COLLEGE PARK, MD — University of Maryland police are asking the public to help find 22-year-old student Dilan Shaan Ashar, who has been missing for more than a week. His mother made an emotional appeal for information as the search continued.
Authorities have not released details about where Ashar was last seen or what may have happened before he disappeared. The university police department is leading the effort and urging anyone with information to come forward.
Mother issues emotional appeal as search continues
Ashar’s mother publicly pleaded for help from the community, underscoring the distress surrounding the case. Her appeal was part of a broader effort to widen the search beyond campus and into the surrounding area.
The family has been asking for any tips, sightings, or other information that could help authorities locate him. Police have not said whether they have identified any new leads.
For families, missing-person cases can move quickly from a local concern to a broad public search. In this case, the request for help shows that investigators are still trying to piece together a timeline.
Campus police lead the effort to find the student
The University of Maryland Police Department is the main agency handling the search. Campus police routinely coordinate with the university community when a student is reported missing, especially when time has passed without contact.
Officials have not shared whether other law enforcement agencies are assisting or whether specific search areas have been identified. The department’s public call suggests investigators want information from students, staff, neighbors, and anyone who may have seen something relevant.
Because the case involves a student, the university community itself could be an important source of information. Police are relying on that network while continuing their investigation.
What has been confirmed about Ashar
Ashar is 22 years old and enrolled at the University of Maryland. Those are the key details police and family have confirmed publicly as the search enters another week.
No additional information has been released about his clothing, travel plans, personal belongings, or last known destination. Without those details, police have not outlined a public timeline beyond saying he has been missing for more than a week.
That limited information leaves investigators dependent on tips and possible sightings. It also means the public appeal remains one of the most important tools available in the case.
Why missing student cases quickly become community efforts
When a student disappears, the response often depends on rapid communication across a campus and nearby neighborhoods. Friends, classmates, and staff can all help narrow the window of time and place where a person was last known to be safe.
In Ashar’s case, police are clearly trying to reach beyond formal investigative channels. The emotional message from his mother adds urgency and may encourage people who have even small pieces of information to speak up.
Searches like this often turn on ordinary observations: a familiar face in an unexpected place, a message someone forgot to mention, or a detail that only becomes meaningful after police connect it to the rest of the case.
How the public can assist the investigation
Police have not publicly detailed a reward, a tip line number, or a specific place where information should be sent in the material released so far. Even so, the department is clearly seeking community assistance and information from anyone who may know Ashar’s whereabouts.
People who may have seen him, spoken with him, or know anything about his movements in the days before he disappeared are being urged to contact university police. In missing-person cases, small details can matter as much as major leads.
As the search continues, the main goal remains the same: to determine where Ashar is and get answers for his family and the university community.
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