Missing Professor Might Be at Risk

Heikki Rantakari failed to show up for the class he was scheduled to teach Saturday morning at New York's University of Rochester, and now police say they believe the 44-year-old might be in danger. Rantakari, who is an associate professor of economics and management at the university as well as a visiting assistant professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, lives in Boston and flew into Rochester Friday, NBC News reports. He was last seen while checking into his Airbnb, which was within walking distance of the university, that night, ABC News reports. Worried colleagues contacted authorities the next day when he missed his class, and the Rochester police captain says authorities have "some information that makes us believe that he may be in danger."

Friends, family, and colleagues describe Rantakari as a person who wouldn't just take off, and police are asking anyone who thinks they've seen him to contact authorities. His wife, who describes him as nearly 6 feet tall and 180 pounds with blond hair, blue eyes, and a Finnish accent, says he "is a dedicated academic, a uniquely gifted man, and beloved by colleagues, friends and family." Adds a friend, "We're very worried because he's an incredibly reliable person that just would never go missing or just disappear." (More missing person stories.)