Missing Philadelphia Student Keys - The family of Shane Montgomery, 21, the missing Philadelphia student, confirmed to ABC station WPVI-TV Sunday that divers have found his keys in the Schuylkill River. The missing Philadelphia student's keys is the first physical evidence to have emerged in the case of Montgomery's Nov. 27 disappearance, according to ABC News.
The missing Philadelphia student keys were found by a New Jersey diving team who were helping the search for Montgomery. They reportedly made the discovery after 10 a.m. Sunday.
"They discovered a set of keys in the water," Kevin Verbrugghe told WPVI-TV.
Verbrugghe is Montgomery's uncle.
"They brought them to the surface and brought them to us. I identified them as Shane's, positively identified as his," he added.
Though earlier searches were concentrated in a nearby canal, the missing Philadelphia student keys were recovered in the river, said Verbrugghe. The keys were also reportedly to be attached to a Philadelphia Eagles lanyard.
"It's just a piece to the puzzle. The puzzle is definitely not done," Verbrugghe told WPVI-TV.
Shane Montgomery is a 21-year-old student at West Chester University. Before the missing Philadelphia student keys were found, he was seen on surveillance video walking towards a parking lot along the river's bank. The video showed the moments after he left a bar in Manayunk, Pa., where he had been drinking with friends, reports Fox News.
On Nov. 26, Montgomery spent the night at Kildare's Pub with his friends. Staff at the bar said that didn't see anything out of the ordinary.
"The manager present had no info Shane was causing a problem nor intoxicated and stated she noticed nothing out of the ordinary, other than guests leaving the building," Jim Townsend, the pub's Operations Director told WTXF.
The bar also informed the station that Montgomery's tab that night amounted to $17.
However, CBS News reports that earlier reports says Montgomery had been kicked out of the pub in Manayunk after he bumped into a bar stool. After the incident, he became separated from his friends, according to authorities.
Verbrugghe told the Philadelphia Inquirer that the missing Philadelphia student keys had been found in the water, south of the pub's parking lot.
According to Verbrugghe, he confirmed the keys to be his nephew's after he tried the missing Philadelphia student keys on his front door. He also said investigators now have enough evidence to prove that Montgomery was near the area before his disappearance. The Garden State Underwater Recovery Unit is now expected to meet in order to discuss plans of moving forward with the case.
According to WTXF-TV, members of the community in Montgomery's hometown of Roxborough and Manayunk have gathered at a local Catholic church to pray for his safe return after the missing Philadelphia student keys were found.
Montgomery is reported as being 5'11", 145 pounds and with light brown hair. He reportedly has a Celtic cross tattoo on his shoulder.
There is no saying whether the missing Philadelphia student keys would lead to a bright or grim ending, but a $65,000 reward has been offered for any information leading to the student's whereabouts.
Anyone with information is urged to asked to contact Philadelphia Police Northwest Detectives at 215-686-3353.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
