Lauren Spierer Update: DNA Collected From Men Allegedly Last to See Missing Student
June 11, 2011 — -- Investigators in the case of missing 20-year-old Indiana University student Lauren Spierer have collected DNA samples from several young men who were allegedly among the last to see the young woman.
Two of these men are Spierer's friends, Corey Rossman, the student she was with on June 3, the morning she disappeared, and Mike Beth, his roommate.
"I was not the last person with her," Rossman said. "This is all I can say, I'm sorry, but I just hope that they find her as soon as possible and I'm praying for her and her family."
Spierer has been missing from Bloomington, Ind., for eight days.
After spending the evening with friends at Kilroy's Sports Bar, police say Spierer left at about 2:30 a.m. with Rossman to go back to her apartment complex. Footage from surveillance cameras show Spierer and Rossman arriving at the building where Rossman's attorney says he was punched in the face.
"We don't know who, why or what was said, but that punch caused him a temporary memory loss," said Carl Satzmann, Rossman's attorney.
Rossman says he does not remember Spierer walking him back to his apartment and leaving him with his roommate. His lawyer says the first thing he remembers from that night is waking up the next day.
After leaving Rossman, Spierer went to another friend's apartment and that friend last saw Spierer walking towards her own apartment around 4:30 a.m. Surveillance video shows her walking with an acquaintance in an alley where her keys and coin purse were found by police.
Spierer's longtime boyfriend is also one of 10 persons of interest.
"We continue to speak with him. He's cooperative," Bloomington Police Lt. Bill Parker said at a press conference.
Spierer's boyfriend, also a student at Indiana University, was the first to express concern when she did not return his text messages.
Spierer's roommate Hadar Tamir said the couple have a loving relationship.
"He really cares about her," Tamir said. "Lauren was his life, his number one priority. He would never do anything to hurt her."
Hundreds of searchers have been combing Bloomington and beyond every day since Spierer's disappearance. Police have received hundreds of leads but no arrests have been made.
Authorities and Spierer's family both say they have not lost hope and have been holding daily press conferences with updates and to thank volunteers and supporters.
"We're not losing hope. We're concentrating on this case completely and finding Lauren," Parker said. "We certainly want to find her alive and we hope that's the case."
Spierer's father Robert Spierer expressed his gratitude today.
"The strength of others is part of what helps us get through every single day and thank you to everyone who has participated and we're going to continue this search in earnest every single day," he said.
The family is offering a $100,000 reward for the safe return of their daughter.
Spierer's mother Charlene Spierer continues to encourage people to report any and all tips to Bloomington police. Supporters have set up a website, Facebook page, and Twitter account to keep the search's momentum going.
The petite blonde is 4-foot-11 and weighs less than 100 pounds. Originally from New York, she had just finished her sophomore year and was taking a summer class before heading to New York for an internship with Anthropologie. She is an apparel and merchandising major.
Time is also critical, because Spierer suffers from Long QT Syndrome, a disorder that causes potentially dangerous irregular heartbeats, for which she takes medication.
"America's Most Wanted" is scheduled to run a story about Spierer today and police said they are hoping it will generate more tips for the investigation.
"Somebody knows where she is," Spierer's mother said at today's conference. "She's somewhere."
