Missing NYU Alum

"Alum missing from ski town" 
By Vivekananda Nemana
For the Washington Square News, published February 19, 2008 

People are still on the lookout for Alphonse "Mike" Barbiere, a former NYU student who went missing last week in the ski resort town of Breckenridge, Colo. 

Barbiere, a New Jersey native, was last seen with his friends at Cecilia's Martini bar on Feb. 8. He left at 1:18 a.m. and has not been seen since. Police reports say that Barbiere walked in the opposite direction from his rented condominium, despite a warning from a friend that he was going in the wrong direction.? 

The Barbiere family and the Breckenridge Police initiated an exhaustive search the next day. Assistant police chief Greg Morrison said up to 60 members of the search and rescue team with three trained dogs searched the area on Feb. 9 and Feb. 10. 

Barbiere did not tell his friends or anyone else where he was going, and no evidence was found on his trail. To further complicate matters, Barbiere left his phone at the condo, family members said. 

Large amounts of snow and freezing weather in the Breckenridge area could make returning home difficult. 

"People forget that if you step off the beaten path, you can be waist deep in snow," said Jeff Cox, owner of Cecila's Martini bar. "And if you don't know how to handle yourself in those conditions, you can be in trouble." 

According to experts, a person dressed as lightly as Barbiere was can barely last an hour before turning hypothermic. 

But Barbiere's relatives think it is unlikely that he is lost in the cold. 

"We believe that Mike is resourceful; he's smart, he's bright, he's any one of those things," said Annie Madigan, who has been friends with Barbiere since childhood. "We don't think he would just sit in the snow and give up. He's a fighter."? 

Barbiere transferred from Wake Forest University to the Paul McGhee division of SCPS. He graduated last May with an honors degree in economics and worked as a commodities trader afterwards. 

Although search and rescue operations have been stopped, the family has offered a $10,000 reward to anyone with information leading to his discovery. 

The family has hired a private investigator to look into the case and is focusing on getting the word out about Barbiere. Friends have created a website devoted to the cause, as well as Facebook and MySpace groups. 

"The best way to find Mike is for people to be talking about it," said Barbiere's mother, Chris. 

Madigan said friends and family are hopeful about Barbiere's return. 

"He's 23 and very capable," she said. "This isn't the type of challenge he couldn't do."