Derbisz was last seen at the University of Birmingham’s Fab ‘n’ Fresh club around 3.30pm on Sunday morning. Late Monday, the university issued a statement confirming that a body had been found by West Midlands police. “We are absolutely devastated to learn of Joe’s death. Our thoughts are with Joe’s family and friends at this very difficult time. “We are doing everything we can to support Joe’s friends and family, as well as the wider student and staff community,” the university said in a statement. Police had launched an investigation into the disappearance of the engineering student after a Saturday night out with friends. His phone was found in a house on Croydon Road, Selly Oak, at 10:39 a.m. Saturday, local reports said, before the battery appeared to have run out. Shortly after noon Monday, Derbisz’s body was found outside Edgbaston Park Road. The body was reportedly found near a car park often used as a shortcut by students. Although the body has not yet been officially identified, the 21-year-old’s family has been notified by West Midlands police. Police do not treat the death as a suspect, the university said in a statement. Friends at the university had spoken of their frantic search for him, saying the disappearance was “so spontaneous for him” and that everyone was “extremely worried”. “Police searching for the missing Joseph Derbisz found the body of a man outside Edgbaston Park Road in Birmingham today,” a West Midlands police spokesman said Monday after recovering the body. Police added that “we do not treat death as a suspect and our condolences remain with his family.” University of Birmingham, meanwhile, said: “We continue to work with the police as they conduct their investigations and we can not comment further at this stage.” The university also informed students and staff that they may see an increased police presence around the campus. Encourage anyone affected by the incident to contact welfare officials or other university services.
