Jon Steindorf succumbed to the stresses of college life and skipped out on his graduation, concerning family and friends. The Penn State student, however, has been found and is safe.
Joanne Steindorf, Jon's mom, was supposed to pick up the 23-year-old for his graduation last Friday. He wasn't at his Pugh Street apartment though, and his roommate said he was last seen in the morning. Jon was not returning any of his family's messages or calls, so his parents filed a report with the State College Police Department regarding his absence.
"We've been in contact with all of his friends, everybody they know, and really are just at a loss as to his whereabouts," Joanne said of the incident. She added that it was unlike her son to not tell friends or family where he is going.
Police have studied forensic evidence gathered at Jon's apartment but concluded that a crime had not taken place. Friends also pitched in with the search, checking places where Jon might have gone but came up empty-handed as well.
"There were no signs of struggle or trauma, which shows he left on his own. Nothing has panned out yet ... the main concern is to make sure his parents know he's okay," said Lt. Keith Robb from the State College Police Department.
Joanne shared that the last time she saw Jon was on May 4. She even talked to him on the phone the day before he went missing. Her son also didn't have mental problems, as far as she knew, that would prompt him to just up and leave without telling anyone.
The Steindorfs were just so worried about Jon that they just wanted to find him, even after learning that he was not actually graduating from Penn State. Apparently, he had told his parents that he was done with school in the fall and was simply delaying his graduation until spring. The truth was that Jon was not included on the list to graduate.
According to Penn State, Jon was last registered in fall 2014. He had lied about going to school for the last three semesters.
State College Police tweeted Tuesday that Jon was found in the area and is safe, thanking all those who helped in finding him. He was spotted Monday by an old classmate and has been driven home to his family. According to Robb, Jon simply needed a timeout.
