STILLWATER, Minn. — As family and friends continue to mourn 20-year-old George Musser, the Washington County Sheriff's Office has released more information about the circumstances leading up to his death.
In a press release shared Wednesday, the department said Musser was wearing a flannel, shirt, jeans, stocking cap and shoes when he left Brian's Bar & Grill in downtown Stillwater around 2 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 24. Temperatures at the time were well below zero.
Video footage from traffic and surveillance cameras showed a person matching Musser's description as he walked on foot from downtown Stillwater toward where his body was eventually located.
According to the sheriff's office, "preliminary evidence indicates Musser died as a result of cold weather exposure." However, an official manner and cause of death will be released following a toxicology report, which could take up to two months to complete, the department said.
Stillwater Police announced Musser's body was found the night of Sunday, Dec. 25 after family and friends spent Christmas Day searching for the missing University of Wisconsin - River Falls student.
At a candlelight vigil in front of the Stillwater Lift Bridge on Monday night, hundreds braved the cold to honor the 20-year-old's life.
“We were just asking ourselves; how can we be more like George? I think the best way is to just to hug the people you love," his aunt Anne Weber said. "Tell them that you love them, every time you see them. Just don’t let that go by, because you don’t know when it will be the last time you see somebody.”
A GoFundMe page has already brought in more than $52,000 to help the family with funeral expenses. A family spokesperson says they are still working on a date and time for a funeral.
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