IN - Lauren Spierer, 20, Bloomington, 03 June 2011 #33

[Ixchel13]

TG's Blog was there from the start. Breaking new and fresh details LE and other outlets were not reporting. At the time we all relied on his findings.

In retrospect looking back 3 year later, I think he had an agenda to immerse himself in this story and had an agenda taking himself out of the story. IMO he chased this story all the way from NY and even traveled there to get some information which I find extremely odd. Did he know LS parents? Did he know a parent of the boyfriends or other POI? Again looking back it just seems out of place. Then all of the sudden he completely goes silent with his coverage as if he was paid off to stop covering the story after he dug deep and names were named. Almost like the JRNTT blog back in the infancy of this case. Anyone following from day one remembers the threats she was receiving.

Another thing about the bartender and the 3:38 witness if it did happen at that exact time, she was leaving work for the night? And if earlier in the night, was she stopping by to see a guy and returning to work? If that's the case, could she have been meeting up with someone for illegal substances hence why she hasn't come forward since?

Just chiming in since it's been a while.

good thinking. thing about TG, rumors, etc--if we hear a rumor, it sounds more random than if we link a MSM story that is based on hearsay and rumor, but is it, really? some posters will validate what they say using TG as their source, and then turn around and refute someone else for using TG as a source of info,
then turn around again and use him for a valid source. so he's been used, and has seemed to have used us, as far as trusting him, no.

another thing about rumors and how effective they could turn out, I have never seen anything like the "CajunNet" in the Mickey Shunick case, the residents of Acadiana put all their rumors together and ran that guy to ground in what, 2 mos?

 

[ktgirl]

good thinking. thing about TG, rumors, etc--if we hear a rumor, it sounds more random than if we link a MSM story that is based on hearsay and rumor, but is it, really? some posters will validate what they say using TG as their source, and then turn around and refute someone else for using TG as a source of info,
then turn around again and use him for a valid source. so he's been used, and has seemed to have used us, as far as trusting him, no.

another thing about rumors and how effective they could turn out, I have never seen anything like the "CajunNet" in the Mickey Shunick case, the residents of Acadiana put all their rumors together and ran that guy to ground in what, 2 mos?

True! Everyone here in south Louisiana knew Brandon Lavergne (Mickey's killer) was about to get arrested for kidnapping & murderer in the days before the arrest...everyone except Lavergne apparently! Rumors (especially on the "CajunNet") can have a lot of truth to them. But sometimes they're also completely wrong....the CajunNet had another young man, <modsnip>, pegged for her disappearance <modsnip> but was 110% innocent and eventually cleared. He even spoke about the experience on Dateline NBC when they profiled Mickey's case. The CajunNet was right about Lavergne, but wrong about <modsnip>.

I think rumors can be helpful...as long as we remember not to treat the info like its from MSM, etc. That said, this information/rumor about what the woman witnessed when she got off of work is well, interesting. I hope it's a case of "where there's smoke, there's fire" and can lead to getting answers for Lauren's parents.

ETA: In case some of you who live outside of south Louisiana didn't follow Mickey's case and are wondering what the CajunNet is: it's the gossip mill in southwest Louisiana. The only faster way to get or disseminate information than via the Internet is via the CajunNet.

 

[bessie]

good thinking. thing about TG, rumors, etc--if we hear a rumor, it sounds more random than if we link a MSM story that is based on hearsay and rumor, but is it, really? some posters will validate what they say using TG as their source, and then turn around and refute someone else for using TG as a source of info,
then turn around again and use him for a valid source. so he's been used, and has seemed to have used us, as far as trusting him, no.

another thing about rumors and how effective they could turn out, I have never seen anything like the "CajunNet" in the Mickey Shunick case, the residents of Acadiana put all their rumors together and ran that guy to ground in what, 2 mos?

Rumors can be extremely dangerous to innocent individuals, and to an investigation. Regarding the MS forum -- and I'm a lifelong resident of south Louisiana, btw, and was the point mod for the MS forum -- gossip and rumors nearly blew the arrest.

True! Everyone here in south Louisiana knew Brandon Lavergne (Mickey's killer) was about to get arrested for kidnapping & murderer in the days before the arrest...everyone except Lavergne apparently!

<rsbm>

I rest my case.

 

[AbbeyR]

One of the better articles about Lauren's case was by Evan West in the Indianapolis Monthly, where he talks about the effect of rumors in this case and tries to separate fact from rumors and gossip:

The police’s reluctance to share information didn’t help; reporters, bloggers, and online message-board trawlers quickly filled the void with leaks, rumors, and gossip—a constant stream of conjecture that, in some ways, has come to overshadow the facts of the case.

Onlookers hungry for any update devoured it all in real time. Indeed, guessing her fate would make for a rousing parlor game, were it not for the heartbroken family and the unlikelihood that a real person—sweet, beautiful, and loved—will ever return alive. “Lauren is such an amazing girl,” says her mother, Charlene. “She doesn’t deserve to have this be her story.”

http://www.indianapolismonthly.com/features/story.aspx?ID=1712477

If Lauren's story is picked up again on the anniversary of her disappearance (and I hope it is), I would love to see something like an updated version of this that investigates or puts to rest some of the misinformation that is still out there.

 

[AbbeyR]

Speaking of which, just noticed this in the article above:

It confirms (this time by the private investigators) that the witness they interviewed is the same as Gatto's witness. So we have confirmation from Gatto, the PI's and LE that there was one witness:

Gatto (referring to the PI's description of the witness seeing Lauren with Corey:

At the 3:00 mark they are talking about my witness.

[ame="http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showpost.php?p=8387998&postcount=446"]Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community - View Single Post - IN - Lauren Spierer, 20, Bloomington, 03 June 2011 #28[/ame]


The PI's (re. "Mystery man rumor"):

A police spokesman would later confirm that investigators looked into the bar manager&#8217;s account but couldn&#8217;t find video evidence to support the witness&#8217;s timeline. John Cutter, a private investigator hired by Spierer&#8217;s parents, tells IM that his team interviewed the same witness; he believes the woman described was Spierer but he isn&#8217;t sure the stated timeframe is accurate.

http://www.indianapolismonthly.com/features/story.aspx?ID=1712477

 

[Ixchel13]

True! Everyone here in south Louisiana knew Brandon Lavergne (Mickey's killer) was about to get arrested for kidnapping & murderer in the days before the arrest...everyone except Lavergne apparently! Rumors (especially on the "CajunNet") can have a lot of truth to them. But sometimes they're also completely wrong....the CajunNet had another young man, <modsnip>, pegged for her disappearance <modsnip> but was 110% innocent and eventually cleared. He even spoke about the experience on Dateline NBC when they profiled Mickey's case. The CajunNet was right about Lavergne, but wrong about <modsnip>.

I think rumors can be helpful...as long as we remember not to treat the info like its from MSM, etc. That said, this information/rumor about what the woman witnessed when she got off of work is well, interesting. I hope it's a case of "where there's smoke, there's fire" and can lead to getting answers for Lauren's parents.

ETA: In case some of you who live outside of south Louisiana didn't follow Mickey's case and are wondering what the CajunNet is: it's the gossip mill in southwest Louisiana. The only faster way to get or disseminate information than via the Internet is via the CajunNet.

BBM wow! didn't know that, that gave me the goosebumps!

 

[imkeylime]

Rumors can be extremely dangerous to innocent individuals, and to an investigation. Regarding the MS forum -- and I'm a lifelong resident of south Louisiana, btw, and was the point mod for the MS forum -- gossip and rumors nearly blew the arrest.
<rsbm>

I rest my case.

Bessie's post reminded me of something. Although the Oakland County Child Killer (OCCK) case may never be solved, I've learned some stuff. One is that fixating on one thing can obscure investigating another. For years, a blue Gremlin was hunted because a witness saw the last victim talking to someone in it. But new info suggests that a LeMans was involved in the crimes.

"The biggest frustration for Jack Kalbfleisch, retired Birmingham chief of detectives, was the task force's fixation on the blue Gremlin to the exclusion of the car that Kalbfleisch and others said likely was used in the abductions -- a 1971-72 Pontiac LeMans with a V8 engine....

"I'm still upset about it," Kalbfleisch fumed last month. He said the task force was hindered by preconceived notions and, to some degree, incompetence."

It turns out another witness had mentioned a LeMans, but that didn't make the news. The blue Gremlin was the car to find. The story seemed to take on a life of its own ...

http://www.freep.com/article/201206...-lengthy-investigation-and-a-slew-of-suspects

I only mention this because of the mystery man debate and how Tony Gatto fits into it. I agree something seems fishy there, though it could just be that he wanted to crack a sensational case and got carried away. Regardless, his reporting created a blurry focus, if you will.

FWIW, though I agree the "mystery man" was probably CR, it's not, IMO, a huge stretch to think that another man might have also carried LS the same way in the same area. In her condition, that may have been the only way to transport her (sans a car). Plus, there were a lot of guys around ...

 

[Ixchel13]

anyway, to change the subject, I have a question for everybody:

What, in your opinion, JYO, YOO, speculation, would lead up to Lauren's fake ID being back at her apt. and turned over to LE by a roommate?

some things to factor in:

she had her student ID too, that would be to "verify" to the bouncer that the fake ID was her in the picture.

she wouldn't be carrying her real ID too, because that would get her in trouble.

we know, because LE and Kilroy's have acknowledged it, that she was served using a fake ID. So, she had it with her.

None of the stories mentioned about her roommates reporting her missing mention them turning any ID in when they reported her missing, and when you think about it, why would they? would they say, "We think our friend is missing, and by the way, she was drinking with a fake ID and here it is." doubtful.

If they were bringing her real ID in, to verify who she was, doubtful the police would even mention it; and if so, not phrase it as having been "turned into LE"

IMO, the ID either was brought back to the apt. by Lauren, or someone else either brought it back or gave it to a roommate to put back. Another scenario would be that she dropped it during the altercation, one of her roomies picked it up (placing her at the altercation) or someone involved in the altercation picked it up and was good enough friends with the roomie to give it to her for safe keeping.

thoughts anyone? also to remember, not accusing the roommates of anything besides having her ID and turning it in, as reported by LE. and this and only this is what I'm discussing about them.

 

[Ixchel13]

That's true, Abbey, but one comment from the PI that was of particular significance to me seems to refute that notion.

This is not verbatim, but it's pretty close. You guys will know what I mean. When asked about LS's condition, he said, "Oh, she was alive and well! Well...maybe not so well, but she was alive."

His expressions and inflection when he said the first sentence gave me the impression what he really meant was "alive and kicking". In other words, LS was animated -- albeit probably wobbly and incoherent -- but definitely moving parts of her body and speaking.

JMO

http://archive.lohud.com/flash/spierer/index.html

so, when the PIs describe CR carrying her, she is alive, moving, but when the witness describes a man who does not look like CR with her, Lauren is incoherent, smacks her head hard, is non responsive and he picks her up and carries her.I guess that's what I'm taking with me from this long discussion
and won't debate it anymore, sorry if I have frustrated anyone with my stubbornness.
:moo::escape::seeya:

 

[akh]

Nothing that has been mentioned in the speculative narrative normally associated with this case would have LS' fake ID appearing at SW. OTOH, since we know she used a fake ID to get into Kilroy's it makes all the sense in the world her own, real, ID would be back at SW. Why would a 20 year old that is going to a bar, and carrying a fake ID to do so, want to have her real ID on her?
For ID purposes that night she'd be whoever is on the fake ID. Her real ID at best would be a potential for trouble. And at worst could be lost.

So based on what we know, or think we know, I feel comfortable enough to make the assumption that any ID found at SW in her apt would be her real ID. But I'd remain open-minded that it's possible there was a slip up in what was released to the public and we weren't supposed to know a fake ID had been found at SW.

I'm not sure it would be worth obsessing over without more info... Logic to me dictates her real ID is what it most likely was. More importantly, we're not likely to ever have any way at our disposal to know for sure which ID it was. Or if it was even reported correctly in the first place. Perhaps it was just a photo that was turned over to LE to ID her for recognition purposes?
So at best it would be a wild goose chase with no way to tie up a multitude of loose ends (as it stands now). And at worse a red herring to go even further off the path. IOW, any number of speculative scenarios could explain the fake ID getting back to the apartment but every one of them would be counter to the official narrative with no way for us to really cross anything off the list.

 

[imkeylime]

Nothing that has been mentioned in the speculative narrative normally associated with this case would have LS' fake ID appearing at SW. OTOH, since we know she used a fake ID to get into Kilroy's it makes all the sense in the world her own, real, ID would be back at SW. Why would a 20 year old that is going to a bar, and carrying a fake ID to do so, want to have her real ID on her?
For ID purposes that night she'd be whoever is on the fake ID. Her real ID at best would be a potential for trouble. And at worst could be lost.

So based on what we know, or think we know, I feel comfortable enough to make the assumption that any ID found at SW in her apt would be her real ID. But I'd remain open-minded that it's possible there was a slip up in what was released to the public and we weren't supposed to know a fake ID had been found at SW.

I'm not sure it would be worth obsessing over without more info... Logic to me dictates her real ID is what it most likely was. More importantly, we're not likely to ever have any way at our disposal to know for sure which ID it was. Or if it was even reported correctly in the first place. Perhaps it was just a photo that was turned over to LE to ID her for recognition purposes?
So at best it would be a wild goose chase with no way to tie up a multitude of loose ends (as it stands now). And at worse a red herring to go even further off the path. IOW, any number of speculative scenarios could explain the fake ID getting back to the apartment but every one of them would be counter to the official narrative with no way for us to really cross anything off the list.

Agreed ... I haven't seen anything to suggest that the fake ID was at SW, and it makes sense that it was her real ID there. But I still wonder: If JR did end up with her fake ID, was she carrying it and left it on a table, etc., or did someone give it to JR?

I'm not sure that she had pockets to carry anything in. Can anyone tell? Her jacket did, but we don't know if that ended up at JR's.

This seems like it could be significant, IMO, in that if she wasn't carrying it, that would mean CR gave it to either MB or JR, right? Or that JR saw her at another part of the night. ???

 

[Ixchel13]

"Spierer's cell phone and shoes were recovered from Kilroy's, a local bar in Bloomington where they have a sand pit (hence the reason she may not have been wearing shoes). Her ID was found at her apartment and her roommate turned it over to police.."http://www.dailypress.com/wxin-

link:

lauren-spierer-search-continues-for-missing-iu-student-20110606,0,57286.story

I don't think it's obsessive to discuss the ID.

The quote above starts with her cell phone and shoes and where they were found. Next they describe where her ID was found. The context and continuity of the info is about what she had
with her, her cell phone, shoes...and ID, IMO. Again, "found" implies someone was looking for something, something that goes with the other two items found,not her roomie taking her ID to LE to assure them it was indeed Lauren that was missing. And what she had with her, as Kilroys and LE have confirmed, was a fake ID.

also, when you "turn something in to LE", it sounds like evidence. How could her real ID be evidence, when she didn't have it with her? JMO

 

[Ixchel13]

Nothing that has been mentioned in the speculative narrative normally associated with this case would have LS' fake ID appearing at SW. OTOH, since we know she used a fake ID to get into Kilroy's it makes all the sense in the world her own, real, ID would be back at SW. Why would a 20 year old that is going to a bar, and carrying a fake ID to do so, want to have her real ID on her?
For ID purposes that night she'd be whoever is on the fake ID. Her real ID at best would be a potential for trouble. And at worst could be lost.

So based on what we know, or think we know, I feel comfortable enough to make the assumption that any ID found at SW in her apt would be her real ID. But I'd remain open-minded that it's possible there was a slip up in what was released to the public and we weren't supposed to know a fake ID had been found at SW.

I'm not sure it would be worth obsessing over without more info... Logic to me dictates her real ID is what it most likely was. More importantly, we're not likely to ever have any way at our disposal to know for sure which ID it was. Or if it was even reported correctly in the first place. Perhaps it was just a photo that was turned over to LE to ID her for recognition purposes?
So at best it would be a wild goose chase with no way to tie up a multitude of loose ends (as it stands now). And at worse a red herring to go even further off the path. IOW, any number of speculative scenarios could explain the fake ID getting back to the apartment but every one of them would be counter to the official narrative with no way for us to really cross anything off the list.

BBM, since she also had her student ID with her, her fake ID most likely had her real picture on it, to match the student ID picture, thus being her second piece of ID required.

 

[Ixchel13]

www.wbiw.com/local/.../search-continues-for-lauren-spierer.php

in this article, it says police exercised a search warrant at Lauren's apt.
oops, archived, going back for cached.www.wbiw.com/local/.../search-continues-for-lauren-spierer.php
WBIW
Jun 3, 2013 - Bloomington police execute a search warrant at Spierer's apartment .... walk laps around IU's Woodlawn Track, where Lauren liked to exercise.
You visited this page on 5/16/14.


what I'm trying to point out, MSM reports that a search warrant was issued for her apt.
did they do it because they were told they had to have it? I know LE often already has the warrant the first time they ask to come in and search, but I'm wondering if they were told they needed one?
And if so, did the roommate search her room in the meantime, and find the ID, the fake one, and like upstanding citizens, turn it in before LE would think they had something to do with it
when they didn't? Or did they find it and turn it in, and then LE issued a search warrant based on that?
I think even they, young as they were, would realize the ID there meant Lauren had been back to the apartment and inside it. Maybe they were perplexed as to how it got there when she didn't get inside.
Actually, nothing about the altercation at SW that we've read tells us she didn't get inside her apt. Some have assumed she was only stopping by, but that really doesn't make sense when it's almost 3 a.m., you're wasted, and safely home.

also, remember in Bo Dietl's interview, he mentions that "they" (could be PIs, but probably means LE) have acquired something new that they are going to test for DNA? I guess I'll have to pull up the link? or can it slide because we have linked that interview umpteen times.

 

[AbbeyR]

www.wbiw.com/local/.../search-continues-for-lauren-spierer.php

in this article, it says police exercised a search warrant at Lauren's apt.
oops, archived, going back for cached.www.wbiw.com/local/.../search-continues-for-lauren-spierer.php
WBIW
Jun 3, 2013 - Bloomington police execute a search warrant at Spierer's apartment .... walk laps around IU's Woodlawn Track, where Lauren liked to exercise.
You visited this page on 5/16/14.


what I'm trying to point out, MSM reports that a search warrant was issued for her apt.
did they do it because they were told they had to have it? I know LE often already has the warrant the first time they ask to come in and search, but I'm wondering if they were told they needed one?
And if so, did the roommate search her room in the meantime, and find the ID, the fake one, and like upstanding citizens, turn it in before LE would think they had something to do with it
when they didn't? Or did they find it and turn it in, and then LE issued a search warrant based on that?
I think even they, young as they were, would realize the ID there meant Lauren had been back to the apartment and inside it. Maybe they were perplexed as to how it got there when she didn't get inside.
Actually, nothing about the altercation at SW that we've read tells us she didn't get inside her apt. Some have assumed she was only stopping by, but that really doesn't make sense when it's almost 3 a.m., you're wasted, and safely home.

also, remember in Bo Dietl's interview, he mentions that "they" (could be PIs, but probably means LE) have acquired something new that they are going to test for DNA? I guess I'll have to pull up the link? or can it slide because we have linked that interview umpteen times.

Ixchel, your link doesn't work. Searching the same sentence brought up a bunch of articles that talk about LE "executing a search warrant at Lauren Spierer's apartment complex"

For ex: http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/06/08/indiana.missing.woman/

Police have executed a search warrant at the apartment complex where a missing Indiana University student lives, and authorities acknowledged Wednesday that they are becoming increasingly concerned about her safety....

Parker said officers were looking for copies of security camera footage from that night when they broke through the doors at Smallwood Plaza Tuesday. He did not know why they were initially denied access, but he added that Smallwood personnel have been cooperative since. He explained that they obtained the search warrant because private businesses commonly want official paperwork before turning over evidence, and that was "perfectly normal."

ETA: this is the full quote from the cached article you posted and the correct link: http://webcache.googleusercontent.c...hp+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ca&client=firefox-a

Bloomington police execute a search warrant at Spierer's apartment building, Smallwood Plaza, seeking security video

 

[Ixchel13]

websleuths.com &#8250; ... &#8250; Lauren Spierer General Discussion Threads
Jun 4, 2012 - 25 posts - &#8206;13 authors
You might be able to buy a small amount of coke from a college buddy ... But, we are talking about a bag being found by a police search of Lauren's apartment. ... The Eastern European Mafia is certainly involved in white slavery and they ..... to see her grinding up and snorting powder off a bathroom sink.

here are posts from our own site. I went back and read them, and noticed no one got in trouble or were asked to prove that police searched Lauren's apt. I acknowledged that my link was cached, some of the articles just stop with
"apartment".

But we all do know that her apartment was searched by police, don't we?
To me, it indicates that police were looking for something in particular, as well as looking for clues that she didn't just run off.

The police searched Lauren's apartment as well as her complex. When they searched the complex, they broke down the doors to the video room to confiscate tapes. The question might be, did they search her room at that time? I don't think so. Because in the link AbbeyR corrected (thanks, AbbeyR!) it says they were just going in for video.

Looks like they found mostly all of her belongings scattered except the fake ID.
Finding her regular ID would not be newsworthy. IMO, they wanted that fake ID to test it for DNA. Remember, they asked POIs for DNA swabs before ever having a body, I always thought that indicated they had something that they felt was handled by POIs, which is backed up in Bo Dietl's interview. JMO

 

[Ixchel13]

Hi Cluciano! I hope you don't mind this repost of your post on WS thread#7, Lauren Spierer, of course..
Cluciano 06-17-2011, 04:01 PM

"According to HT, police just cordoned off LS's room on Monday, June 13, to preserve possible evidence:

http://www.indystar.com/article/201...g-IU-student-tells-Bloomington-cops-her-story

Boy, that took a while if true...
Not impressed..."


this was 6 days after they broke down the doors of the video room at SW.

scenario, speculation: LE breaks down doors, gets video evidence. Roommate finds out, then
turns over FAKE ID, LE comes in 6 days later (takes time to get warrant?) and cordons off room, finds the white powder. All the while, they know JW has been in the room? I'm not the first to speculate that JW might have planted the white powder; with JR's statement that Lauren did cocaine and klonopin + planting some coke in her room, you have an OD scenario with no one
else collaborating that except HT's, "this time she just went to far." Not to mention that she
stuck up for both of them right away and became their cheerleader (Jesse is just the best boyfriend in the world!") and spokesperson ("Lauren called DR from JR's phone"--when the only way she could have found that out was from JR and only JR).
What a trio of liars, JMO.

 

[akh]

How likely would it be to find DNA on an ID?

 

[Ixchel13]

How likely would it be to find DNA on an ID?

very likely, unless it had been wiped down=suspicious

What is Touch DNA?

As forensic DNA technology has become a common tool in criminal investigations, scientists have attempted to obtain DNA evidence from what were once considered unlikely sources. &#8220;Touch DNA&#8221; refers to the DNA that is left behind from skin cells when a person touches or comes into contact with an item.

Touch DNA is not Low Copy Number (LCN) DNA. LCN DNA profiling allows a very small amount of DNA to be analyzed, from as little as 5 to 20 cells. Because of the small amount of starting DNA in LCN samples, many more cycles of amplification are necessary.

Touch DNA samples at Bode are processed/amplified exactly the same way as blood, semen, saliva etc, and are therefore admissible in court.

Humans shed tens of thousands of skin cells each day, and these cells are transferred to every surface our skin contacts. When a crime is committed, if the perpetrator deposits a sufficient number of skin cells on an item at the scene, and that item is collected as possible evidence, touch DNA analysis may be able to link the perpetrator to the crime scene. Touch DNA has been successfully sampled from countless items including gun grips, steering wheels, eating utensils, and luggage handles, just to name a few.

However, since Touch DNA is usually deposited in smaller amounts than the DNA found in bloodstains or other body fluids, it is more difficult to obtain DNA profiles from touch DNA samples. The key to obtaining successful Touch DNA results depends on recognizing items which may be suitable for Touch DNA analysis and using the sampling technique that will recover the highest number of skin cells.

Many labs test for Touch DNA using either the swabbing or cutting method. In the &#8220;swabbing method&#8221;, the surface of the item is rubbed with a cotton swab to collect possible cells. This method is preferred for hard items such as glass or plastic.

http://www.bodetech.com/forensic-solutions/dna-technologies/touch-dna/

one of the references for this article:

Schulz M, Reichert W. Archived or directly
swabbed latent fingerprints as a DNA source
for STR typing. Forensic Sci Int. 2002;127:128-

Touch DNA can be obtained by swabbing latent fingerprints. So, if any of these people around that night have ever been arrested, and we know they have, is that why the Spierers could be
looking into their various LE and School records? I wonder if they are asking for copies, or the original records?

 

[AbbeyR]

Since kpeacock published the response received from BPD (Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community - View Single Post - IN - Lauren Spierer, 20, Bloomington, 03 June 2011 #32)

I've been curious about this part-



Someone attempted to use FOIA to obtain BPD documentation as of last year:

http://www.justice.gov/oip/docs/closed-foia-log-july-2013.pdf; p12, and were passed along to the state level.

Ok, lets check out Indiana code. IC 5-14-3-4 version a (b)(1): all 'Investigatory records of law enforcement agencies' are excepted from the public's right to inspect. To me, Qualters' suggestion that "your group could make a request under public access and get whatever any other request has received" appears to be a time waster and dead end leading to easy denial.


However, certain LE documents (detailed in IC 5-14-3-5) must be made available. There aren't any relevant arrest or summons records of interest that I can think of, but IC 5-14-3-5 (c) does mention:



I would think this may apply to the initial police report; time it was made, who was present, and details reported. Is there anything there or elsewhere in another ongoing investigation exception that may help inform the public to something? It's a bit of effort to go through the process of filing, so I was hoping to hear ideas that may be beneficial to the investigation rather than confirming a piece of gossip or satisfying someone's curiosity of a timestamp. Thoughts?

I think this is a good question. I'm not sure about the answer though - I'm not sure how detailed this kind of initial police report would be or what information it would contain that we don't already know...

I imagine it might give a bit more insight into the reasons for concern, which could possibly confirm or reveal a bit more about some of the things we've speculated on here (like the first versions of what was heard about Lauren leaving 5 N?) On the other hand, all of this is known to the Spierers and friends of Lauren who gave interviews, so maybe we already know most of this information (or at least what they think would be beneficial to share with the public).

What are your thoughts, Bx2? Or others?