Central Michigan University police were investigating threatening comments left on CMU social media accounts on Oct. 15, 2025, as the university said there was no indication of an imminent threat on campus.
CMUPD Chief Cameron Wassman said at 3:45 p.m. that the person behind the comments had not been arrested. He said investigators were trying to determine whether that individual had the means to carry out the threats, a standard step in cases like this, when officers review social media posts and look at a person’s history, opportunity and access. Wassman called that last question a tough one to answer.
Central Michigan University issued its official statement at 11:25 a.m., saying the proper steps had been taken to ensure campus safety and that students would be contacted by text through the Central Alert system if needed. The university did not use that system to warn students about the situation, and it did not explain what it considers an imminent threat or what specific steps were taken to protect the campus.
That gap mattered on a day when Central Michigan Life said it felt unsafe on campus. The comments under investigation reportedly numbered in the hundreds and included graphic depictions of violence, intensifying concern at a time when schools are already under scrutiny over how they respond to threats. Public fear around campus violence remains high, with 79 school shootings in 2025 and 15 school shootings in 2026, eight of them on college campuses.
Nearly an hour before the university statement, Scott de Brestian issued an email about the situation, adding another layer to the way information moved across campus before students received any alert. The sequence left one clear conclusion: CMU was treating the comments as a serious investigation, but it was also signaling to students that officials did not believe an immediate danger existed.
