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.