Jesse Ross still missing after a trip to Chicago.

Search continues for student

No leads in Ross' disappearance

By: Brittany Lane

Posted: 12/4/06

Jesse Ross has plenty of reasons to come home.

The 19-year-old sophomore is a well-liked student with friends across the campus and throughout Kansas City. He is looking forward to finishing up his new room in his parents' home, which was built especially for him. Ross is also counting down until his promotion from intern to paid employee at radio station 95.7 "the Vibe," where he is popular as on-air personality Opie.

"There was not any reason whatsoever or indication that he was negative about anything," said Ross' father Don Ross. "We had a room we were finishing for him downstairs. Jesse was a UMKC fan, but he liked KU basketball. So we were going to do his room in KU colors. We got the right paint colors. He was anxious to get back and set up his room. We checked his cell phone messages and he had plans with friends."

Ross has so much going for him. That's why family and friends are puzzled why he still has not made it home. Ross has been missing since early Tuesday, Nov. 21. He was in Chicago with UMKC's Model UN team for the American Model United Nations International Conference.

"I found out he was missing last Friday after I got back from break," said Terry Heffern, sophomore. "I'm really concerned. He's been gone for more than a week now. He was a good friend of mine. Everybody's missing him. I get e-mails everyday on Facebook."

Chicago police said there is no new information about Ross' disappearance. He has not been sighted. There is no activity on his cell phone or credit cards, neither of which have been found. GPS tracking could not be used on Ross' cell phone because it is either turned off or the battery is dead.

Searches of the Chicago River and parts of the Lake Michigan shoreline have yielded nothing.

"We talked to the Chicago Police," said Don Ross. "We haven't heard anything significant."

Despite what several media outlets are reporting, the family has not visited Chicago since Ross went missing. Ross' father was planning to accompany concerned friends on a weekend trip to Chicago to look for Jesse. The trip was canceled due to the inclement weather that hit the Midwest last week, but may be reorganized later.

A Where's Opie Hope Rally event is scheduled for 7-9 p.m. Dec. 7 at the University Playhouse. UMKC alum Aaron Welch is one of the event's organizers, Ross' friend, and a member of Lambda Chi Alpha, Ross' pledged fraternity. The event was created to garner support to bring Jesse home. Welch said T-shirts will be sold at the event, with proceeds going toward a reward fund for information about the disappearance. Organizers are setting up the fund with U.S. Bank.

Junior Garrett Toms summed up everyone's feelings since Ross went missing.

"It's a huge shock for everyone," Toms said. "We all feel pretty useless being here in Kansas City. It's been hard for everyone. I can't even imagine how his family feels."

Don Ross said 95.7 "the Vibe" and the University have been helpful in the search for Ross. DJs have aired regular pleas for information about Ross' whereabouts. The University is cooperating with Chicago authorities to provide details that may help the search. UMKC also provided counseling services for students upset over Ross' disappearance.

"Our thoughts are with Jesse, his family, and friends," Chancellor Guy Bailey said. "When something like this happens to one of our own, it affects all of us; and we share in the prayers of many that this search will end soon with Jesse's safe return."

Ross, 13 other UMKC students, and faculty advisor Derek Moorehead arrived in Chicago Nov. 18 for the four-day Model UN conference. Approximately 1,200 students attended the conference. Ross was called early Tuesday morning to meet for a mock emergency situation. Brian Endless, executive director of American Model United Nations International, said the meeting lasted from 2 and 4 a.m., and several staff members reported seeing Ross there.

Police said the meeting, which took place at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers at 301 E. North Water St., was the last place Ross was seen. When the meeting was over, he left the conference hotel to make the 10-minute, well-lit walk back to the Four Points Sheraton Hotel at 630 N. Rush St., where the UMKC group was staying. But Ross never returned.

Chicago police are tracking down students who attended the conference. Dozens of students have already been questioned, but many are producing conflicting accounts about Ross' disappearance. Ross is believed to have attended a dance that lasted between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m. at the hotel where the conference was held. Police report that some students say Ross was intoxicated when they saw him last, while others say he appeared to have been drinking but did not seem drunk.

"The position we're in now is that we want students to be open about anything," Don Ross said. "If you spoke to Jesse, if you know that he went to a party, we want to know. He was a wonderful guy, he liked to have fun …We're not going to worry about any factual information that comes out even if it looks negative."

Don Ross said, as far as he knew, students were cooperating with authorities. UMKC's public relations department is handling all questions about Ross' disappearance.

Authorities are especially interested in speaking with students who were the last to see or speak to Ross. Any information, even small details, could help locate the missing student.

Ross' family has utilized his facebook.com account to reach out to his friends and search for information. The supportive messages students have posted number in the hundreds.

"We're looking on Jesse's Facebook and seeing the messages people are posting," Don Ross said. "We can get in because it's all set up on his computer here at home. We're keeping are fingers crossed that the connection doesn't blow up or anything so we don't lost the ability to use it."

Ross is 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighs 140 pounds, and has red hair, blue eyes, fair skin and freckles. He may be wearing a green warm-up jacket, a white T-shirt, blue jeans, and black athletic shoes.

Sharan Srinivas, a 2005 UMKC alum and former Model UN president, said nothing like this has ever happened at a Model UN conference.

"Jesse's a close friend," Srinivas said. "We went to Chicago together last year. It's very sad to hear. I never heard of anything like this happening. Usually [the conference] is a great run. Jesse's a pretty good person. He was a rising star. I hope he gets back in one piece."

Anyone with information about Jesse Ross' disappearance is asked to contact Chicago police at (312) 744-8266 or Kansas City Police Department Sgt. Dan Leach at (816) 235-1515.

blane@unews.com