Lauren Spierer Search: Boyfriend Now a Person of Interest
June 10, 2011 — -- Police have no suspects in the disappearance of missing Indiana University student Lauren Spierer, but said today that her long time boyfriend is one of 10 persons of interest.
"We continue to speak with him. He's cooperative," said Bloomington Police Lt. Bill Parker at a press conference.
Spierer, 20, has been missing for a week. She disappeared after partying with friends at a sports bar.
Spierer's friends say that the missing student and her boyfriend have a loving relationship. The unidentified young man, also a student at Indiana University, was one of the first to become alarmed when Spierer didn't return his text messages on June 3.
"He really cares about her. Lauren was his life, his number one priority. He would never do anything to hurt her," said Hadar Tamir, Spierer's roommate.
Bloomington police are continuing their search efforts which so far have turned up no trace of the fashion student. Divers are searching nearby Lake Monroe and a reservoir. Police are using dogs and setting up traffic check points to search for clues. They are also conducting polygraph exams of possible witnesses and pore through surveillance tapes.
"We're not losing hope. We're concentrating on this case completely and finding Lauren. We certainly want to find her alive and we hope that's the case," said Parker.
Robert and Charlene Spierer, parents of the missing student, looked drained as they thanked the public for their search efforts at a press conference this morning.
"America's Most Wanted" is slated to run a story about Lauren Spierer on Saturday. Police hope it will generate more tips in the case.
The search for the missing Indiana University student has encountered an unusual hurdle. One of the last people to see her alive claims he is suffering from memory loss.
Two hours before Spierer vanished, surveillance cameras captured her coming from Kilroy Sports Bar back to her apartment building with a friend, Corey Rossman. The cameras captured a scuffle between Rossman and another young man at the Smallwood Plaza apartment building complex.
"He was punched in the face. We don't know who, why or what was said, but that punch or punches caused him a temporary memory loss," said Carl Satzmann, Rossman's attorney.
Spierer and Rossman left the apartment building and she escorted Rossman back to his apartment. She was there for about an hour with Rossman and another young man.
Rossman doesn't remember Spierer walking him back to his apartment and the first thing he remembers is waking up the next morning, his attorney said. Police have searched Rossman's car and cell phone.
After returning Rossman to his apartment, Spierer left for another friend's apartment. That friend saw her walk towards her own apartment at about 4:30 a.m. last Friday. The pint-sized student who weighs less than 100 pounds and is 4-foot-11 was last seen three blocks from her apartment.
Surveillance video also shows Lauren in an alley walking with an acquaintance on the morning she disappeared. The alley is the same place where her keys and coin purse were found by authorities.
The parents of -Spierer are offering a $100,000 reward for the safe return of their daughter.
Making time even more crucial is Spierer's dangerous heart condition. She has Long QT Syndrome, an irregular heartbeat, and takes medication to treat the condition.
The blonde good natured student is originally from New York. She had just finished her sophomore year at the university. She was taking a summer class before heading back to New York to intern with Anthropologie. She is an apparel and merchandising major.
