Lauren Spierer: Search Continues For New York Native Missing at Indiana University

By Joe Coscarelli Fri., Jun. 10 2011 at 10:10 AM

The latest missing person case to capture the attention of the national media also has a sadly local link. Lauren Spierer, a 20-year-old student at Indiana University from Greenburgh, New York has been missing since June 3, and was last seen at 4:15 a.m. on a drunken night. The latest obstacle in the case comes from Spierer's friend, Corey Rossman, who spent much of the night with her, but now says he was punched and remembers very little.

"We don't know who, why or what was said, but that punch or punches caused him a temporary memory loss," said Rossman's lawyer.

Security cameras show Spierer leaving a sports bar to head home with Rossman, and then Rossman's fight with someone at the Smallwood Plaza apartment complex in Bloomington. Spierer brought Rossman home, and then went to another friend's apartment, which she left around 4:30 a.m., according to ABC News.

The New York Daily News, meanwhile, reports that Rossman was the last person to see Spierer. Rossman was reportedly questioned by police and given a lie detector test. Spierer's longterm boyfriend has also been questioned.

Though Spierer left her cell phone and shoes at the bar, her keys "were found a block away from where she was last seen."

Spierer was set to return to New York for an internship at Anthropologie after completing her sophomore year. Her parents have traveled from Westchester to Indiana to help in the search and are offering a $100,000 reward for their daughter's safe return. Find more info on the search here.

[ABC, NYDN]

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Stephanie

The male friend who was walking with Lauren was punched in the face by someone who is a friend of her boyfriend. Too much is being made of this altercation in the apartment complex. It is clearly evident that Lauren was comfortable in the presence of this companion and willingly walked from her apartment complex to another nearby. Lauren is not the first young woman to disappear in the middle of the night in Bloomington (Crystal Grubb went missing last fall and was later found dumped and strangled). Perhaps now the authorities in the Bloomington area (Bloomington PD and the Sheriffs Department) will recognize that they are out of their depth and call in additional help like the FBI. As it stands, this case will not get solved if left in the hands of the Bloomington PD.

Judymahoney1

I could not agree with you more. I have thought since the beginning she was abducted. Yes, this has to be handed over to the FBI. Eventually most of the missing co-eds are, but local police need to run their investigations beforehand.