The body of a third-year student from the University of Birmingham, Joseph Derbisz, was found by police on Monday more than 24 hours after he went missing following a night out.
Derbisz was last seen at the University of Birmingham’s Fab ‘n’ Fresh club at around 3.30am on Sunday morning. Late on Monday the university issued a statement confirming a body had been found by West Midlands Police.
“We are absolutely devastated to learn about the death of Joe. Our thoughts are with Joe’s family and friends at this very difficult time. We are doing everything we can to support Joe’s friends and family, as well as the wider student and staff community,” the university said.
Police had launched an investigation after the mechanical engineering student went missing after a Saturday night out with friends. His phone was tracked to a house on Croydon Road, Selly Oak, on Saturday morning at 10.39am, local reports said, before the battery appeared to have run out.
Shortly after mid-day on Monday, Derbisz’s body was found off Edgbaston Park Road. Reports said that the body was found near a car park which is often used as a shortcut by students.
Although formal identification of the body has not yet been done, the 21-year-old’s family has been informed by the West Midlands Police.
The police are not treating the death as suspicious, a statement from the university said.
Friends at the university had spoken of their frantic search to locate him, saying that going missing was “so out of character for him” and that they were all “extremely concerned”.
On Monday, after the body was recovered, the West Midlands Police spokesman said: “Officers searching for missing Joseph Derbisz have sadly found the body of a man off Edgbaston Park Road, Birmingham, today.”
Police added that “We are not treating the death as suspicious and our sympathies remain with his family.”
Meanwhile, the University of Birmingham said: “We continue to work with the police as they conduct their enquiries and are unable to comment further at this stage.”
The university also informed the students and staff that they might see an increased police presence around the campus. It encouraged anyone affected by the incident to contact welfare officers or other university services.
