UNIVERSITY PARK – The body of missing 18-year-old Penn State student Joseph Dado was found by University maintenance workers at 6 p.m. today (Sept. 21) at the bottom of a stairwell on campus, about 75 yards away from the fraternity house where he was last seen.
Workers who were called to the Hosler Building on the corner of Burrowes and Pollock roads on campus to repair a broken pipe discovered the body near the entrance of a mechanical room. University Police say at this point, the death appears to have been accidental. Dado is believed to have fallen about 15 feet to the concrete below, where he sustained trauma to the head.
“At this point, there is no reason to suspect foul play,” said Steve Shelow, University Police director. “This appears to be an accidental fall, but our investigation will of course continue as we go over the evidence at the scene.”
Dado, who was missing since 3 a.m. Sunday, was last seen leaving Phi Gamma Delta fraternity at 319 N. Burrowes Road. He was reported missing in the early hours of Sunday morning and police have been searching for him over the last 30-plus hours using search dogs and a Pennsylvania State Police helicopter, as well as interviewing scores of people, checking use of his ID and ATM cards, and publicizing his missing status.
Police will continue their investigation this evening at the scene. Dado’s body has been transported to the Mount Nittany Medical Center and an autopsy is expected to be scheduled. A toxicology test will be performed as part of the autopsy, but results will not be available for several weeks.
A number of meetings scheduled this evening for Tener Hall, the residence hall where Dado lived, will still be held and counseling services are being made available to students. Anyone who would like to schedule a meeting with a counselor, should contact Counseling and Psychological Services at (814) 863-0395.
“We appreciate the tremendous support we received from other law enforcement agencies that aided us in this search and the number of community members who called in to offer information,” Shelow said. “We’re saddened by this tragedy. Our condolences go out to the family and friends of Joseph Dado.”