Missing student recap

After a week of nervous tension, the 36-year-old SMC theatre major Lawrence Grillo Jr., who had been reported missing by his family, has been found, according to his father. During a phone call Monday, New Hampshire resident Lawrence Grillo Sr. told the Corsair that his youngest son, Chris Grillo, had located the missing thespian shortly after filing the missing person report with police.

"My youngest son found him this weekend," the elder Grillo said.  "He turned up in one of the local hospitals."

According to the elder Grillo, his son was to be released from the hospital within 72 hours. There is no update as to why the younger Grillo was hospitalized or when he was set to be released..

Grillo's father added little else, except to express his relief that his son had at least been found alive. "We're all set," he said.

Lawrence Grillo Jr. had been missing for approximately a week.  The LAPD Missing Person Report filed by his family read: "Last seen in the 2400 block of Purdue Ave, West Los Angeles. He likely has a small black rolling backpack in his possession and may be utilizing mass transit/bus for transportation. He is known to frequent the Hollywood and Santa Monica area."

The younger Grillo was cast as the Messenger in Hamlet/Oedipus, which will open April 8 at SMC's Studio Stage. His reoccurring absences from rehearsals and a number of emails, text messages and phone calls from his professors, classmates and friends that went unreturned initiated concerns.

According to one of his professors Grillo regularly attended rehearsals. "He's very reliable, dependable and responsible.  He's never late.  He's never missed a rehearsal," said Dr. Adrianne Harrop,

During the investigation, Santa Monica College Police Department Sgt. Jere Romano confirmed the missing persons report had been filed as of March 4 but could not provide any further details due to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

Romano said, "FERPA is a huge thing that ties our hands," when it comes to a missing persons report. "The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act protects a student's privacy from the age of 18."

Romano handles these types of reports at SMC, but is limited by staffing constraints. "We're pretty much restricted because our size, to just the immediate area, we'll go outside like Mar Vista, Palms, Culver City, within reason. But overall, larger departments like LAPD and SMPD will handle such cases," he said.

More details about this story will be reported as the news develops and information becomes available.