IN - Lauren Spierer, 20, Bloomington, 03 June 2011 - #1

[Chili Fries]

There are two "events" that have my "hinky meter" going.

The first is the fact that the police came with a "battering ram" to force open the room that had the security tapes. I have never heard of such a thing. The suggestion is that this was some sort of "snafu" involving Smallwood employees who couldn't locate the employee who had the key or some such issue. It doesn't smell right. By Sunday, it was "known" that Lauren never made it back to the Smallwood on the 4:30 trip. I assumed that this was because she was not seen on the security video. (Is this correct?) Then Tuesday they come back with a warrant and a battering ram. It sounds like they didn't want any EMPLOYEE of the Smallwood to know they wanted additional security videos. (Is an employee one of their POI's?).
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You may very well be right but it may be that Smallwood management are just jerks. They also put out a statement which complained that “several thousands of dollars in damage was caused unnecessarily” when police broke down the doors. Takes a lot of nerve to gripe about something so relatively petty when a possible homicide investigation is going on. It could be they have something to hide but after reading the online reviews written by people who have lived at Smallwood this sounds like more of their uncaring, penny-pinching behavior.

 

[sherryannhartman]

I don't think her disappearance had anything to do with her religion. IU does have quite a large group of jewish students considering Indiana in general does not have many jews. In addition, she doesn't "look" jewish at all. She's petite with blonde hair. If an attacker was from here, they would potentially think she was an east-coaster, nothing more. I met my first jewish people while attending IU. Didn't think much of it, but during my stay there, I didn't notice much difference from non-jews. I did notice a major separation between in-state students and out-of-state students. Never knew of any anti-semitic violence.

 

[curiousgirl2010]

I don't think this case is similar to Yeardly Love's. In Love's case, the boyfriend was arrested very quickly. It was the typical "passionate" crime. Boyfriend kills girlfriend in a fit of rage. He didn't remove the body or try to hide it.

It was a very simple crime. Boyfriend was drunk, they argued, he killed her.

Things seems a lot more complex in Lauren's case. I would be surprised if a college aged boy went to all the trouble to hide a body because of a jealous rage. That'd be a bit too crazy.

 

[curiousgirl2010]

I don't think her disappearance had anything to do with her religion. IU does have quite a large group of jewish students considering Indiana in general does not have many jews. In addition, she doesn't "look" jewish at all. She's petite with blonde hair. If an attacker was from here, they would potentially think she was an east-coaster, nothing more. I met my first jewish people while attending IU. Didn't think much of it, but during my stay there, I didn't notice much difference from non-jews. I did notice a major separation between in-state students and out-of-state students. Never knew of any anti-semitic violence.

I don't think Lauren was the target at all. I think if anti-semitism played any role, it was on the altercation at the lobby with the guys. Lauren's friends were commenting about these problems on the missing facebook and if you google anti-semitism and indiana university you will find A LOT of articles that talk about it.

Like I said, I don't think Lauren was a target of it, but the altercation that happened in the lobby might have been related to it.

 

[kimmypie1]

I don't think this case is similar to Yeardly Love's. In Love's case, the boyfriend was arrested very quickly. It was the typical "passionate" crime. Boyfriend kills girlfriend in a fit of rage. He didn't remove the body or try to hide it.

It was a very simple crime. Boyfriend was drunk, they argued, he killed her.

Things seems a lot more complex in Lauren's case. I would be surprised if a college aged boy went to all the trouble to hide a body because of a jealous rage. That'd be a bit too crazy.

I didn't mean the facts of the case, sorry. Just that they both involved drunk college kids and the fact that I personally think it was because the bf was drunk and jealous.

 

[curiousgirl2010]

I didn't mean the facts of the case, sorry. Just that they both involved drunk college kids and the fact that I personally think it was because the bf was drunk and jealous.

I understand. But how would a drunk and jealous college kid hide his girlfriend's body so well? I mean, that's a little too much you know? No signs of Lauren yet.

 

[cluciano63]

Are these large lakes or bodies of water that have been searched and have divers been used? I am never comfortable that because a body is not found in a lake, that it is not there...

 

[WhitneyLea]

I understand. But how would a drunk and jealous college kid hide his girlfriend's body so well? I mean, that's a little too much you know? No signs of Lauren yet.

That's what's bugging me ... I keep thinking all the stories about her night sound suspicious and that it feels unlikely to be a random stranger in a car, but if her "friends" WERE somehow involved, then ... where is Lauren?? What would they have done with her?? I also agree with someone up-thread who said maybe her family or the police know more than we think since they're searching Lake Monroe already. That is a HUGE lake, I don't know how or where you would even begin to search it unless you had some kind of specific information. Just my :twocents: ...

 

[curiousgirl2010]

How far are the lakes from the friend's apt?? I know she's tiny, but it's still not the easiest thing in the world to carry a body alone... for those who went to IU, do the college kids have cars??

 

[WhitneyLea]

Are these large lakes or bodies of water that have been searched and have divers been used? I am never comfortable that because a body is not found in a lake, that it is not there...

Lake Monroe is MASSIVE. 10,000+ acres, which is why it seems surprising to me that they are searching it already. I'm genuinely curious as to how you would even start to search a lake that big. It seems to me that it would take MONTHS with divers, boats, etc. to search the whole thing. Maybe someone knows more about water search & rescue than me?

I hate to say this, but if I was in Bloomington and looking to dump something where it would never be found, that lake would probably be my first choice.

 

[blazelet]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2000877/Lauren-Spierer-missing-Man-seen-memory-moments.html

They are searching the lake with Sonar, based on specific information that has led them there.

Here are bullets from that article :

• Police make man take a lie detector test
• He was punched in an altercation at Lauren's building
• Lauren was 'very inebriated', he was 'overly aggressive'
• Lauren seen walking out of his apartment at 4.30am
• Parents offering $100,000 reward
• Police divers searching lake with sonar after tip off

Hundreds help in ongoing search for missing Lauren


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ng-Man-seen-memory-moments.html#ixzz1Oo6J8mXX

 

[WhitneyLea]

How far are the lakes from the friend's apt?? I know she's tiny, but it's still not the easiest thing in the world to carry a body alone... for those who went to IU, do the college kids have cars??

The lakes would be about a 15 minute drive from those apartments. And I agree, IMO it would be difficult to do alone, even if you did have a car. Many of the students at IU do have cars, especially if they live off campus. (I always had my car when I lived there.) But then again, a lot of students don't have them either, since a lot of things are within walking distances and there are campus and city buses. So it's hard to say.

 

[blazelet]

Lake Monroe is MASSIVE. 10,000+ acres, which is why it seems surprising to me that they are searching it already. I'm genuinely curious as to how you would even start to search a lake that big. It seems to me that it would take MONTHS with divers, boats, etc. to search the whole thing. Maybe someone knows more about water search & rescue than me?

I hate to say this, but if I was in Bloomington and looking to dump something where it would never be found, that lake would probably be my first choice.

They are already searching it because a specific tip has led them there. Unless the suspects own or have access to a boat on the lake, they would probably start their search on the shorelines, and those closer to Bloomington ... which reduces the search area considerably.

 

[cluciano63]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2000877/Lauren-Spierer-missing-Man-seen-memory-moments.html

They are searching the lake with Sonar, based on specific information that has led them there.
Here are bullets from that article :

Did LE say they DO have specific info leading them to the lake?
What would that be, other than someone telling them something?

Also, I am also pretty sure it would take a very long to rule out someone being in as large a lake as some of you have said, if they could ever rule it out. If they are looking in the lake for Lauren...are they just avoiding calling this a homicide, or a believed homicide, just the opposite of the Michelle Le case, where LE named a homicide quickly.

 

[kissdegirl]

Lake Monroe is MASSIVE. 10,000+ acres, which is why it seems surprising to me that they are searching it already. I'm genuinely curious as to how you would even start to search a lake that big. It seems to me that it would take MONTHS with divers, boats, etc. to search the whole thing. Maybe someone knows more about water search & rescue than me?

I hate to say this, but if I was in Bloomington and looking to dump something where it would never be found, that lake would probably be my first choice.

Someone mentioned cell phone records a few posts back, and I really think that may be the key here. Someone's cell pinged here or someone filled up with gas on the way to that park...there's some evidence we're not aware of that would send them there, IMO. Fresh mud on tires, cell phone pings, credit card transactions. JMHO

 

[cluciano63]

Okay, so one or more of the POI's headed out near the lake at at unusual hour of that morning, I would say...per cell records...(just a guess.)

 

[blazelet]

Did LE say they DO have specific info leading them to the lake?
What would that be, other than someone telling them something?

Also, I am also pretty sure it would take a very long to rule out someone being in as large a lake as some of you have said, if they could ever rule it out. If they are looking in the lake for Lauren...are they just avoiding calling this a homicide, or a believed homicide, just the opposite of the Michelle Le case, where LE named a homicide quickly.

According to the article :

Police carried on search Lake Monroe today after recieving a 'specific tip' about the area.
Divers were using sonar equipment, but had not yet turned up any positive results.

Of course they are unlikely to state the source or content of the tip until after everything is wrapped up (legally) and it either goes to trial or someone writes a book

If they do have a person or people of interest perhaps they have a boat or access to one, perhaps they were seen in the area by a friend or camera or cell pings, perhaps they said something to someone - who knows. At this point we have to assume we have 1/50th the information LE does.

 

[curiousgirl2010]

I'm assuming someone's phone pinged near Lake Monroe.

 

[Badsleuth]

Look for a creepy guy just out of jail with violence vs woman but not on the sex offenders list in that apt complex.

 

[curiousgirl2010]

I also think it's a creepy guy/stranger.

Just my personal feeling.

Her college friends seem way too normal to have commited such a crazy crime. I think this will be a stranger. Similar to the Jonathan Foster case. People thought it was the stepdad, who had slapped him some days before, but it was just a creep who lived in his apartment complex.

I think this will be the case for Lauren too. Just MO.

I wouldn't be surprised if it's someone who works in the building.