IN - Lauren Spierer, 20, Bloomington, 03 June 2011 - #16

[akh]

So she got messed up on booze, maybe other things too, and at 4:30AM decided to go catch a flight to Israel? And didn't even bother to walk back to her apartment to grab some shoes and a suitcase first? And what did she use for money? She'd already lost her coin purse in the alley. Any use of her credit card(s) would've already been noticed by LE. And how did she get a ride to the airport? Taxis aren't free. If a friend drove her I'd think that friend would come forward by now simply because she'd already be in Israel and could save a lot of people time, money, and grief in knowing that.

And that friend or taxi just happened to pick her up out of camera range? And if a taxi, the taxi driver doesn't remember picking up a drunk college girl at 4:30AM and taking her to Indy or Chicago?

And how did she signal she was ready to leave since her phone was a Kilroy's?

While anything is possible I'm not sure but that I wouldn't put this about equal with alien abduction on the list.

 

[Walker]

I completely agree with the first sentence.
But your theory that she left barefoot, no shoes,phone, keys or ID, intoxicated and in the middle of the night to hop a plane to Israel is too far fetched. How did she get to the airport?

Barefoot, no shoes: pick up flip-flops $2.
No phone: didn't want to be tracked.
No keys: doesn't need them anymore.
No ID: we don't really know. She may have had her passport. She didn't need her IU ID anymore.
Middle of the night: The drive to Chicago would take hours. Someone offered to give her a ride. She didn't want her IU friends to know (for some reason). So she prearranges to meet the ride in the gravel area at like 4:45 am.

Intoxicated: we don't really know her state at 4:00 am June 3.

If any one of her friends had brought her there, i believe they would have told LE. I highly doubt that publicizing the case in Israel could help at all. [/I][/B]

Not an IU friend, but perhaps some contact or associate of a group which advocates immigration to Israel.

Among religious people (of various different religions) there is a growing concern that college life revolves around illicit drugs, and partying. Someone may have felt that they were acting morally by aiding a college student to leave for a different environment.

 

[cluciano63]

I know there is nothing much to discuss here, but fleeing to Israel? Really?

 

[Walker]

So she got messed up on booze, maybe other things too,

We don't have any solid evidence that she was "messed up."

and at 4:30AM decided to go catch a flight to Israel?

No, what I am suggesting is that she had pre-arranged plans to take off for Israel.

And didn't even bother to walk back to her apartment to grab some shoes and a suitcase first?

Beforehand she may have prepared some carry-on luggage, including the prescription meds, and maybe shoes. The ride had them in his/her car when they met in the gravel lot.

And what did she use for money?

We don't know how much cash she had available to her. Maybe some group which promotes immigration to Israel helped her out.

And that friend or taxi just happened to pick her up out of camera range?

The gravel area is out of sight of both sets of her IU friends. Not sure it they bothered to consider cameras.

 

[SnowAngels]

So she decided party all night long without a care in the world at Kilroys, while clearly appearing intoxicdated, before meeting a pre-arranged 4:45 am car ride to Chicago so she could immigrate to Israel??

Walker, why are you so insistent on focusing on this 'fleeing to Israel' theory, when it's clearly such a slim possibility when compared to the other theories?

<modsnip>

 

[EllaMae]

We don't have any solid evidence that she was "messed up."



No, what I am suggesting is that she had pre-arranged plans to take off for Israel.



Beforehand she may have prepared some carry-on luggage, including the prescription meds, and maybe shoes. The ride had them in his/her car when they met in the gravel lot.



We don't know how much cash she had available to her. Maybe some group which promotes immigration to Israel helped her out.



The gravel area is out of sight of both sets of her IU friends. Not sure it they bothered to consider cameras.

Sorry but why would she need to sneak away to Israel? That makes absolutely no sense to me. She had a pretty good life at IU. She had the freedom to travel to Israel if she wanted without the middle of the night drama. What would be the basis for sneaking off and not telling anyone?

If she used her passport to travel to Israel, it would be known already anyway.

 

[Alliecog]

Why shouldn't we?



Not necessarily.



Maybe LS did hint at wanting to live in Israel to someone, but they didn't pick up on it.

I've been to israel in high school on a youth trip for a month, it's a beautiful country and a wonderful place for everybody to travel, not just jews. When you want to move to Israel as a Jew there is the "law of return" but it's not that simple to just hop on a plane and go. I think that although this could be some far fetched theory, there is absolutely nothing to support it. I took the class Lauren took where she blogged about Judaism and such, it a very very popular class with an awesome professor and it is used to count as some basic social and historical requirements. Lauren's family helped send her to Israel on the spring break trip, I doubt they would keep her from visiting again.

 

[jennyb629]

I have never participated in a WS thread before so I don't really know how these things normally go...once the person has been missing for over a month and there is no new news, the thread just kind of withers (I'm really not trying to be mean but the Israel thing? even the lengthy discussion of what to do with items you find on the street-although I guess that was to determine if it was 'normal' that the guy put her keys on a rail but still) ...I guess that's understandable-it's hard to continue rehashing and grasping at unconfirmed and convoluted rumors so it makes sense that more far-fetched and banal things would come up.

However, I thought maybe with the mention of JR's visitor's identity, there would be a pick-up in discussion but it doesn't seem like anybody really knows anything about him/could confirm if he is in any way involved, is that right?

 

[OldSteve]

Wow, not much must be happening if all we have is the trip to Israel

Found this:

"Lauren Spierer website relaunched"

http://www.wthr.com/story/15041367/lauren-spierer-website-redesigned

 

[Barry]

Only because of hope, do I entertain that LS might still be alive. But, I fear the odds are very high that she is not. It needs to be found out how she passed, and appropriate justice brought to those who were involved or did not help her.

 

[rossva]

And just think how bad you'd feel if it turns out Lauren really did go to Israel. While I find it highly unlikely, who are we to bash anyone's theory about wjhat happened to her? Knocking some one else's idea doesn't help her to be found, does it?

ok, haven't posted in a few days if not weeks but I feel compelled now. I thought the other posters on here did enough to put this Israel theory to rest, but apparently not.

I did like TG's term and I'll quote him again. "This Israel talk is crazy". And to the poster who mentioned its offensive, here here. It is offensive. And it strikes me as worse. Hey, she's Jewish, she must be in Israel? lolwut?

Put it to rest. Seriously, this is derailing a nice thread about trying to actually find LS.

 

[WideOpen]

I think everyones opinions are important here because they force me to think outside the box. While I may discount the theory, I then find it brings about new thoughts for me. Thanks to all opinions!

JMO

 

[phantomthought]

After a month of theories and speculation I am left with most times the simplest explanation is the correct one.Girl walks off with guy she hardly knows never to be seen again.The answer almost always involves him.

 

[curiousgirl2010]

For me it's still also the simplest of theories...

Girl walks off her friend's house at 4am, drunk, vulnerable to stranger danger, some bad guy jumps at the opportunity to assault, murder and dispose of her body.

I don't believe the whole "the friends have a silence pact" or "she fled to Israel" theories...

 

[Barry]

Most of the theories don't have a good ending

You always have to hold out with hope, though.

 

[OldSteve]

For me it's still also the simplest of theories...

Girl walks off her friend's house at 4am, drunk, vulnerable to stranger danger, some bad guy jumps at the opportunity to assault, murder and dispose of her body.

I don't believe the whole "the friends have a silence pact" or "she fled to Israel" theories...

I agree! I would think if the friends did this as a group, on the spur-of-the-moment, she would have been found by now.... after all, how good could there planning have been at that hour in the morning, and can you just picture them trying to come to some sort of mutual decision the they would all agree and go along with...

 

[Jupiter812]

<snipped>
However, I thought maybe with the mention of JR's visitor's identity, there would be a pick-up in discussion but it doesn't seem like anybody really knows anything about him/could confirm if he is in any way involved, is that right?

Correct.

 

[WideOpen]

Is there any chance that a Smallwood employee, janitor, security guard or other person just randomly chose to disappear Lauren that night?

Lots of folks like the JR theory but it sure seems like some others would be involved and I find it hard to believe that these kids wouldnt slip up or have suspicions themselves. One or more of these kids must want to connect the dots and speak out. So, it leads me to keep open ideas of other perps. This is what I think Laurens mother is speaking of when she talks to the friends. Not one of these friends wants to solve the mystery?
JMO
going around in circles

 

[Jupiter812]

FYI. Statement just released from Smallwood:

http://www.heraldtimesonline.com/stories/2011/07/07/news.qp-7391348.sto

 

[wisco23]

Why did my original post get modded? Beyond being offended by this "israel theory" I am now actually offended that my post is gone. Could a mod please advise? thanks