Lauren's story.

Click here to learn about the disappearance of Lauren Spierer.

Letter from Charlene Spierer

August 2, 2012

To Whom This May Concern:

It sickens me to write to you once again, but I have no choice.   Time continues to pass and I cannot let you forget about Lauren.    Rebecca recently said she holds close those people who knew Lauren.   I realized in that moment that our lives will be forever defined as the time before Lauren disappeared and the time after.   Another thing you and I share, the before and the after.  For me, living without Lauren, it’s the little things in my day-to-day life which are the most difficult.  The things that aren’t mentioned.  Getting mail addressed to Lauren, walking past her room just as she left it the last time she was home, still waiting for her return.  The unpacked boxes I cannot bear to move.  The notice Rob has hidden away among so many other pieces of mail, from the Department of Motor Vehicles.  It’s Lauren’s.  It arrived shortly before her 21^st birthday.  We try to shield each other from more pain.  It is impossible to do. 

On June 4, 2011, we were hoping for Lauren’s rescue.  That’s what the Bloomington Police Department was hoping for as well.  As time passed, we were hoping for Lauren’s recovery.  Today we are waiting to find out if the remains found in the White River belong to Lauren.  We wait along with other families of missing loved ones.  It could take as long as eight weeks.  That’s 80,640 minutes of agony.  We are waiting to find out if a skull found in the White River might be Lauren’s.  It’s chilling to say the words.  I find it incomprehensible that if by chance you are reading this, you know the answer already.   I recently read that the White River is 362 miles long.  I am guessing that if you placed Lauren in a body of water, the current could have relocated her to another area.   I can’t say that I have read anything about decomposition or what might happen to a body that has been in water for over a year.  Though this past year has taught me things I never would have expected to learn, decomposition is one area I refuse to explore.   Lauren’s DNA and dental records are on file with CODIS.  “CODIS is the acronym for the “Combined DNA Index System” and is the generic term used to describe the FBI’s program of support for criminal justice DNA databases as well as the software used to run those databases. The National DNA Index System or NDIS is considered one part of CODIS, the national level, containing the DNA profiles contributed by federal, state, and local participating forensic laboratories.” We continue to wait for the results from the Marion County coroner’s office.  

You may or may not be a parent.  Somehow I doubt that you are a parent.  I guarantee you have no idea what it’s like, waiting to find out if the remains recovered from any number of places are those of your child.   I hope I am making you uncomfortable.  I hope you have as many sleepless nights as I have.  I hope that some day, your parents, your siblings, your friends will all be in a courtroom when your true self is revealed, the self which was born on June 3, 2011 when you took Lauren from us.

We were shocked when several people hired attorneys within days of Lauren’s disappearance.   Five young men, five attorneys.   I’m still not sure why they felt it was necessary.  I know hiring an attorney is not an admission of guilt, however it leads me to believe there was something to hide.   Questions remain unanswered and law enforcement polygraphs remain untaken.  We are still without Lauren.  Did you hire an attorney?   I wonder if you are among those who continue to refuse to cooperate with the Bloomington Police Department.  You can well imagine, a year later, those conducting the investigation have more questions which need to be answered.  And yet those that could help, refuse to do so.   Who are you?  Did you go on any searches?   Maybe you were no longer in Bloomington as thousands helped look for Lauren.  Did you use Lauren’s disappearance to your advantage?   Have we met?  Time will tell.  So many questions.   I will never forgive those who could have helped and did not.  Though I doubt my sentiments matter to you, I will never forget you for as long as I live. I hope that every time you look into a mirror you remember the choices you made on June 3, 2011.  I hope with every breath you take, you remember Lauren.

 We are grateful to all those who continue to make sure Lauren’s tragic story stays alive.  There are many who stand beside us in our quest for answers.   No matter what happened on June 3, 2011, the fact that Lauren seemingly vanished into thin air is undeniable and for that you are responsible.  I trust that Lauren will have her day and justice will be served.  Until that time, we remain steadfast in our search for answers which will lead us to Lauren.

Charlene Spierer

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If you have any information regarding Lauren’s disappearance, please contact us.

Bloomington Police Department – 812.339.4477

helpfindlauren@gmail.com

Find Lauren – PO Box 1226 – Bloomington, Indiana 47402

Beau Dietl & Associates – 800.777.9366

www.findlauren.com

Missing and loving you, Lauren, every second of every day.  Mom, Dad and Rebecca

A message from the Spierer family, #1YearLater

#1YearLater... the day our lives changed.

I shyly opened the Twitter account on June 5, 2011. I wouldn't ever change that. I wouldn't change the Spierer's coming into my life and growing to love a young woman I have never met. I would, however, change what we know today... #1YearLater.

It would be selfish for me to talk about how difficult the last year has been working on the search to #FindLauren because I have no idea what it feels like to truly know and love Lauren. I only have the love for my own family and when I begin to consider how it must feel, it's a place I can't imagine. I know that I've wanted her to be found with every fiber of my being for a year straight. And I know that I'll continue to do all I can for this family until they have the answers they need. They are so kind, so loving and strong.

I'll confess that I was interested in helping because I can't begin to imagine this nightmare. I certainly never thought the search would last longer than a few days. And I had no idea that someone might have the answers and refuse to come forward. It's horrific. It's heartbreaking. It's truly unimaginable.

I'm also begging you to continue to tweet with me. Blog with me. And hope with me. It's important and vital. You are Lauren's biggest supporter. You are the reason this story went viral. Tomorrow we go on, until we have the answers they need.

Thank you, Malorie- without you I could have never powered through the last year.

All my love today and every day to the Spierer family,

@NewsOnLaurenS

#FindLauren #1YearLater

ABC News- Search for Missing Indiana University Student Lauren Spierer Uses Social Media to Go Viral
IDS News- A Twitter interview with the woman behind @NewsOnLaurenS
Mashable Social Media- Search For Missing IU Student Lauren Spierer Spreads Via Social Media
IDS News- Twitter continues to aid search for Lauren
The Washington Post- Search for missing Indiana University student Lauren Spierer goes viral
Fox News- Use of Social Media in the Lauren Spierer case
USA Today- Search for missing IU student draws social media attention
Chicago Now- The search for an IU student explodes through social media
Scarsdale Patch- Social Media Continues To Be Part Of The Quest To #FindLauren Spierer

Charlene Spierer- 4 Powerful Letters

Over the past year, Charlene Spierer has issued a number of letters through this blog. If you haven't read them, know they are painful to read. They are raw. They are honest. Hopefully, the right people will read her words and know the importance of coming forward.

#1YearLater #FindLauren

Day 50
3 months later
5 months later
9 months later

1 year later, media coverage

This page will be continually updated with the recent coverage as we approach one year. Please continue to tweet about the efforts to #FindLauren #1YearLater. 


If you have blogged about Lauren approaching the #1YearLater mark, email newsonlaurens@gmail.com and we'll add your blog to the list. Thank you for the continued support and coverage. 

Photo by Taryn Valenci

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News Outlets (June 4-6)
Indianapolis Monthly
LoHud- New timeline details, interviews and reflections
IDS News- One Year Later
IU Community to remember missing student Lauren Spierer
Police- Lauren Spierer case still a priority
Weekend marks 1st anniversary of Indiana University's Lauren Spierer
Police: Several 'credible tips' received weekly in Lauren Spierer case
Spierer disappearance anniversary approaches, WTHR
The Today Show
Lauren Spierer: Friends' did 'nothing to help' her, parents say
Search For Lauren Spierer Continues In Indiana, One Year Later
WCSI- Community Gathers For Spierer Remembrance
WFMY NEWS 2- Missing co-ed's parents look for answers on one-year anniversary
My Fox NY- Lauren Spierer case one year later
Fox 59, Remembering Lauren Spierer (event photo)
Wane TV- IU marks year since Spierer disappeared

(June 3: #1YearLater)
Indy Star- IU student Lauren Spierer's disappearance remains a mystery one year later
Indy Star- A Year Lost, timeline
LoHud- New accounts say she staggered away after night of heavy drinking, drug use
Indy Star- Reporter tries to put himself in Lauren Spierer's place
Indy Star- Lauren Spierer: Vanished
Scarsdale Patch- Social Media Continues To Be Part Of The Quest To #FindLauren Spierer
Fox News- One year after Indiana University student Lauren Spierer disappeared, parents cling to hope  
Herald Times- Who’s who in the Lauren Spierer case, then and now
Herald TImes- Missing IU student Lauren Spierer: A year later
The Indy Channel- Spierer Disappearance Remains Mystery One Year Later
Gather- Lauren Spierer Missing for One Year
Scarsdale Patch- One Year Later, the search for Lauren Spierer continues
Fox News- A Year of Agonizing Mystery - and Hope
USA Today- Indiana student Lauren Spierer still missing one year later
WDRB- One Year Later
CBS News- Lauren Spierer Case: One year anniversary passes in Indiana University student's disappearance
Huffington Post- Lauren Spierer, Indiana University Student, Still Missing 1 Year Later
KY Post- Spierer disappearance remains mystery one year later


Blogs:
Malorie Janasek- Find Lauren Spierer
Chicago Now- Lauren Spierer, gone a year
Lain Garland- One Year Later
Megan Brandon Smart- #FindLauren
Chelsie Johnson- Lauren Spierer-One Year Later
Tony Gato- BLOOMINGTON POLICE DEPARTMENT LAUREN SPIERER ONE YEAR CASE SUMMARY AND UPDATE
Randy Frykberg- Righteous Rage
Lauren Hagan, For Lauren Spierer
Paula Kiger- One Year Later, A Family Walks in the Rain
Klaas Kid Foundation Blog- One Year Later, Where's Lauren?

#FindLauren Posters, an online photo project

Thanks for all of the submissions to the #FindLauren photo project. We quickly surpassed our goal and ended the project at 115 posters. If you submitted multiple photos, we used at least one from your series and sometimes more, so thank you! The support is incredible. Click to view the project 


With so much beauty in the world, we are calling on you to help us get creative with a poster series to help raise awareness to #FindLauren. You send us the picture, we turn it into a #FindLauren poster. Our goal? 100 posters.

Here are the guidelines:

• You must own the image. It cannot be an image you pulled off of Google or another place. It can't be a photo you saw on another blog/site and saved... it must be your photo. Please don't get us into copyright trouble. 
• Please don't submit a photo that has text on it. 
• Your photo can be of anything (in good taste)... nature, family, something that reminds you of Lauren. This might architecture, Indiana University campus, a #FindLauren bracelet, your search experience. Anything beautiful will do. 
• You can submit your photo one of two ways:
• Tweet your photo and use hashtag #FindLauren 
• Email your photo to newsonlaurens@gmail.com

You can follow the poster series online by following us on our new Tumblr account built specifically to showcase the #FindLauren posters. Visit us at http://findlauren.tumblr.com/.

We aren't going away until we have answers. Show the Spierer family your continued support until we #FindLauren.

Thank you for making this project and all awareness efforts a success. 

May 8, 2011 – Mother’s Day…the last day we spent with Lauren.

How could a year have passed so quickly? 

Lauren, you are in our hearts every minute of every day. We remain committed to finding the answers, which will bring you home. We will never stop looking for you. 

All our love always, 

Mom, Dad and Rebecca

Consider the possibility that the person you are with today holds the key to unlock this mystery. Consider the possibility that the person you are with today is responsible for Lauren’s disappearance. Anything Small Could be Big. Make the call. Hoping today is the day.

Bloomington Police Department – 812.339.4477
Beau Dietl Associates – 800.777.9366
helpfindlauren@gmail.com
Find Lauren – PO Box 1226 – Bloomington, IN 47402
www.findlauren.com

Organizer arranges team for upcoming IU 5K mini-marathon to raise awareness

Every spring, the IU Mini Marathon and 5K Run/Walk brings the IU and Bloomington community together to raise scholarship money for IU students who have survived cancer. Since its start in 2006, the IU Mini Marathon and 5K has raised more than $100,000.

The course takes participants through the heart of the IU campus and up and down the hills of Bloomington. Scenic and challenging, the Mini Marathon and 5K Run/Walk is Bloomington’s premier running/walking event.

Information from http://alumni.indiana.edu/doc/Mini%20Marathon%20brochure%2012%20Web.pdf.

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"In an effort to continue to raise awareness for the disappearance of Lauren Spierer, I am encouraging supporters of Lauren to participate in this event as a team. We will be easily recognized by wearing light blue shirts. When someone registers, all they have to do is write in the team name “Where is She?” as the response to the question, “Are you registering as part of a team?”

This event is not a fundraiser for Lauren and is not a family "sponsored event". It's simply an opportunity for those of us in the area to show Bloomington that we are not giving up and a way we can continue to spread awareness while supporting IU students who have survived cancer.

Join team “Where is She?” 

For updates related to Team “Where is She?” please follow this link to the Facebook event.
http://www.facebook.com/events/192080784237761/"

IU Women’s Lacrosse Club Dedicates Play to Lauren Spierer

• BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana University’s Women’s Lacrosse Club will dedicate play on Saturday, March 31 to the continued efforts to find Lauren Spierer. Michigan State University, St. Louis University, Western Kentucky University and Lakeshore Lacrosse Club will join IU in honoring Lauren Spierer and the search that continues for answers in her disappearance. By disseminating information to teams from four Midwest states, the club hopes spectators and players raise awareness about Lauren’s disappearance within their campuses and hometowns in efforts to gain more information that will lead to finding Lauren. The club will provide findlauren.com bracelets to spectators and blue ribbons to all players participating that day. As the one-year anniversary of her disappearance approaches, the club felt an urgency to keep Lauren’s story in the public by encouraging people to be alert in conversations and to report any information. A small piece of information could help complete this puzzling story and bring Lauren home. Who: Indiana University, Michigan State University, St. Louis University, Western Kentucky University and Lakeshore Women’s Lacrosse Clubs When: Saturday, March 31; Game times and weather delay information can be found at www.iuwlacrosse.com What: Women’s lacrosse (club) play day (free and open to the public); Wear cream, crimson and light blue to support the search for Lauren Where: Evan Williams Field (10th and the bypass, behind University Gym) To speak to a club representative in regard to this event, please contact the Club Advisor, Andi Gitelson, at acgitels@indiana.edu. The Women’s Lacrosse Club is a housed in Indiana University Club Sports division. IU Club Sports are a program of Campus Recreational Sports. For more information, please call 855-2371 or visit http://recsports.indiana.edu/. About Lauren: Indiana University junior Lauren Spierer was last seen in Bloomington, Ind., on June 3, 2011, at 4:15 a.m. Lauren is 4’ 11”, 90 lbs., and has blonde hair and blue eyes. Lauren’s family and friends are seeking any information about her disappearance. If you have any information please call the anonymous tip line at 812-339-4477 or mail to Find Lauren, P.O. Box 1226, Bloomington, IN 47402. Email can be sent to helpfindlauren@gmail.com. For up-to-date information on the search, visit FindLauren.com. How to help: Print – http://www.findlauren.com/printable_poster.pdf Follow – Facebook(https://www.facebook.com/Lauren.Spierer.Family.Updates), Twitter(http://twitter.com/#!/newsonlaurens), Blogger (http://newsonlaurens.blogspot.com/) Share – Anonymous tips or information (http://www.findlauren.com/info) Donate – Financial donations can be made through FindLauren.com. ### Media Contact: Maria Felton; 201-788-2772; maria3114@aol.com

https://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#!/events/374407582580026//

Women’s Self Defense Class Raises Funds for #FindLauren

Allentown, Pa. – (February 21, 2012) - The Muhlenberg College chapter of Alpha Chi Omega, Muhlenberg’s Active Minds and the Peer Health Advocates at Muhlenberg (PHAM) will sponsor “Self-Defense for Spierer” on March 19, 2012. This class is open to all women on campus and will be taught by officers from Campus Safety and a Health Center nurse. The cost to attend is $5 per person.

The purpose for the class is two-fold – to teach women how to protect themselves, and to raise awareness and funds for Lauren Spierer, a Scarsdale, N.Y. woman who disappeared during the early hours of June 3, 2011 in Bloomington, Indiana, after a night out with friends.  To this date, Spierer’s whereabouts are unknown.

‘Berg student Jocelyn Bibi ’14, the event’s organizer and a member of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority, attended high school with Spierer. 

All proceeds from this event will be sent to the fund to find Spierer. Representatives from the host organizations will be tabling for this event the week of March 12, 2012 in Seegers Union.

For more information on Spierer, visit www.findlauren.com. 

Rumor has it...

You've heard it from someone. You've read it on a message board. It might even just be a theory. You're not sure it's true.

They need to know what that something is. They have to piece it all together. Give them what they need.

Tell them the rumor.

Email me: newsonlaurens@gmail.com

Today. Today we move closer to bringing her home. You could help do that.

Robert and Charlene Spierer have access to this account and are a part of this effort. 

"Anything small could be BIG." 

"You know where she is" by Charlene Spierer

March 2, 2012 

To whom this may concern,

Thoughts on a page.  You and I share unique roles; we are both insiders, forever bound by the senseless circumstances of June 3, 2011. You were with Lauren, you know what happened and you know where she is.  Maybe you spend every day trying to forget.  I am Lauren’s mother.  I have a front row seat in this never-ending nightmare. The smallest task requires tremendous effort.  Being home, going places for the first time where Lauren has been.  Hearing one of her favorite songs.  Hearing a song she would love but may never hear. Waiting at a light, waiting in line.  Always, always on edge.  Always waiting for a phone call which will tell me Lauren has been found or even that the smallest piece of information has made it’s way into the right hands. Waiting to find out if a Twitter rumor is true…waiting to hear if the body recently found is Lauren’s.   Imagine waiting to hear if a body that was just discovered is your daughter’s?  I spend every day trying to find answers to the questions, which will end this mystery.  Whatever the events of the night, you hold the key to what happened to Lauren at night’s end. I wonder if you give Lauren a second thought.  I wonder what type person it takes to watch our grief as we face another day.  I think about you all the time.  I wish for one instant you were in our place, waiting, praying, hoping.  I wish you knew what it felt like to have lost a loved one.  Missing…The despair that comes from the realization that someone knows the whereabouts of your missing child is indescribable. I wish you could feel that heartache.  I would be lying if I said I didn’t wish you were experiencing the same excruciating pain we are.  I wish for today, I held your fate in my hands.

Nine months.  A lot can happen in nine months.  The miracle of life, the joy of a child joining a family and all that she brings.

Nine months is a long time to maintain the silence of one so determined to keep a secret. I know there is not much I can control.  I know all of our efforts to date have not resulted in finding Lauren.  Nine months is a long time.  Memories fade and life goes on but I promise to never let you forget.  I promise to be a constant reminder should your memory fail you. I can do that, at the very least.  We will never stop looking for Lauren.  You should know that we are just as determined to find Lauren today as we were on June 3, 2011. 

Hoping today is the day….

Charlene Spierer

NYU Hospital - Lauren and Rebecca…our sweet girls.

Bloomington Police Tipline– 812-339-4477                 

Beau Dietl Associates– 800-777-9366, www.investigations.com 

Find Lauren– PO Box 1226, Bloomington, IN  47402  

helpfindlauren@gmail.com                                    

www.findlauren.com                  

The search to #FindLauren continues to inspire campus safety

Today is the first of two sessions of "Self-Defense for Spierer" hosted at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA. This event is sponsored by the Alpha Chi Omega sorority, the Department of Campus Safety, Active Minds at Muhlenberg and the Peer Health Advocates at Muhlenberg.

The event is aimed to increase funds for the search to #FindLauren and hopes to raise awareness for women on the Muhlenberg College campus about safety. 

Organizers tell the Spierer family, "Our community is thinking of Lauren everyday."

The next session will be held on March 19. 

Spierer family statement regarding reward increase

Released Friday, February 24, 2012

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"Our daughter Lauren Spierer, an Indiana University student, disappeared June 3, 2011 in Bloomington, IN.  We continue to seek information, which will lead us to finding Lauren and the circumstances surrounding her disappearance.  As a result of an extremely generous donation, the reward has been increased to $250,000.00.  


Anyone with information, that leads us to our daughter, will be eligible to receive the reward.  You may contact Beau Dietl Associates at 1.800.777.9366,www.investigations.com or the Bloomington Police Department at(812)339-4477.

All information submitted that has a direct impact relative to finding Lauren will be evaluated.  Information that is deemed credible and helps result in the resolution of this case will be awarded to the appropriate individuals from the total reward amount of $250,000.00.

We remain dedicated to finding our daughter.   


For more information about Lauren you can visit www.findlauren.com.  We offer our sincere thanks for any information you can provide."

–Rob and Charlene Spierer

University of Michigan college student motivated to do more

A University of Michigan student decided she would raise funds for the search to #FindLauren. Every day, more and more people continue to find ways to help bring Lauren home. 


"I could not help but think how easily this could happen to one of my sisters, friends, or to myself. As a Greek community of college women I know that our contributions could significantly support the Spierers. Funds will be donated to the family to assist in the investigation that we hope will ultimately bring those responsible for this heartbreaking crime to justice. Assuming that on average there are 180 girls in each chapter, even if half of the women in each chapter donated $2 (probably less than you spend on your favorite Starbuck’s drink!) a check for almost $3,000 would be able to be written to the Spierers. Could you imagine if we got the support of every sister campus wide? Donating and spreading the word supports the Spierers tremendously, and helps to ensure a similar tragedy does not take place on our own campus. Keep yourself and your sisters safe by walking home in groups and be conscious of crime alerts taking place in Ann Arbor and on campus." 

Spierer family releases statement regarding the removal of #FindLauren off Indiana University homepage.

Lauren's once prominent banner on the Indiana University website homepage was months ago,reduced to a button and now Indiana University plans to only post the link to Lauren's information on the home page the first week of every month. It will appear only randomly, thereafter. While there is no direct link on the homepage, Lauren's information will remain on the Protect IU page indefinitely. We are disappointed by this decision, as we hope to obtain information from the IU community which will lead us to Lauren. We are still determined to do everything in our power to find our daughter. Robert Spierer