Austin Bice missing in Madrid, search intensifies for SDSU student

(CBS/KFMB) SAN DIEGO - Police, family and friends have stepped up a search for San Diego State University exchange student Austin Bice, who went missing after visiting a nightclub in Madrid more than a week ago.

It's a disappearance that has baffled authorities and has his loved ones praying for the 22-year-old's safe return.

The international business major had been participating in a semester abroad program.

Fewer than 24 hours before he vanished, Bice posted an entry on his blog, saying that he was looking forward to seeing a concert at Sala La Riviera, a popular nightclub in Madrid. "Hopefully it will not disappoint," he wrote. "It should be a fun night."

He was last seen late Friday night, Feb. 25, trying to get into that club, but was denied admission because he was drunk, according to Spanish media.

"He stayed outside a little while longer with another friend to see if they would let him in," friend Tamara Lerena said on local Spanish television. "When they didn't, he just took off and went home. They let his friend in."

Bice then told the friends he was with he was going to walk home but apparently he never made it.

When the Carlsbad native and 2007 Torrey Pines High grad did not show up for a basketball game the following day, his roommates contacted authorities.

"We called his house several times," a friend told Spanish media. "He didn't open his door, so we went in. He wasn't there, so we started calling the hospitals, we started calling the police."

A massive search has since been launched throughout Spain's capital, with flyers plastered around the city. A Facebook page has also been dedicated to finding the SDSU senior.

No one matching Bice's description has been admitted to any hospitals in Madrid, according to Spanish media.

"At first, the police thought a different thing," Lerena said. "They started thinking about the river. But his American mobile phone was still sending out a signal. But if he had fallen in the river, the phone would not be giving out a signal."

Gina Jacobs, a spokesperson at SDSU, says the school is communicating with Bice's family, authorities in Madrid and the State Department.

"He is one of our students and so we are deeply concerned about his safety and all we can do is provide the information that might be helpful to the authorities over there," Jacobs said.