Body Found, Search For Missing Wis. Student In Italy Ends
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The search for a missing University of Wisconsin college student studying abroad in Rome has ended.
Beau Solomon, 19, was beginning a study abroad program in Italy when he disappeared on his first night.
Italian search and rescue teams appear to have found Solomon's body in the Tiber River – not far from where the teenage athlete vanished.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison sophomore had just arrived in Rome Thursday for a study-abroad program at John Cabot University.
His roommate reported Solomon missing when he didn't show up for orientation on Friday.
Over the weekend, the Solomon family, who lives in Spring Green, Wisconsin, was praying for the 19-year-old's safety.
"He's a social butterfly, he's loved by everyone and he's the glue that keeps our family together," said Jake Solomon, Beau's brother.
They say while he was just 19, Solomon had already overcome a lot in his life.
"As a child, he suffered from a rare form of cancer, he had bouts of chemo and multiple therapies, and he overcame all of that," Jake Solomon said.
John Cabot University expressed condolences to the family.
Police said that the student's credit card had been used a number of times since he disappeared. They believe he was mugged and thrown into the river.
A homicide investigation has been opened.
