EAGAN, Minn. — The 23-year-old man who has been missing in Eagan since the early morning hours of Oct. 30 still has not been found, although the search for Bryce Borca has been suspended. A search warrant filed this week in Dakota County court to give investigators access to Borca's apartment reveals new details about the moments leading up to his disappearance and what searchers have found.
Eagan police collected Borca's Apple computer and older iPhones in hopes that the devices synced and contained information on the phone that apparently died as Borca was attempting to walk home early Sunday morning.
The search warrant affidavit reveals later that morning a searcher found a tie believed to belong to Borca in the roadway along his suspected route of travel.
Eagan Police Detective Desiree Schroepfer added that Borca was also seen on nearby business surveillance video walking alone.
Borca had spent the evening drinking with friends on a party bus, according to the affidavit, and was dropped off by a Lyft ride near 3256 Hill Ridge Dr. in Eagan at about 2:08 a.m. along with two friends.
The Lyft driver told police Borca was extremely intoxicated and at one point tried to exit the vehicle while it was still moving.
Borca's friends thought he was walking home to his apartment at 3435 Promenade Ave., which would have taken about 45 minutes. But the affidavit says at 2:34 a.m., Borca called friends over Facetime, told them he didn't know where he was and that his phone was at 2% charge.
"During that call, Borca shared his location which put him in the wooded area off Highway 13 (the opposite direction of his apartment.) The 12-minute call abruptly ended and subsequent calls went to voicemail, leading friends to believe Borca's phone had died. Friends search the area along Highway 13 on foot but were unable to locate him," Detective Schroepfer wrote.
Cell phone records obtained by police show Borca traveled through a small industrial area near Highway 13 before heading into heavily wooded terrain with several marshes and ponds, according to the search warrant.
On Oct. 31, 250 volunteers helped 100 search and rescue professionals with an organized search, but Borca was not found. The next day, Eagan police suspended the ground search surrounding the Minnesota River.
Borca's family released this statement: "This is an incredibly difficult time for us and our main focus is finding our son. Our family would like to thank everyone involved in the search for Bryce, including the Eagan Police Department, county special operations, our friends, family and countless volunteers. We are so very grateful for the outpouring of love and support from the community, and we pray for Bryce’s safe return."