Students in three different residence halls reported similar incidents of an unknown man entering their room during the weekend.
Residential Life Director Frankie Minor said the initial reports came from incidents in Hatch and Laws residence halls, leading to a security notice posted in all residence halls.
“There have now been reports of a total of six rooms that were entered during the early morning hours of April 30 by a man unknown to the residents,” an email sent to residents of Hatch, Schurz and College Avenue residence halls stated. “In all six cases, the man was described to be a white male and appeared to be a college student.”
Minor said three incidents occurred in Hatch, two occurred in Schurz and one occurred in Laws residence hall.
“From what we understand, he left when asked,” Minor said. “There have been no reports of theft or assault to my knowledge. I think that’s why some residents thought this could be an isolated incident, just someone wandering into the wrong room.”
MU Police Department Capt. Brian Weimer said it’s hard to tell at this point how many incidents occurred.
“As this information gets out, more people keep calling in to report the same type of incidents,” Weimer said. “We’re still gathering information from other students and putting it all together.”
Weimer said he thought a number of the doors were unlocked at the time. Minor said there was no evidence of any equipment malfunctions leading to the man’s entrance.
“I think it has to do with the comfort and complacency people feel in their own homes,” Minor said. “We’re glad you’re comfortable living here, but be prudent when protecting yourself and your belongings.”
Minor said Residential Life staff encourages any students who experienced a similar incident to report it as soon as possible.
“All we can do is help students become aware, take steps to protect themselves and encourage them to report incidents to the staff on call or to the police,” Minor said. “Report suspicious behavior, especially people you don’t recognize late at night. It’s better to err on the side of safety.”