Harsha Madulla, a Northwestern University sophomore from New Hyde Park, was still missing on Wednesday after attending an off-campus party in Evanston, Ill. last Friday night.
Madulla, a New Hyde Park Memorial High School graduate, was last seen leaving the party at 12:30 a.m. on Saturday morning in the company of other students who were believed to be going to another party.
Northwestern University issued a missing person alert for Madulla, 18, a straight-A pre-med student, on Monday.
As of Wednesday, the search for Madulla had expanded to an area two miles north of Evanston in Wilmette on the shore of Lake Michigan based on Madulla’s cell phone activity, according to Northwestern University spokesman Bob Rowley.
Northwestern University Police had requested the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and had met with FBI officials about the disappearance of Madulla. The Evanston Police Department had reportedly classified the case as “missing/endangered.”
Madulla is a diabetic who may have stopped taking his medication, police reportedly said.
Madulla’s ATM bank card and his dormitory access card reportedly have not been used since he was last seen.
University Police have reportedly reviewed videotape from a closed circuit camera outside of Madulla’s dorm that indicated he had not been to the dorm since he was last seen.
On Tuesday, Madulla’s friends were passing out flyers with descriptions of the
The missing student’s parents, Prasad and Dhannalakshmi Madulla, and other family members were in Evanston earlier this week to assist police in their search efforts.
In a broadcast news report about Madulla’s disappearance, family members expressed frustration that more students who were at the party Madulla attended on Friday night had not come forward to share information with investigators.
“No one is going to get in trouble. We understand there was a lot of underage drinking, underage drugs. I don’t think that’s the point,” his aunt, Sushma Maddula, said. “The point is that there is someone who is 19 years old who is missing.”
