CMU police investigating death threat made against student

Central Michigan University police are investigating a death threat made against a student in Fabiano Hall.

According to a release sent out by the university just after 6 p.m., a Fabiano Hall resident received a death threat via phone “from someone down state.”

CMU police chief Bill Yeagley, when reached by phone Monday night, said the department is “conducting a criminal investigation” and have been following up on it for about three hours.

Yeagley said he could not divulge the information regarding the complainant or suspect, but did say the suspect’s current whereabouts are unknown.

An alert sent out by CMU police at approximately 7:30 p.m. said the student has been moved out of the area. There is no indication the suspect plans to come to campus and actions are considered precautionary, the alert said.

“I don’t know where the investigation is going or how long it will take,” Yeagley said. “We take these very seriously … we’re responding in an appropriate manner.

Officer Laura Rico and detective Michael Sienkiewicz were patrolling the fourth floor of Fabiano Hall. Most rooms throughout the five-story residence hall were empty Monday afternoon.

UPDATE

Yeagley said Tuesday morning the victim, specified as a “she,” has been reunited with her family in safe location. Although she had already planned to leave Mount Pleasant Saturday, he said, there is no indication the suspect had ever planned to come to CMU.

“We are very confident a threat was made,” Yeagley said. “But nothing mentioned Central Michigan University or Mount Pleasant so far in our investigation.”

Yeagley said the threat might be related to a recent “incident” in Detroit, currently being investigated by the Detroit police.

“The incident in Detroit may be related to why an individual was contacted up here,” he said.

In light of the death threat and the recent Aurora, Colo. mass shooting at “The Dark Knight Rises” premiere, Yeagley said the CMU police have discussed their own procedures should any gunman appear on campus. The department held shooter training last week, making minor tweaks to their plan, including assigning a staging manager to assist crime agencies.

“There’s not been any sweeping or major changes, but as you go through incidents, there’s always something to learn and tweak,” Yeagley said. “I’m confident our campus is safe, and we will continue to see this case through.”

Anyone noticing suspicious activity is asked to call 911.