IN - Lauren Spierer, 20, Bloomington, 03 June 2011 - #23

[webrocket]

Then he and his lawyer should meet with LE and do everything possible to help the police clear him as a suspect so LE can focus their resources in another direction.If he wants to play games with lie detector test whether he talks to the parents and if he allows himself to be interviewed I have absolutely no sympathy for him.

he does not have to clear himself of anything. it's LE's job to incriminate with real evidence. no one in their right mind would give more than a 5 min interview with the cops when they are trying to pin anyone they can with a possible murder.

 

[Gabby66]

I'm sure NO ONE is prepared for what these boys' parents are surely going through. There's no rule book, which is why they likely retained an attorney. I'm going to play Devil's advocate for a moment. The truth is, the parents are not always going to do what feels right in their gut. They're going to do what their attorney is telling them to do, which is most likely to keep QUIET.

I believe that these boys fall into one of three categories:

1. Know about LS's potential drug use (and were likely involved or supplied it themselves) but are unaware of what happened crime-wise.

2. Know about LS's potential drug use (and were likely involved or supplied it themselves) and only know about the crime b/c someone (perp) told them the next day.

3. Know about and were involved in drug use and involved in the crime.

If I'm right, there's a pattern here : drugs. Giving details to LE would only open themselves up to a civil suit. I'd bet that each attorney is saying, "Until there are charges placed upon you, do NOT talk." That doesn't mean that the parents don't WANT to come forward IMO

I'm not ready to judge these parents yet b/c I simply don't know what steps they have taken. They could be like me and drilling their son behind a closed door, and have details that point to his innocence. However, they could also have an attorney saying, "You cannot comment on this case whatsoever yet." Why bother paying high $ for the attorney, if you aren't going to listen to what he has to say?

 

[Gabby66]

http://newsonlaurens.blogspot.com/2011/09/3-months-later-charlene-spierer-you-are.html

Read this! Clearly, CS is NOT giving up. I don't think the perp(s) really had any idea that LS's family would react so strongly. Of course ANY mother/father would be distraught and do what they could, but how many fathers can just leave behind their jobs and move to a different city, spending their entire time/focus/energy on finding their daughter AND her perp? Not many parents have the financial resources as the Spierers. I love the fact that CS's demeanor has switched from resolve to assertiveness, to anger. I think that's normal, but I see a fire in her that isn't going to die until she finds Lauren's body. How on earth could the perp read that and not want to just curl up in a ball and die? Hopefully this new attitude will get someone talking. I think her timing for this is great, with school back in session.

 

[Jupiter812]

I don't know why the red angry/sad face appears in my above post which concludes with acceptance. I would replace it with a little buddha if I could.

 

[bloom54]

Then he and his lawyer should meet with LE and do everything possible to help the police clear him as a suspect so LE can focus their resources in another direction.If he wants to play games with lie detector test whether he talks to the parents and if he allows himself to be interviewed I have absolutely no sympathy for him.

That's exactly my thought... if he's NOT guilty.. i.e. INNOCENT... then why is his attorney not making the effort needed to show that to LE, to CS/RS, and to the public that is most certainly (and not without cause IMHO!) vilifying him???

At this point his behavior isn't serving his purpose well...

 

[cluciano63]

Bless their hearts (L's parents and sister.) I don't even know what to say...her letter is painful to read for me, and I didn't do anything wrong...

 

[imkeylime]

Then I go back to Northsider's scenario which makes the most sense but it lacks any known POI or any known anything(!) She partied with a lesser known group of people at a DD 's house and ODed there. For this to happen I think JR's 4:30 time is off.

On a personal level I need to start detaching mentally and emotionally and start practicing acceptance of what is.

I hear what you're saying about the personal level. I realized the other night that I'd actually like CR to be innocent. It's not because I fully believe his amnesia, either. I can believe he got wasted, hit in the face, and then crashed. IDK what he remembers or doesn't remember. I do know that in his interview, he reminds me a bit of my son in demeanor.

But realistically, I suspect he helped set something in motion that night, no matter who he reminds me of, and he probably knows at least what that is. I also believe he's the one person both JR and MB might try to protect. And once you make that first move, you're in. The same goes for any of the PsoI, if they know anything about what happened to LS.

Interestingly, the reason I began following this case in the first place is because LS reminds me of my daughter. So it's still personal, even when I try to detach. But even if it wasn't, I can objectively say that LS didn't deserve whatever happened, no matter her condition, and her family deserves closure.

 

[Jupiter812]

Keylime, big thanks to you. I'm constantly impressed and grateful for how you and many others here share so articulately and with such candor. Thanks for sharing your story. Your kids--"you done good" I'll bet.

My personal relationship to this case is more metaphorical but still real nonetheless.

 

[Darcyline]

Her poor Mom. I wish the sheer will of their love for her would somehow reveal where she is, but unfortunately it doesn't always work that way.

 

[katydid23]

Gabby, I'm not sure of the exact stats, but I believe that heroin is a major problem in (at least some areas of) PA. My mentor just got funded for a "Cure Grant" in collaboration with a bunch of different labs, including some that are involved in treating opiate addiction and have participated in clinical trials. We are studying heroin use and addiction. The only way you can be funded by the PA Dept of Health for this, no matter how good your science may be, is that experts have to testify that your topic is significant to the health "of all Pennsylvanians." Apparently heroin use fits that description.

I just learned something very scary from my son who is a new EMT. He had to go to a day long seminar on various drugs and types of OD's he may come across. The cop who was running the seminar said that heroin and methodone is having a huge impact upon young people right now, even high school and college students. He explained that the pot dealers and importers have been outdone by the 'legal' pot clinics here in California and some other states. So the cartel has been upping the import and sales of other drugs to make up for their losses. Meth is too easily made, and kids are wary of 'crack.' But it seems that they are open to trying heroin,synthetic heroin first by smoking it, and methodone, because they convince themselves it is not really a drug. So he says there has been a dramatic increase in heroin usage on the campuses in the last couple of years. The dealers are flooding the market and selling it cheap.

My 19 yr old said she knew of kids in her upper/middle class suburban high school who came to class high on heroin and who sold it. The drug dogs the school used to bring in could smell pot and some hard drugs, but totally missed the oxycontin and xanax abusers.

 

[Gabby66]

I believe that everything happens for a reason. I believe we all have a purpose and when that is completed, it's probably our time to go. People may have been put here to help someone carry out their own purpose, or to save someone from something. This has helped me put things into perspective when bad things happen. I've seen some wonderful things come from tragedies and horrific events.

Today I was trying to think of what "good" might come from Lauren's presumed death and I've been thinking of the boys involved with her that evening. It sounds as though many of them were on a rocky path. It sounds like there is a LOT of drug use. What "good" could come from an innocent girl's death? Hopefully young women will get the message that it's simply not safe to walk alone at night. Perhaps one or more of the young men will turn his life around and change into the man he was supposed to become - all because of Lauren. I don't think we'll ever truly know, but I hope the Spierers can someday find some healing and recognize some changes that will take place, all because Lauren had been here, and left.

 

[mamamia54]

It's so very difficult to detach, we are all human beings, and most of us are loving caring individuals, thus detaching when we are confronted with cases like this is almost impossible. I can remember the first case that I helped with, the kidnapping of Dru Sjodin from Grand Forks mall in North Dakota. I watched Dru's father go out day after day after day, freezing cold weather, which literally burned his face bright red, searching for Dru. It was THIS case that broke my heart, made me see the world differently and made me realize that if this was going to continue to happen, I would be there on the next case that came along. I did the same with the Morgan Harrington case, broke my heart again.

Now Lauren, and so many others that I can't even take the time to mention, and I would if I felt that people could understand that this isn't a game for me, it's not a movie, it's not CSI. Lauren is still missing, and just imagine the last person that she laid eyes on, not being a sex offender, BUT ONE OF HER FRIENDS!! And what did they do? They didn't call for HELP, they didn't take her a HOSPITAL. They instead DISPOSED OF HER. I'm as angry as any parent can be right now.

Dru Sjodin

Dru's Parents

Imagine seeing this face and taking your last breath

Dru's gravesite

Mr and Mrs Spierer, you just keep on doing what you're doing, someone will crack. Someone does know where Lauren is, and they won't be able to run fast enough, or far enough to get away from her SPIRIT.

 

[phantomthought]

he does not have to clear himself of anything. it's LE's job to incriminate with real evidence. no one in their right mind would give more than a 5 min interview with the cops when they are trying to pin anyone they can with a possible murder.

If him his lawyer or his parents honestly felt they were dealing with a police Dept. and district attorney that would resort to that he certainly would not have come back to Bloomington. You are right he does not have to do anything and I do not have to have sympathy for someone who tries to make me believe that he has.

 

[Gabby66]

I just learned something very scary from my son who is a new EMT. He had to go to a day long seminar on various drugs and types of OD's he may come across. The cop who was running the seminar said that heroin and methodone is having a huge impact upon young people right now, even high school and college students. He explained that the pot dealers and importers have been outdone by the 'legal' pot clinics here in California and some other states. So the cartel has been upping the import and sales of other drugs to make up for their losses. Meth is too easily made, and kids are wary of 'crack.' But it seems that they are open to trying heroin,synthetic heroin first by smoking it, and methodone, because they convince themselves it is not really a drug. So he says there has been a dramatic increase in heroin usage on the campuses in the last couple of years. The dealers are flooding the market and selling it cheap.

My 19 yr old said she knew of kids in her upper/middle class suburban high school who came to class high on heroin and who sold it. The drug dogs the school used to bring in could smell pot and some hard drugs, but totally missed the oxycontin and xanax abusers.

Very true, and heroin is EXTREMELY addictive! I know someone who works with addicts. He told me that there was a local girl injecting heroine under her eyelid so that her Dr. wouldn't see the tracks. She was pregnant and fourteen. This is a REAL problem and so overlooked unnoticed. There is no smell and kids can do this without their parents realizing it for a long while. It doesn't take long to become addicted, but it does take awhile for the effect to become visible. Many of those effects appear to be "normal" for teenagers at first - skin blemishes, tiredness, etc.

 

[imkeylime]

Keylime, big thanks to you. I'm constantly impressed and grateful for how you and many others here share so articulately and with such candor. Thanks for sharing your story. Your kids--"you done good" I'll bet.

My personal relationship to this case is more metaphorical but still real nonetheless.

Thanks back at you! Metaphorical is definitely real (ex English teacher here). It's so helpful how many different perspectives everyone brings!

My kids make pretty good choices. They all have their moments, though, at some stage. You can't choose their friends, but you can get to know them and help your kids ward off trouble. The Spierers didn't get that chance here, with the exception of JW ...

 

[SUNchips]

http://www.theindychannel.com/news/29073310/detail.html

Today is CS's birthday. And 3 months since LS's disappearance. CS wrote another letter today.
'“You know where she is. You are guilty of a heinous crime,” Charlene Spierer wrote in the letter.'

 

[Walker]

... So he says there has been a dramatic increase in heroin usage on the campuses in the last couple of years. The dealers are flooding the market and selling it cheap.

Afghanistan is flooding the market. The Taliban almost completely eliminated opium production before 9/11/01. After our government invaded, Afghanistan became the major world producer.

http://web.archive.org/web/20070509.../afghanistan/weeklyreports/022405_report.html

In 2004, poppy production in Afghanistan expanded to 206,000 hectares (508,820 acres). About 4.5% of total cropland was devoted to opium cultivation, but in some provinces poppy accounted for 40% of cropped land.
Afghanistan harvested 4,200 metric tons of opium in 2004, or 87% of the world’s illicit production.
The opium economy now accounts for an estimated 60% of Afghanistan’s GDP.

My 19 yr old said she knew of kids in her upper/middle class suburban high school who came to class high on heroin and who sold it. The drug dogs the school used to bring in could smell pot and some hard drugs, but totally missed the oxycontin and xanax abusers.

Maybe the dogs could be trained to detect Xanax etc., but some of the students (perhaps too many) may actually have prescriptions, and might feel upset if the dogs called attention to that fact.

 

[phantomthought]

I'm sure NO ONE is prepared for what these boys' parents are surely going through. There's no rule book, which is why they likely retained an attorney. I'm going to play Devil's advocate for a moment. The truth is, the parents are not always going to do what feels right in their gut. They're going to do what their attorney is telling them to do, which is most likely to keep QUIET.

I believe that these boys fall into one of three categories:

1. Know about LS's potential drug use (and were likely involved or supplied it themselves) but are unaware of what happened crime-wise.

2. Know about LS's potential drug use (and were likely involved or supplied it themselves) and only know about the crime b/c someone (perp) told them the next day.

3. Know about and were involved in drug use and involved in the crime.

If I'm right, there's a pattern here : drugs. Giving details to LE would only open themselves up to a civil suit. I'd bet that each attorney is saying, "Until there are charges placed upon you, do NOT talk." That doesn't mean that the parents don't WANT to come forward IMO

I'm not ready to judge these parents yet b/c I simply don't know what steps they have taken. They could be like me and drilling their son behind a closed door, and have details that point to his innocence. However, they could also have an attorney saying, "You cannot comment on this case whatsoever yet." Why bother paying high $ for the attorney, if you aren't going to listen to what he has to say?

One of the reasons you hire a lawyer is to negotiate your cooperation with LE.If JR and his lawyer were willing to come in and take a test on the condition that he is only asked questions about her disappearance and exclude any questions dealing with any other criminal activity LE would be more than happy to agree.IMO if LE could be convinced these three guys had nothing to do with her disappearance they could care less about their drug use.

 

[plaidmom]

Bless their hearts (L's parents and sister.) I don't even know what to say...her letter is painful to read for me, and I didn't do anything wrong...

I was ready to confess to everything myself, IF, for one second, I could make CS feel better. Just one day, for her b-day.

And then I remembered that I'm just a 40-something year old college-kid- mom myself and that I can't really help at all. :banghead:

I wonder why the innocent feel sadness and pain and the guilty feel....nothing?

 

[imkeylime]

http://www.theindychannel.com/news/29073310/detail.html

Today is CS's birthday. And 3 months since LS's disappearance. CS wrote another letter today.
'“You know where she is. You are guilty of a heinous crime,” Charlene Spierer wrote in the letter.'

Wow. That's intense, as it should be. I'm not sure what to make of one thing in the first paragraph: "Let me begin by introducing myself, although, I am sure you know who I am. I am Charlene Spierer, Lauren’s mother. Perhaps we have met...."

It strikes me that she's addressing one POI, but not one particular POI. I suppose it could be a collective "you," but I don't get that sense. She would have definitely met JW ... would she have ever met JR through the grandparent connection? Or is it more like maybe we crossed paths at IU? Thoughts? Regardless, the letter is utterly heartbreaking.