Police investigate spate of naked man incidents on MSU campus

A naked male intruder has been entering unlocked dorm rooms at Missouri State University for more than a month, according to police and university officials.

Suzanne Shaw, Vice President for Marketing and Communications at MSU, said that since early February there have been seven occurrences of indecent exposure on the female floors of Hammons House.

Springfield Police Department spokeswoman Lisa Cox said that police believe the incidents are related, and said the suspect was a white male of thin to average build, between 5-foot, 5 inches and 5-foot, 10 inches tall.

Police say during one of these disturbances, the victim said a man had entered her room and began removing her clothes and blankets as she slept. The man was nude other than a black ski mask, according to police reports.

Reports also said the man had at one point run through a study room while nude, and several days later ran from officers and escaped.

Other disturbances noted in reports included the male subject entering a room and touching a woman before fleeing, and during another fled upon seeing a woman walking toward him.

Several residents also reported a "suspicious male" who had knocked on the door, according to reports.

MSU has responded with what Shaw called a "locked door campaign" and a series of posters asking residents to please lock their doors, although an official campus-wide safety alert was released March 20.

When asked why the university waited until now to release the safety alert, Shaw said that with the additional incidents in March, the university had "reached a critical mass" and felt the wider community needed to be reached.

Director of University Communications Don Hendricks said that anyone with information should speak to either Springfield police, Residence Life or Safety and Transportation.

Residence Life and Dining Services is offering a $500 reward for any information that leads to the identification of the suspect.

"Safety and security are of the utmost importance to us," Shaw said. "So that's why we're taking these steps, that's why we've been doing this all along in support of those who have been affected by this, providing them with resources and support that they might need to deal with this incident they might have faced."