To the University Community:
Two University of Rochester students were abducted in the early morning hours of Saturday, December 5, 2015 at an off-campus location. They were subsequently located at a house in the city of Rochester, where they were being held against their will, and rescued by the Rochester Police Department on Sunday evening. They are now safe, for which we are all grateful.
I will, at an appropriate time in the near future, be able to provide more detail about this very serious, but isolated, incident. Currently, an ongoing criminal investigation is being conducted by the Rochester Police Department and we are working in coordination with them on the release of information.
I am in regular contact with Chief Mark Fischer of the University Public Safety Department and with Chief Michael Ciminelli of the Rochester Police Department. We are all in agreement that this is a serious incident, but are confident that it is isolated. Many in our community are understandably concerned. Let me assure all students, parents, faculty, staff, alumni, patients, and friends of the University of Rochester that our campuses and housing are safe. Students can go about their regular routines, attend classes, go to the library and to labs, as they normally do.
I will continue to provide updates as the ongoing investigation and circumstances warrant. These updates will be sent to you via email, but will also be posted on the University website and on the University’s Facebook page. The Rochester Police Department is also communicating to the press and the public about this investigation. We are coordinating with each other.
I want to especially express my deep gratitude to the University of Rochester Department of Public Safety and the Rochester Police Department and its Genesee Section, Criminal Investigations Section, and SWAT Team for their combined efforts to bring this situation to a positive conclusion.