Lauren Spierer.
I say that name, and I can almost guarantee you know the heartbreak that comes along with this lost student from Indiana University.
Lauren went missing on June 3, 2011. Ironically, she disappeared on my 14th birthday, right before my freshman year of high school. She was 20 when she disappeared, and she vanished as she was walking home after a night out with some friends.
It was absurd to hear that a girl at a potential future college of mine had just vanished. Overhearing my parents discuss the tragic situation had me absolutely terrified for high school, let alone college!
It scared me senseless. This case, that is. I still am scared to go to parties on or off campus, even though I know that chances of this happening again are slim. Because of Lauren's disappearance, I am cautious about who I will place my full trust with into the wee hours of the night.
This case has taught me many life lessons. I strongly agree with the phrase "work hard, play hard", but I understand that I have to be aware of my surroundings as well. I am incredibly blessed to now be here at IU, and I understand the feeling she must have felt that night: invincible. All of us Hoosiers at IU feel it; you can't deny this feeling.
I know that some reading this might be thinking, "I don't want to go to IU", but trust me, you'll regret it if you don't. I thought the same thing when I heard about the case, but here I am, a proud Hoosier! Seriously IU is the best, so don't throw it out of your options.
There are 40,000 undergraduates on this campus, I won't be putting myself in any harm by going out, you may think. This lie floats through all of our newly freedom-ized brains. Trust me, I know by watching the people on my floor and by seeing posts from friends at other colleges that this thought is the one that usually wins the argument of whether to go out or not.
I'm sure any parent or adult reading this also knows that we 18-22-year-olds all have this thought. Some have it more than others, but regardless, it is in all of our minds.
I'll be alright.
This lie is the one we have to shake from our heads to make sure we are safe and constantly aware.
My parents were always great role models in teaching me that I should always watch my own back, because you cannot expect the people around you to cover your ass along with their own - because they simply won't. It is a hard situation to understand, and I am sure that I may never fully comprehend how one beautiful girl can just disappear.
I do know that I can watch out for others, though, so that we as a community will not have to go through another awful situation such as this one. There are many theories, stories and rumors of what could have happened to her, and every single one of them is awful. I can feel the terrors in my bones.
On Jan. 28, news broke about what the FBI and Bloomington police thought was a clue to the Lauren Spierer case. Apparently a registered sex offender flashed a few women at a gas station in the town I'm from (can I feel any more connected to this girl?) and was arrested in August. He must have done a bit of talking if he's been in jail since August, and the FBI thought they had a lead to finally end this shocking case.
They had cadaver dogs at a house in Martinsville, and they were digging as well. This news had every newsroom in Bloomington and all over the place exploding and going crazy in this frenzy of information.
Austin Faulds, a writer for Odyssey was in the Indiana Daily Student newsroom when this news was released to the public.
"It's just cool to watch a newsroom go insane," Faulds said. "It's like the movies."
I'm sure you can picture what that is like, and why I, a journalism major, was squirming inside to have the opportunity to write about something this important.
Anybody and everybody had heard about the case by 6:40 p.m. that night, when the news was only released at 6 p.m. It's insane to think that this case has affected enough people that newsrooms everywhere, People magazine, CNN, IDS, Odyssey, my parents, grandparents, family, boyfriend and classmates are all discussing the small glimpse of hope that we all felt that night.
Unfortunately, word was released the following day that the search conducted yesterday was a dud. But I know after reading the update in People magazine that Lauren's parents will not give up.
Charlene Spierer, Lauren's mother stated in People, "I want to find Lauren more than anything in the whole wide world and that's the most important thing."
After discussing the case with my own mom, I can understand how badly her parents' hearts must ache for some clarity in this situation of their baby girl. I did not personally know Lauren, nor did I know anybody who did, but from one IU student to another I hope that her family can receive answers soon to put their trembling thoughts to rest.
IU is a community, and Lauren will always be apart of it.
