the school's campus ever since their son went missing and accompanied the scores of volunteers on searches over the next 27 days.

"I ask the St. Thomas community to join me in keeping Dan and his family in our thoughts and prayers," St. Thomas President the Rev. Dennis Dease said in a statement issued by the school. "The love and courage shown by his family throughout this difficult month have been an inspiration to all of us."

Another mass search was scheduled for Saturday, but instead students and relatives gathered at St. John Vianney Seminary on the university's St. Paul campus on Friday night for a prayer service.

"I join with Dan's parents, Sally and Dale Zamlen, in expressing our profound gratitude to the authorities and more than 1,200 volunteers from the Twin Cities and northern Minnesota who have given their time and energy to search," Dease said. "It has been a remarkable outpouring of campus and community support."

Funeral arrangements have not been announced, and the school is providing counseling for students, faculty and family in need of support.

"There's enormous sadness," St. Thomas spokesman Doug Hennes told the Star Tribune of Minneapolis. "It's been 27 days since he disappeared and people kept holding out hope that perhaps they might find him or he took off or something. But as time went on, people feared for the worst, so today does bring some closure."

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)