Mayor: City doing everything it can to find missing Duquesne University grad student

In response to criticism that city officials aren’t doing enough, the mayor of Pittsburgh said police are doing everything they can to find Dakota James.

Since the time James disappeared in January, detectives have worked the case and there have been searched in and along the rivers, Mayor Bill Peduto said.

“I personally have been involved in this case from the beginning.  The chief has been in contact with the family and the detectives have been in contact with the family almost every day and definitely every week,” Peduto said.

Peduto said there is no evidence of foul play in the disappearance of the missing North Side man.

“I realize that the family’s heart is broken but you now that evidence that the medical examiner gave yesterday, walks up and down the river, the boats in the river, the divers going into the water. We have been doing everything and using all the resources we can,” Peduto said.

James was last spotted on surveillance video the night of Jan. 25 in Katz Plaza, about a block from the Allegheny River, after a night of bar hopping with friends.

Police suspect he might have been walking back to his home on the North Side, but they said city cameras don’t show any footage of him crossing a bridge.

“That's the last he's seen.  That's it.  It’s like he vanishes in thin air and his phone never has any activity.  He’s no picked up on any surveillance cameras after that,” Peduto said.

The mayor said detectives are actively working the case to find James, who is a graduate student at Duquesne University. There is a $10,000 reward for information that leads to finding James and anyone with information is asked to call police.

Stay with Channel 11 News and WPXI.com for continuing coverage.

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