She obviously addresses the letter to Lauren's killer (as by now it is almost certain that she is not alive after all that time, so someone killed her). The letter is heartbreaking and upsetting. It reflects the desperation of a mother who was hoping that someone who may be involved will talk somehow because they have feelings and some integrity. Unfortunately, murderers dont think that way, in most cases they only care to cover up the crime and avoid the consequences. We dont know who committed that crime. It could be someone unknown, a stranger whose name has not surfaced yet. In any case, one can not and should not hope that the murderer will talk voluntarily. Hopefully the Bloomington police is closing on the case and one can only hope that they will make an arrest one of these days. Or that someone will give a tip to the police that will lead to the arrest of the killer.
IN - Lauren Spierer, 20, Bloomington, 03 June 2011 - #23
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She obviously addresses the letter to Lauren's killer (as by now it is almost certain that she is not alive after all that time, so someone killed her). The letter is heartbreaking and upsetting. It reflects the desperation of a mother who was hoping that someone who may be involved will talk somehow because they have feelings and some integrity. Unfortunately, murderers dont think that way, in most cases they only care to cover up the crime and avoid the consequences. We dont know who committed that crime. It could be someone unknown, a stranger whose name has not surfaced yet. In any case, one can not and should not hope that the murderer will talk voluntarily. Hopefully the Bloomington police is closing on the case and one can only hope that they will make an arrest one of these days. Or that someone will give a tip to the police that will lead to the arrest of the killer.
IDK, British ... I guess I'm still stuck on the theory that she OD'd and somebody disposed of her body: "You know where she is. You are guilty of a heinous crime." It's "You" knowing and not telling that's "heinous," IMO.
But I agree that "You" isn't going to talk voluntarily. That time has passed. There might have been some forgiveness at the onset, but none now. And "You" has to know that.
JeannieC
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I have cold chills, am shaking, and can't quite crying. God Bless them!
JeannieC
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I hope "you" or "they" can't get it off their minds, can't sleep, can't study, or work, have nighmares until they finally clear their conscience. I hope everthing they see reminds them of Lauren.
I believe in miracles.......
Illegal drug trafficking is a business, and like other businesses, it finds its prime markets. Unfortunately, college campuses are an ideal marketplace. In some cases, rural areas may also be a prime location, since the young people living there don't have as many different activities and social alternatives. What may have happened is that some of these young people already had drug problems, and their parents tragically made the mistake of placing them in Bloomington as a way to remove them from the drugs' availability.
In my experience several years ago, teaching part-time in a college with a horrible reputation (well-deserved) for drug abuse, my conclusion was that living in the dorms facilitated the problem. One student failed to attend the class for most of the semester, then she wanted a passing grade. One of her roommates told me that she just stayed in her room for days doing nothing but drugs.
We were told by the administration to establish rigid attendance policies for the class, but we were also not allowed to actually enforce those policies. They had to keep enrollment at certain level to keep the government money coming in.
The school itself was located in a rural area, and in winter, it resembled an endless barren tundra. Most of the students came from struggling backgrounds. If they just stayed at home, and enrolled at their local community college, they would have done a lot better, since they would at least be forced to keep in touch with the real world of having to get up and go to work.
JMO: keeping in touch with that real world is key to avoiding a serious drug problem.
Many of the students were not academically talented enough to enjoy serious college work. Once they left, they had a lot of debt, and relatively few actually finished their programs. Their time spent at Stoned Hippy College (LOL not it's real name) was mostly just time wasted. They needed practical skills, they needed jobs, and they needed an honest assessment of their abilities. What they got instead were a lot of dreams, pretenses and "partying."
The innocent people won't really have any answers about her actual disappearance (or they wouldn't be innocent). Their interview could lead to answers about LS's demeanor that night but that goes back to having to answer some tough questions which may point to other criminal involvement. So, without asking those types of questions, I'm not sure what some of these kids would have to offer. LE already knows her demeanor b/c they have her on video. What they don't know is what she may have taken, how much, and exactly what happened after exiting that alley. Those are the key things they need....and they all involve other criminal activity. Someone GAVE her drugs (if she took them). Therefore, if JR came in to take a test as you describe (excluding any questions dealing with any other criminal activity), what would he offer? It's not like he's going to say, "She died at my place and I hid her body." That would have happened by now. I think he's already shared his story and he's sticking to it. Without admitting to guilt, and excluding the drug stuff, I'm not sure what else he could offer them. They're certainly going to WANT the drug-related information b/c if she OD'd that's the piece they really need for this case.
It doesn't matter at all what LE care about in a civil case. Even if LE would grant them immunity from drug charges for coming forward and admitting that they gave LS drugs, these kids could all still face a civil suit and IMO that's why they aren't coming forward.
Respectfully curious - what makes you think she was murdered? I don't think that at all and am wondering if I am missing something. I get the feeling that it was an accidental OD and they hid her body. I feel that way b/c of all of the rumors and the fights and other things among this group - certainly seem like a big rowdy party crowd. I've read lots of scuttlebutt about her circle and drugs, etc. from students/peers. However I have not read one comment from a student who's suspicious that she was killed. At this point, I really only have rumors to rely on since LE is so quiet, but I guess I put some stock in those b/c lots of people seem to know her crowd. So what makes you feel otherwise? Thanks.
amoncrieff
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Me dumb. It didn't strike me before, but after re-watching a News 8 segment which discusses police interest in surveillance footage recorded at Salzmann's office and several other businesses located along Lauren's presumed route home (approx 2:20 into the clip) -- kaboom.
5 North (644 N. Morton) is a 2-3 minute walk from Salzmann's office (602 N. College).
There is no surveillance video of LS ever making it to or beyond 602 N. College at any time that morning. None. Hence BPD's insistence they are unable to confirm JR's account of Lauren's disappearance.
Repeat: If JR actually observed LS turning the corner onto N. College at approximately 4:30, Lauren is gone, vanished, disappeared by 4:35. If JR actually observed LS turning the corner onto N. College at any time that morning, Lauren is gone, vanished, disappeared after walking less than a block from 5 North.
When Lauren's father asks: "What's the likelihood of a stranger with bad intentions coming along and randomly seeing her in the street?", he could add "within 2-5 minutes after or less than a block from where she was allegedly last seen" before concluding: "We view it as possible, but [a] low probability."
I thought stranger abduction was a plausible scenario. I don't think so anymore.
JR really does need to talk.
5 North (644 N. Morton) is a 2-3 minute walk from Salzmann's office (602 N. College).
There is no surveillance video of LS ever making it to or beyond 602 N. College at any time that morning. None. Hence BPD's insistence they are unable to confirm JR's account of Lauren's disappearance.
Repeat: If JR actually observed LS turning the corner onto N. College at approximately 4:30, Lauren is gone, vanished, disappeared by 4:35. If JR actually observed LS turning the corner onto N. College at any time that morning, Lauren is gone, vanished, disappeared after walking less than a block from 5 North.
When Lauren's father asks: "What's the likelihood of a stranger with bad intentions coming along and randomly seeing her in the street?", he could add "within 2-5 minutes after or less than a block from where she was allegedly last seen" before concluding: "We view it as possible, but [a] low probability."
I thought stranger abduction was a plausible scenario. I don't think so anymore.
JR really does need to talk.
When a witness says 4.30, they don't mean exactly 4.30, but thereabouts. The real time could be quite different if it was that late and there was no particular reason to pay any attention to the actual time when it happened. If the person was intoxicate and/or tired, the real time she was last seen might be very different.
A few things. For starters, in most cases where people disappear off the face of earth and then found dead, it is murder. I dont believe in this OD/body disposal theory for a few reasons:
1. If she had really OD'd and there was no sexual or any other crime involved, her friends could have easily taken her to the hospital. It would have been much easier for them to first dispose any drugs they had in their place (s) and then take her to a hospital, instead of disposing a body.
2. If, lets say, her friends were also on drugs/drunk and their minds were completely clouded and she OD'd and they decided to dispose the body, I doubt they would have done such a good job. 3 months later and there is still no body found.
To me this sounds like a case of murder. She was on drugs, she was essentially helpless and out of it and she could barely walk (based on some reports). It may well be that someone decided to take advantage of her/have sex with her against her wish and she died in the process. If she died in such a scenario, while someone was trying to have sex with her against her wish, that would be certainly murder.
What I find intriguing is the fact that the police has not released the name of the person she was with in the alley before she went to the apartment of her friends. Also, the police had indicated that there was some "activity", but they did not explain what the activity was. If someone takes this in context with the mysterious witness of Tony Gatto who reported someone carrying her on his shoulder in that alley, one can think of a scenario in which she died at that moment in that alley where her keys were also found the next day. This is assuming, of course, that the Tony Gatto witness had mixed up the times (otherwise the time line does not match).
Any way, there can be many different murder scenarios and it is possible that the murderer was a stranger or someone whose name has not surfaced yet. My point is that I dont believe that it was OD alone, because in such a case there was no strong motive to dispose the body. They could have disposed the drugs instead, a much easier task. If there was OD combined with any other crime, particularly a sexual one, then it was murder and that's why someone had to dispose the body.
Jupiter812
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CS has been elevated to Warrior in my view with this recent letter. I admire her fierceness. She appears to be as informed as possible and coming from that instinctual place that only a mother in anguish can know. I'm sure she would go to the ends of the earth to find her daughter and the truth. Both are necessary to her.
(((CS)))
(((CS)))
British, I hear you about the possibility of a sexual crime. That would raise the ante significantly, and I do consider it. But IMO, an OD would be enough to freak over if the person with LS at the time had provided the substance or was a supplier. Drugs can be traced, although yes, LS is staying well hidden. I don't get that part, either.
But it might not have been an OD alone. It's possible LS had a long QT syndrome attack that looked like an OD or a combo of both. She didn't share her condition with many, it appears. I noted earlier that LS reminds me of my daughter, also very petite, pretty, and fashion-conscious. Until recently, my daughter had a life-threatening food allergy (anaphylactic shock to milk protein, not as severe now, thankfully). Sending her off to a party wasn't just about saying stay away from alcohol or weed ... it was saying stay away from pizza and know where your epi-pen is (she despised taking it). Kids hate being reminded that they're different, which is why LS told few, I believe. But her friends not knowing that could have been deadly. We also don't know if she was taking her meds regularly ... kids at that age seem to think they're invincible (even those with medical conditions).
It is odd how no body has been found, if her friends were involved. But kids were leaving campus that weekend, so maybe that's part of it.
She's a definite Warrior IMO, too, Jupiter. That letter pretty much says it all (in a heartbreaking way). But what you said yesterday about people getting restless with the case ... some of the responses below it aren't very nice. Sad.
I disagree. I think it takes a real criminal mind to dispose the body of a friend who just died from drug overdose. It is likely that the QT syndrome played a role in her death (assuming she is dead) in the context of cocaine use and alcohol-dehydration. However, I really dont believe that they would have disposed her body just for that. They could have thrown away all the drugs, take her to the ER and tell them that she passed out. Much easier than disposing a body.
I think that something much more cynical happened. It is possible that there was sexual crime and OD at the same time or any other murder scenario.
I also think that the last letter of CS points to that direction in terms of what the parents suspect. There are a couple of hints in the letter that suggest that IMO.
Thanks so much for replying to me. I have some more questions/comments (in red below) b/c you bring up some good points. The only consideration I've given to murder has been if a DD killed her. I don't really think it's likely that she was abducted by a stranger, and I guess I just haven't pegged JR, CR, MB, or JW as murderers.
See, I do think it's bizarre that she hasn't been found. I do. But ... it's possible that someone got lucky ... just put her in a car and drove off with her, perhaps to a different state, even.
While a rational adult would have taken her to ER if she ODd, who's to say her friends were rational (or even adult)? I tend to think they weren't. Even if one of them (or more, horrible thought) HAD raped her ... how would that make it any easier to hide her body? The same question of disposal would apply. Unless they'd already thought about it, of course. That would change everything.
But in terms of her ODing and them freaking ... Years ago, I had a friend (female) who got very intoxicated with another friend (male) ... and rather than take her into his house (he was living at home at the time), he put her in a lawn chair outside. Can you imagine how badly that could have ended? Stupid, stupid move. People can make them.
cluciano63
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She reminds me of Desiree Young...another mom who won't give up, no matter what.
Why would a drug dealer kill her? That possibility does not make much sense in my opinion. I am also convinced that her boyfriend (JW) had nothing to do with it, as he was not with her that night and he was the one who searched for her next day and notified her parents.
I think the key to the story is that "activity" in the alley where the keys were found. The fact that the police does not release the name of the person who was with her at that moment makes me think that they consider that person a real suspect, not just a POI. If that person was just a POI, why would n't the police disclose his/her name? The police may be building a case, but they may not have sufficient evidence to bring charges and make an arrest. Not having a body makes things difficult.
Anyone who has spoken at length with a hard drug user (or former user), the "war stories invariably get around the O.D. and how a body was moved and "dumped" where it wouldn't be traced to the people he or she was partying with. I knew someone whose ex-husband was found on the stairs leading to a hospital emergency room.
While we can't be certain this is what happened in the LS disappearance, it seems the most likely explanation If there is anything unusual about it, it would be that the body was never found. (This is something that would actually work against the "perp", who ever that is, because it caused a routine drug related "mishap” to become a high profile "missing white girl" case).
Every year many people die of drug or alcohol poisoning who could have been save if 911 were called timely. The primary reason it wasn't was that other people didn't want to "get in trouble". Would a "no questions asked" policy on drug and alcohol emergencies save lives? It’s something worth considering.
While we can't be certain this is what happened in the LS disappearance, it seems the most likely explanation If there is anything unusual about it, it would be that the body was never found. (This is something that would actually work against the "perp", who ever that is, because it caused a routine drug related "mishap” to become a high profile "missing white girl" case).
Every year many people die of drug or alcohol poisoning who could have been save if 911 were called timely. The primary reason it wasn't was that other people didn't want to "get in trouble". Would a "no questions asked" policy on drug and alcohol emergencies save lives? It’s something worth considering.
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