“Please Just Come Home…” A Michigan Mom Keeps Her Porch Light On Every Night Since Her Son Vanished in a Snowstorm — And She’s Never Opened His Last Message Again

“My biggest one right now…and I scream it up to the heavens…is WHY TRENTON?” said Trenton Massey’s mom of the questions she’s grappling with

The search has been suspended for a college student who vanished during a Michigan blizzard.

On Wednesday, Feb. 25, officials announced that the four-day search for Trenton Massey, a 21-year-old Northern Michigan University college student, had ended, according to a statement from the Marquette Police Department.

The young man vanished after he was seen “disoriented” and struggling to walk in Marquette in the early morning hours of Sunday, Feb. 22, after he had been out drinking earlier that evening.

“As of 4:00pm on 02/25/2026 Massey has not been located,” police said. “Search efforts have been suspended by law enforcement pending new information. Investigation of this incident is ongoing by the Marquette Police Department.”

Officials added, “Volunteer search efforts may continue, but please be mindful of private property and stay off the ice.”

The Marquette Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for additional comment.

The tragic conclusion comes after hundreds of search teams and volunteers dedicated hours looking for Massey.

After Massey’s phone was found on Sunday morning, his family was unable to reach him and reported him missing by 1:30 p.m, police said. Police then learned that Massey was last seen in downtown Marquette on early Sunday morning.

Footage showed the student traveling east on a multi-use path near UP Health System – Marquette at 2:50 a.m., and additional footage then showed him walking to the area of the Founder’s Landing Boardwalk, officials said.

By Sunday at 3:25 a.m., Massey was seen “walking out onto the ice from the north Founder’s Landing Pier and then disappearing from the camera view,” the department added.

Search efforts were launched involving multiple agencies, local businesses, students and community members who looked for Massey over the next few days, despite the inclement weather.

Trenton Massey.
Marquette Police Department
“Searches were conducted on land, on the ice, from the air and underwater,” the police department said. “Technical search resources included scuba divers, sonar, aerial drones, underwater remote operated vehicles, K9s, hover craft, air boat, and helicopter.”

The search area included the Founder’s Landing area and downtown Marquette to Mattson Lower Harbor Park and neighborhoods west of Front Street. Recovery teams also searched the ice and water of the lower harbor and the multi-use path. Despite the massive search operation, they were unable to find Massey — including his mom, Sarah Brock.

Footage of the missing man.
Marquette Police Department
On Tuesday, Feb. 24, Brock shared the last text and photo she received from her son, which he sent from a bar. “Who sends their Mom a selfie from the Bar every time?” Brock wrote. “Trenton Massey does..I am so thankful for this last Selfie and these Last words.”

The next day, the devastated mom wrote in a social media post about the “physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausting day” she had the day before, as well as the numerous questions she continues to grapple with.

“We still have not found Trenton, we have pieced together a timeline and possible last locations, and hypothesized why he missed his turn on the way back and kept going straight along the path towards front street,” his mom wrote. “Thinking he meant to turn and loop up the trail along the water towards the back way home along Lakeshore Blvd? So many unanswered questions.

“My biggest one right now…and I scream it up to the heavens…is WHY TRENTON?” she continued.

An image of the search area previously shared by police,.
Marquette Police Department
A friend has launched a GoFundMe to help the Massey family cover the costs related to the search effort, which has garnered more than $53,000 as of Thursday, Feb. 26.

“The days since his disappearance have been filled with uncertainty, fear, and an overwhelming sense of helplessness,” wrote the organizer, who did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment. “Sarah and her loved ones are doing everything they can to find Trenton, but the emotional and financial toll is immense.”

There will be a candlelight vigil on Thursday, Feb. 26, at 7 p.m., at the Nick Annese Field in Corunna, Mich., for the “selfless” and “lovable” young man with “an amazing soul,” Brock wrote.

In a statement shared with PEOPLE, Northern Michigan University President Chris Olsen said that the school community is “heartbroken for Trenton’s family, friends and colleagues.”

“We will continue to support them in the coming days as they navigate this incredibly difficult time and devastating tragedy,” he said. “It became clear during the search what a very special individual Trenton was to so many of his fellow Wildcats.”

The university extended its thanks to all of the law enforcement, search-and-rescue personnel and businesses — including the hundreds of students — who assisted in the search.

“It was truly an impressive response by those who helped in the search for Trenton,” the president concluded, “and a demonstration of the amazing, loving community in which we live.”

Despite their heartache, Massey’s family isn’t giving up — and extended their gratitude to everyone who helped look for their son.

“We are unsure because of the changing conditions of the lake and the weather, how long it will take to find him,” wrote Brock on Wednesday. “But we will. We will find you Trenton.”