Following a two-hour search, Eastern Michigan University announced at 2:38 p.m. Tuesday, April 9, 2024, that no suspicious items were found in the residence halls targeted by a bomb threat.
The university had evacuated several residence halls after receiving the threat at 12:38 p.m. Two hours later, after a search of the buildings, the university released a statement reporting that all operations on campus were returning to normal.
During the first announcement of the bomb threat, residents in Putnam, Wise, and Buell were asked to go to the nearest exit. The alert area was expanded at 12:56 p.m., to include Best, Downing, Eateries, and the Commons. At 1:48 p.m. the university's alert system reported that although the investigation was not over no evidence of a bomb had been found in the initial buildings searched.
"EMU Police have completed the search of two of the three residence halls (Wise, Buell and Putnam) and found no evidence of a threat. The other buildings referenced previously (Walton, Phelps, Best, Downing, Eateries and DC1) were included as a precaution. The third building is currently being searched. Further updates will be provided," the 1:48 p.m. statement said.
At 3:36 p.m., the university sent an email to all staff, students and faculty thanking them for their patience during the search.
"The search of residence halls found no evidence of anything unusual and the 'all clear' was issued at 2:38 p.m.," university officials said in the email. "The EMU Police Department takes the safety and security of our campus community as its number one priority and acted promptly to investigate the situation. The investigation into the source of the threat is underway. All operations have returned to normal - and the Eateries and the Commons dining areas will reopen at 4 p.m."
To receive notices from the university's alert system, visit the university's Risk and Emergency Management web page. That page lists the alerts that sent Tuesday, as seen in the image below.
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