Missing Michigan teen found dead at school football stadium

‘At this early stage there are no indication of foul play,’ sheriff’s office says

A 15-year-old Michigan high school student, missing since last week, was found dead at the school’s football stadium, police said.

Adriana Davidson was last in touch with her father at around 9am on 27 January when she was on her way to school. She was last seen by friends at around 11am that same day outside Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor, west of Detroit.

“Just before 1pm today, the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office K-9 unit located Adriana Davidson near the athletic fields of Ann Arbor Pioneer High School,” said Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office in a Facebook post.

“At this early stage there are no indications of foul play,” it said, in a sharp turn from its earlier stance when Derrick Jackson, the director of community engagement at the sheriff’s office, had raised suspicion around her disappearance.

The Ann Arbor Police Department will take over the “death investigation as the scene is within city limits”, officials informed.

“Our sincere condolences go out to the friends and family of Adriana,” said the Sheriff’s office. “You remain in our thoughts and prayers. We would also like to thank everyone for your assistance in spreading the word, sharing tips, and offering your support.”

Meanwhile, her school also shared “devastating news” of her death with the student, families and staff, offering their support to the Sheriff’s Department in the probe, reported NBC affiliate WDIV-TV.

Mourning her death, the school said, “we are all deeply saddened by the loss of Adriana. Our sincere and heartfelt condolences go out to Adriana’s family, friends and the Pioneer community”.

Offering counseling and support, the school urged the students to “reach and support”.

“Remember that this hard news affects everyone differently. Sometimes it really hits hard even for students and staff who did not know” Adriana personally, the school added.

A sophomore at school, Adriana was reported missing on Saturday at 12.10am, prompting a search by deputies from the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office.

When she didn’t come home on Friday, family and friends started to look for her, and she was reported missing when that effort was unsuccessful.

Video footage from a public bus in Ann Arbor showed she arrived at school on Friday, but friends said she left because she felt unwell, according to WXYZ. Footage shows Adriana returning to the school at around 12pm but she didn’t go inside.

Her brother, Anthony Lopez, later said in a Facebook post on Saturday that “her phone was found at the tennis court at Pioneer High by someone who then returned it to her friend”.

“A student told her best friend that they saw her at the bus stop with a man in a black sweatshirt & black pants & they didn’t seem like they knew each other,” he added.

“I beg that she’s ‘just being a teenager’ but no teenager leaves their phone behind in 2023,” he wrote.

In an update, he added that they believe Adriana was on the Ann Arbor Bus “Route 26, The Ride” shortly after 12pm on Friday 27 January. He said the phone has been handed over to the police “to extract data”.

Her father, John Davidson told WXYZ that he last heard from her on Friday when she left to take the bus. He called and texted her when she didn’t come home that afternoon. He said she always responds to him, but this time, she didn’t.

A friend of Adriana, called “Addy” by her family, told Mr Lopez that she spotted her leaving school on Friday and texted her, sending Mr Lopez a screenshot of the conversation, seemingly the last anyone had with Adriana before she vanished.

“The text messages between her and her friend are time stamped at 12.26pm where she had texted my sister saying ‘You straight?’ and then Addy responded saying ‘No’,” Mr Lopez told WXYZ.

“When I found out that Addy was potentially missing, I knew right away she didn’t run away. The red flag for me was the phone,” he added.

“What teenage girl just wanders off and leaves her phone and doesn’t contact someone?” Mr Jackson said.

“I know that wherever she’s at, she’s not there willingly,” Mr Lopez said.