FBI Hunts For Student Who Vanished On Night Out

The FBI has joined the search for a university student who was last seen leaving a crowded Philadelphia bar after a night out with friends.

Shane Montgomery, a 21-year-old West Chester University student, was home from school and had met up with friends on Wednesday night.

Authorities said Mr Montgomery was escorted out of a pub in the city's Manayunk neighbourhood at 2am on Thanksgiving after stumbling. He has not been seen since.

The pub's bouncer told investigators Mr Montgomery was "not falling-down drunk" when he left, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

On Sunday afternoon, police combed the frigid waters of the Manayunk Canal but came up empty.

Mr Montgomery's parents watched from the canal bank.

"Today I'm OK, because I know that Shane is not in that water," his mother Karen said.

The FBI agents involved are part of a task force that often deals with missing person cases where the person disappears under "suspicious circumstances".

The same task force helped find and rescue Carlesha Freeland-Gaither, a 22-year-old Philadelphia woman whose dramatic abduction was captured by CCTV cameras .

Mr Montgomery's family has asked volunteers to step aside to allow law enforcement to take charge.

Meanwhile, a GoFundMe campaign has raised more than $4,000 (£2,500) to help the search.