IN - Lauren Spierer, 20, Bloomington, 03 June 2011 - #5

[bgmiller5]

What would the purpose be for manipulating a photo in this case? I just dont see anything positive that can come from that move. Getting as much information out to the public is the most important thing right now. If they have the ability to identify the car in greater detail they would do so. If they knew LS was in the car they have no reason not to mention it unless they are 100% positive that she is dead and are basically only investigating the crime and not her whereabouts. While I think that this is unfortunately the most likely scenario, they still have to hope this is an abduction and someone is holding her against her will and, thus, proceed as quickly as possible.

I wouldn't want to whole world to have a photo of my daughter being held against her will in the back of a truck, if that is what the photo is as many people have believed it could be (Lauren, not my daughter). Maybe that's just me.

 

[mistivon]

That's definitely the truck, great job!

 

[kissdegirl]

Does anyone know exactly what buildings this truck was in front of when the stills were taken? I am curious if we can put them on a map and figure out if it could have been seen on any of the other cameras that Btown has informed us about.

Also, the pic of the passenger side shows the truck driving towards the camera, and the front of the truck is cut off. Obviously the truck came into view of the camera earlier, and this still was taken at the end of the frame. (We can come to this conclusion because there is a small stretch of road behind the truck, which the truck had to have passed to get in the spot that it is in on photo)

I know that Indiana doesn't require us to use front license plates, but often many people put a "supplement plate" in that spot. Sometimes it could be a sports team, a charity, etc....

I'm wondering if there was anything on the front at all that would further help identify it.

Additionally, if LE had released a still of when the truck was first in view of the camera, we would probably be able to directly see in the windshield (depending on reflections).

That would help people identify how many people were in the truck, perhaps even tell if the driver was male or female. And if the photo was clear in any way, people may be able to identify the driver.

Either LE didn't release this information because they dont want to receive a bunch of false leads, or they have a different reason they did not release the still from the front view.

These look like the same windows to me in the left behind the patio with umbrella's. It was taken by Btown at 10th and the alley.
In the dark images you can still make out the awnings over the windows.

 

[Janeumayer]

I wanted to do this earlier but I was sidetracked. Here is the set of Btown's photos which cover the area in question.

To me it looks like the 3rd pic down? The north morton one with the 3 cameras on 10th and College Village Apartments? I think its the middle camera you can see it faces down and if you notice it has the same light fixture sticking out of the wall. MOO

 

[mrsu]

IMO from what I can tell re: the text on the side

their appears to be 2 lines...first line has 2 words. A shorter, then longer word.
Second line I'm betting would be a phone number.

 

[epiphany]

That's definitely the truck, great job!

Could very well be!

 

[coltsgal]

Well if we are assuming there is somebody sitting in the bed of the truck, and LE wanted to remove that image, clearly they could have done a better job. Personally while it does appear as if somebody was sitting in the bed of the truck, I think it's a trick of light.

It very well could be a trick of light.

Do you have any idea how many times I had walked at night where I "saw" something? Upon closer look, it ends up being completely nothing...like a garbage can or an electrical box.

Things always look different in the dark. Even in my own house. My living room looks normal in the daytime or when the lights are on, but when the lights go off, there are shadows and reflections anywhere and thats when you're eyes start to play tricks on you.

 

[jjenny]

It very well could be a trick of light.

Do you have any idea how many times I had walked at night where I "saw" something? Upon closer look, it ends up being completely nothing...like a garbage can or an electrical box.

Things always look different in the dark. Even in my own house. My living room looks normal in the daytime or when the lights are on, but when the lights go off, there are shadows and reflections anywhere and thats when you're eyes start to play tricks on you.

Like the face on Mars.

 

[Chili Fries]

I'm trying to picture this in my head, but if you're using the reflected image...it would be backward, correct?

Therefore I can't see how it would begin with an R and end with a Y.

You are correct, it would be backward. That is the passenger side and the writing would start closer to the bed and go toward the front of the truck.

 

[mrsu]

I cannot imagine any reason why LE would smudge any part of a vehicle they were asking for help identifying. Keep in mind that this vehicle was MOVING while the camera was capturing stills, not to mention it was dark out. Text that small, and far away, would most definitely look "blurred" as it cruised by and the camera snapped a pic.

 

[Julessleuther]

Very true, JJenny, very true. I was just offering a different perspective, which is what we all do here at WS. I never put words in your mouth, I just was offering a reason why people here are concentrating on the truck photos, which you seemed, in your previous posts, to dismiss. Just offering a different idea/opinion, not trying to pick a fight...

I never said no one would put her in the bed of the truck-just that it would not be a smart thing to do. As for LE, they are looking for leads. If this truck was in the area about the time Lauren is said to have gone missing, of course LE is going to try and find out if this truck could have been involved. But there is a possibility it had nothing to do with it.

 

[mistivon]

ok, so nothing I can think of begins with a small letter and ends with a capital....anyone have any thoughts now on the lettering?

 

[coltsgal]

ok, so nothing I can think of begins with a small letter and ends with a capital....anyone have any thoughts now on the lettering?

No. But you have to think about it in reverse.

Just because it looks like a small or big letter in the enhanced photo that was used, doesn't mean it is. You would have to use the actual truck, or put the reflected image up to a mirror to get the letters.

It doesn't necessarily mean that it starts with a small letter and ends with a capital.

I think that theory of those letters should be ruled out, because of the fact that the reflected image was used, and could be almost impossible to verify letters, numbers, or logos.

 

[The Smurf]

I wouldn't want to whole world to have a photo of my daughter being held against her will in the back of a truck, if that is what the photo is as many people have believed it could be (Lauren, not my daughter). Maybe that's just me.

Good point. But, if Lauren is in the truck the entire investigation takes a turn and we are aware she is in the truck anyways.

 

[coltsgal]

I wouldn't want to whole world to have a photo of my daughter being held against her will in the back of a truck, if that is what the photo is as many people have believed it could be (Lauren, not my daughter). Maybe that's just me.

I agree. But IF she is in the truck, we wouldn't know if she originally got in there voluntarily or was forced against her will.

 

[Hope32]

The reason for not having a front shot from the one camera is, a lot of security cameras recording very few frames per second, so it could have been out of view at the time the image was shot. At work it can miss someone walking in the room, but catch them sitting down

 

[cluciano63]

Seems to me if they thought she was in the truck, they would have been setting up roadblocks since they first saw the video, trying to pin down any similar trucks...not wasting any time at all.

I hope they know whose it is tomorrow, so we can stop speculating...my eyes hurt from looking at the images.

 

[kissdegirl]

To me it looks like the 3rd pic down? The north morton one with the 3 cameras on 10th and College Village Apartments? I think its the middle camera you can see it faces down and if you notice it has the same light fixture sticking out of the wall. MOO

I was just going to do this. Yes, I think this one is right too. The camera that you see the whole profile of is taking this shot as the truck approaches the stop sign at Morton on 10th.

So, both camera shots are of the truck at roughly the same place...between the alley and Morton on 10th street.

 

[jjenny]

Good point. But, if Lauren is in the truck the entire investigation takes a turn and we are aware she is in the truck anyways.

If LE believed a person was sitting in the bed of that truck, and they did not want public to know it, they could have completely removed that blurry image in the bed of the truck, whatever it is.

 

[Janeumayer]

You know, I was just thinking that the smudges in the pics could be from the dirty lens on the camera.