BLOOMINGTON — The search for answers continues for Lauren Spierer's family 10 years after she disappeared.
Spierer, a 20-year-old Indiana University sophomore, disappeared after a night of partying with friends on June 3, 2011, in downtown Bloomington. It was the last time anyone saw her.
"My heart goes out to anyone searching for a missing loved one," Charlene Spierer, Lauren's mother, wrote on Facebook. "When you are 'in it' you can't see beyond it. You try everything humanly possible to get answers. You are willing to work from first light until you collapse exhausted at the end of the day."
In November 2017, Brown County Prosecutor Ted Adams said he believed Daniel Messel, who was convicted of killing another IU student, may be connected to Spierer's disappearance. Messel has never been charged in connection with the Spierer case.
Anyone with information about Spierer's disappearance should call the Bloomington Police Department at 812-339-4471, Beau Dietl & Associates at 1-800-777-9366, send an email to helpfindlauren@gmail.com or send a message to Find Lauren, PO Box 1226, Bloomington, IN 47402.
Read Charlene Spierer's full statement below:
Ten years ago today in the early hours of June 3, 2011, Lauren became a missing person. What started as an evening with friends ended tragically for Lauren and for our family. There is no video evidence proving Lauren ever turned the corner at 11th and College Avenue around 4:30AM. There has never been any suspect named.
My heart goes out to anyone searching for a missing loved one. When you are “in it” you can’t see beyond it. You try everything humanly possible to get answers. You are willing to work from first light until you collapse exhausted at the end of the day. You read everything written, every blog, every Facebook post, every tweet, every comment at the end of every article you have access to, just hoping someone will post something to move your case forward. You open your door to the worst of humanity. desperate to believe their convincing lies, but I think the worst offense comes from those who hold the answers and refuse to share them. You are gullible. You are exposed to things you’ve never known about and wish you had never learned about. I empathize with you. I walk in your shoes; I carry the same burden. I wish we never had to experience this.
If you are fortunate, you will find that there are just as many compassionate people. They work beside you just as tirelessly. They step in when you cannot. They take risks. They put their lives on hold. They use every avenue at their disposal to help you. They keep in touch on those most difficult days. They remind you that you are not alone in this nightmare. They ask for nothing in return.
This is what I know. What happened to Lauren was shocking. It is inconceivable to have spoken to Lauren hours before discovering it would be for the last time. Shocking that someone so loved could vanish without a trace but entirely possible. It did happen and ten years later I still struggle. The space that once held hopes and dreams for Lauren will never heal. It is replaced by an ache fueled by the not knowing. I have learned to manage my days, months and years, but in an instant, something will happen which sends me reeling back to the day it all happened. I try my best, I will survive, I will never forget. I do not need a day like today to remember because every day is a day of remembrance.
I am especially grateful to Rob and Rebecca, my husband, my daughter, who share in this tragic loss and without whom I could not have survived.
I end as always, hoping today is the day and reminding the reader that anything small could be big. Lauren, lost but never forgotten, forever in our hearts.
Charlene Spierer
