Serach for Brendan Santo continues, family overjoyed at Danny Fenster's freedom, an endangered child advisory

MONDAY NEWS HIT - As the days tick by, the mystery of Brendan Santo's whereabouts has only deepened after his disappearance more than two weeks ago.

The Rochester Hills resident and student at Grand Valley State University was last seen near one of the buildings on Michigan State University's campus the night before the UM-MSU game.

Since then, an $11,000 reward has been posted, tens of thousands of dollars have been poured into a search fund, and students have combined with parents to search for Santo.

"We're just trying to be helpful. We're parents, we have kids in college. We just want to bring Brendan home," said one parent.

On Sunday, volunteers were out looking again. 

Police initially believed Santo hadn't gone too far since his vehicle was found in the same place he first left it. His last known location was outside of Yakeley Hall on Oct. 29. Police believe the Red Cedar River, which meanders through campus, could offer proof about what happened to the teen. 

Over the weekend, hundreds gathered at Santo's alma mater at Rochester Adams High School for a vigil. Family and friends joined and sang, praying for the discovery of the missing 18-year-old.

Search efforts have expanded to include a heavy following on social media, billboards in and around East Lansing, and hundreds of flyers posted around the area.

Adding to the struggles of searching for Santo is the information that some of the security cameras at Yakeley Hall were not working at the time Santo went missing. That's since been rectified. 

Santo's vanishing has since prompted other law enforcement agencies to get involved, including the FBI and the Michigan State Police Department. 

Find Santo's gofundme here. 

Family elated after Danny Fenster freed

Only days after he was sentenced to more than a decade in a foreign jail, a Michigan native and journalist in Myanmar was freed with the aid of a former U.S. ambassador. In a statement, Danny Fenster's family said they were "overjoyed" after getting the news.

"We are overjoyed that Danny has been released and is on his way home – we cannot wait to hold him in our arms," said the family "We are tremendously grateful to all the people who have helped secure his release, especially Ambassador Richardson, as well as our friends and the public who have expressed their support and stood by our sides as we endured these long and difficult months."

Bill Richardson, a former ambassador with the U.N., said he negotiated Fenster's release during a recent visit to the country, holding a face-to-face meeting with Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, Myanmar’s military ruler.

Fenster’s sentence was the harshest punishment yet among the seven journalists known to have been convicted since Myanmar’s military ousted the elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi in February.

Plane crash on Beaver Island kills 4

The four people who died in a plane crash on Michigan’s Beaver Island included a real estate agent and a couple who were planning to open a winery and vineyard there, authorities said Sunday. The plane crashed Saturday west of Mackinaw City, killing four of the five people on board. Lt. William Church of the Charlevoix County Sheriff’s Office identified three of the deceased as Kate Leese and Adam Kendall of Beaver Island, and Mike Perdue of Gaylord.

Authorities have not released the name of the pilot who was also killed. Perdue’s 11-year-old daughter was seriously injured in the crash and remained hospitalized Sunday. Perdue was a real estate agent, Church told WZZM-TV. Leese and Kendall had moved to Beaver Island after spending years traveling. They had been planning to open Antho Vineyards, a winery and tasting room, on the island in Lake Michigan.

"It feels like a place somewhere along the road where you could stop and have a glass of wine with new friends," Leese, a biochemist, told The Detroit News for a story published a week before the crash. "Our goal is to have that kind of place that brings people together." 

The twin-engine Britten-Norman plane was flying from Charlevoix on Michigan’s lower peninsula, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement. The FAA said it would take part in an investigation led by the National Transportation Safety Board.

Endangered child advisory issued for kid possibly traveling in northern Michigan

Police in Northern Michigan are searching for Noah Clare, an endangered child who could possibly be traveling north with Jacob Clare, who is wanted by a local police department for Custodial Interference. 

An Endangered Child Alert was issued for Noah, a 3-year-old white male, by the Gallatin Police Department in Tennessee. He's been missing since Nov. 6, a flyer posted by Michigan State Police reported. Noah is 3-foot-five-inches tall, 40 pounds, and has brown hair and blue eyes. 

He was last seen wearing grey sweatpants, a camo shirt, and a black jacket, and black shoes. Potentially in the possession with Jacob, they may be traveling in a silver or grey Subaru outback. 

If anyone has seen Noah, they're asked to contact the Gallatin Police Department at 615-451-3838

Michigan gas prices drop 3 cents from 2021-high a week ago

Gas prices fell an average of 3 cents this week in Michigan after the state hit a 2021-high last week. Drivers were paying more than $50 for a 15-gallon tank of gas. The average is still up by $12 from when prices were at their highest in January. 

Data from the Energy Information Administration found gasoline stocks fell by 1.6 million barrels. Meanwhile, demand fell to 9.26 million barrels per day, AAA said.

"The decrease in demand has contributed to some slight price relief at the pump for drivers," said Adrienne Woodland, spokesperson, AAA-The Auto Club Group. "However, pump prices will likely remain elevated as long as oil prices are above $80 per barrel."

Additionally, gasoline is still $1.33 more than the average last year.  

What else we're watching

1. The Jewell Jones saga continues this week as the Inkster lawmaker has been allowed to post bail and leave his Livingston County jail cell, after spending 60 days at the facility. 
2. AAA is reminding Michigan drivers to not veer when a deer is on the road. FOX 2 has put an explainer together for what to do if a deer runs in front of your car. 
3. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has declared this week as Michigan Apprenticeship Week, hoping to highlight the role that men and women in the trades have in the Michigan economy and their importance to the workforce.
4. Anyone planning an event or dinner should plan on making reservations early as a surge in family gatherings is expected to make getting a spot for food difficult this holiday season. That's the consensus from business advocates
5. According to new polling data from Richard Czuba, a shocking 72% of Michigan residents would welcome Afghan refugees in the state as relocation continues for the citizens of the besieged country. 

Live on FOX 2

Daily Forecast

How did this year's first snowfall feel? Metro Detroit put on a good show Sunday with .7 inches of accumulation. Ann Arbor came away with more than 2 inches. The wind chill in Metro Detroit will keep things feeling below freezing until the afternoon. By then, temperatures will be in the 40s with a chance for a passing flurry.

Astroworld death toll climbs to 10 after hospitalized 9-year-old passes away

It's been a little more than a week since the Astroworld tragedy, but the wounds from that fateful day remain unhealed. 

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner confirmed via Twitter Sunday evening that Ezra Blount, the 9-year-old boy, who was on life support days after the music festival organized by Travis Scott, succumbed to his injuries. 

Officials continue their investigation into what caused the now 10 people to die and injure hundreds of other attendees.

Ezra's father recently told FOX 26 he was on his shoulders at the concert and as he was crushed by the crowd he passed out. Thereby sending his son falling to the ground where it’s believed the 9-year-old was trampled.