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A University of Wisconsin-Madison student who vanished just hours after arriving in Italy to study abroad has been found dead, and authorities have launched a criminal investigation.
Beau Solomon, a 19-year-old cancer survivor, disappeared after going to a bar in Rome with friends on Thursday night.
"It's a murder investigation," his brother Cole said.
Cole, 23, said his brother's body was found in the Tiber River with a wound on his head and blood on his shirt. Thousands of dollars were charged to Solomon's credit card after his disappearance, he said.
UW-Madison officials confirmed that Solomon's death was being treated as a criminal investigation by local authorities in Rome, and said the school was working with John Cabot University, as well as American and Italian authorities, to help his family and support the investigation.
"All of us at UW-Madison are greatly saddened by this loss," Chancellor Rebecca Blank said. "Beau was a bright and caring young man who lived the Wisconsin Idea through his work at Badger Boys State and his desire to travel and experience other cultures. Our hearts go out to Beau's family and friends at this difficult time."
The other UW-Madison students participating in the John Cabot University program are all safe and accounted for, university officials said.
Without citing names, the Italian news agency ANSA reported Monday that two people had come forward and told police they witnessed a person thrown into the Tiber River.
Solomon's body was found without a wallet or cellphone, leading police to believe he was robbed before being thrown into the river, ANSA reported.
On Friday, John Cabot officials reported to Italian authorities and the American Embassy that Solomon was missing after arriving in Rome just one day before. The university said Solomon's roommate alerted school officials that he had lost contact with him about 1 a.m. Friday while they were together at a pub in the city, and was worried when he didn't see Beau at orientation that morning.
"We express our most heartfelt condolences to the Solomon family and to all those who loved Beau," John Cabot University said in a statement released Monday.
In an interview Sunday with the Journal Sentinel, Solomon's 26-year-old brother, Jake, described him as "an awesome brother" with "a big heart" who dreamed of becoming a lawyer. He also called him the "toughest S.O.B. that we've ever met."
The 19-year-old battled cancer for 10 years until the age of 12, after which he went on to participate in high school sports, work as a camp counselor for Badger Boys State and teach at youth quarterback camps around Wisconsin.
His parents, Nick and Jodi Solomon, left for Italy Sunday to assist in the search.
Beau was the third of four boys, and was especially close with Max, his 12-year-old brother, Jake said.
Solomon, a Spring Green native, had just completed his first year at UW-Madison in personal finance. He previously studied at Southwest Wisconsin Technical College and University of Wisconsin-Richland.
John Cabot University, founded in 1972, describes itself as "An American university in the heart of Rome." The liberal arts school offers undergraduate degrees and study abroad programs to English-speaking students from around the world.
UW-Madison officials said that, based on the investigation so far, there is no indication of a broader risk to students in Rome.
Counseling for students and staff is available through University Health Services, which can be reached at (608) 265-5600.
Map showing locations pertaining to the robbery of Beau Solomon. 
Map showing scene and bar locations pertaining to the robbery of Beau Solomon. 

On Tuesday,  police charged homeless forty-year-old Massimo Galioto with the aggravated murder of Beau Solomon, a college student from Wisconsin, US. The police arrested the man after finding the student's body in the  in  on Monday. The defendant has attorney Michele Vincelli.

According to reports, Massimo Galioto is homeless and lived in a tent under a bridge. Italian police said two witnesses reported they saw someone being thrown from the Garibaldi bridge into the Tiber River. The authorities also reportedly obtained CCTV footage near the bank of the river, showing the incident.

A homeless woman sharing a tent with Massimo Galioto said she saw Massimo Galioto and Beau Solomon fighting each-other, and then saw Beau Solomon fall into the river. The woman alleged Beau Solomon was drunk and the company included two people from North Africa.

On Monday, Italian police found Beau Solomon's body near Guglielmo Marconi bridge about three miles (five kilometres) downstream from Trastevere, where the student was last seen at about 1AM in G-Bar in ''Piazza Trilussa'' on Friday night after his first day in Italy. Solomon was beginning a  at . His parents arrived on Monday using emergency passports.

The body had no mobile device or wallet, suggesting to local authorities it was a robbery. The body also had a head wound and bloody shirt, the victim's 23-year-old brother Cole Solomon told the '''' on Monday.

Last week on Friday morning, Beau Solomon's parents received bank alerts. According to the student's brother Jake Solomon, the bank told his parents Beau's bank card was charged "thousands of dollars". Authorities later confirmed the amount as about 1,500  (about 1700). The credit card of the victim was charged in  over 300 miles away from Rome on Friday.

Beau Solomon was aged 19. He came to Italy to attend summer school on Thursday. Beau Solomon did not attend university  next morning, and the institution reported him missing to the local authorities at 9PM.