WI - Audrey Seiler for faking abduction, Madison, 2004

[Newswolf]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,117162,00.html

"A college student who staged her own disappearance last month will try to reach a plea agreement and avoid trial on charges she obstructed officers, her attorney said Thursday.



Audrey Seiler (search), 20, a University of Wisconsin-Madison (search) sophomore from Rockford, Minn., faces up to nine months in jail and a $10,000 fine for each of two misdemeanor charges. Her attorney, Randy Hopper, appeared on her behalf Thursday in Dane County Circuit Court.

Hopper said he will meet with District Attorney Brian Blanchard (search) but would not elaborate what kind of agreement he would like to reach for Seiler.

Seiler will remain free on a signature bond, Court Commissioner Todd Meurer said. Hopper said Seiler was home with her parents in Rockford, Minn.

"She obviously is dealing with a lot of trauma related to this, she's going through a very difficult time. She's having both some emotional and some physical problems to deal with as you might expect somebody who's gone through something like this," Hopper said after appearing in court. "

 

[Trino]

I wish I could recall where I heard this, but I believe the community (Rockford) in MN isn't exactly your poor shantytown. I would guess her attorney is a good one. I predict Audrey will never see jail time. A fine? Probably community service. However, Audrey apparently faked an attack last February, said she was knocked out, yet she was not sexually attacked, nothing was stolen. The police, in my opinion, should charge her with filing a false report about that incident, too.

If the boyfriend is smart, he's disappear. (The reason she faked her disappearance is because he wanted to break up with her.) If you were him, would you continue a relationship with this woman?

 

[mindys]

I wish I could recall where I heard this, but I believe the community (Rockford) in MN isn't exactly your poor shantytown. I would guess her attorney is a good one. I predict Audrey will never see jail time. A fine? Probably community service. However, Audrey apparently faked an attack last February, said she was knocked out, yet she was not sexually attacked, nothing was stolen. The police, in my opinion, should charge her with filing a false report about that incident, too.

If the boyfriend is smart, he's disappear. (The reason she faked her disappearance is because he wanted to break up with her.) If you were him, would you continue a relationship with this woman?

I'd go one step further, if Ryan were my son, he's still just 20, I would put the foot down, stay away from her, for both their well being. This relationship is toxic on both sides. My gosh, if she had become pregnant (hope she isn't) what a mess that would be to bring a baby into.

 

[Searching for Audrey]

The thoughts that roll through your mind are unimaginable when a loved one goes missing & how or why this Audrey Seiler decided to create the hoax of her disappearance saddens me & also enrages me...The two counts she received are nothing compared to the "life" sentence of those who are "truly" searching for a missing loved one.
While watching her name appear on Nat'l news & seeing the amount of police manpower that was involved in finding this young woman our thoughts here in NY, where my good friend Audrey May Herron is STILL missing, were of compassion when it first made the headlines...for we were all knowing of the heartache this poor girls family must have felt...then when the news broke days later of the hoax, our feelings were of unimaginable horror of the fact that this woman "faked" her disappearance & wasted precious time that could have been well spent on a person who is actually missing!
Whatever her reason, the conviction handed down will never redeem her actions in eyes of those who are still searching...Along with her conviction she ought to be made to spend time working with organizations & families that are searching for lost loved ones...she should be made painfully aware of what it is like to be in the shoes of the family & friends of the missing.
My friend Audrey is one of thousands with a family desperately searching & seeking the help of the media ... one who did not receive Nat'l attention to her case...this Audrey Seiler's name still remains a headline while my friend Audrey barely makes the local news.

One may forgive her choice to do such a hoax but no one will forget it! Certainly not I nor the families of others in this never-ending nightmare.
Shame on this young woman & all she has taken from all of us STILL searching.

Searching for Audrey...Marie

http://audreymayherron.expage.com

 

[Marthatex]

Audrey is only 20, and obviously very immature, not to mention self-centered. I hate to say it, but I am seeing many young adults who are the same. Maybe I was too at that age, but I don't remember LOL. Sometimes when kids are expected to be perfect, doted on, told they are nothing but wonderful, told how beautiful they are and bragged to parents' friends about their model portfolios and perfect grades, they are not loved for themselves but for what they achieve. Alot of kids are doing community service for their resume and don't care a whit about it.

I don't know if this is the case here, but I have seen controlling, highly ambitious, doting parents like these all too often. Maybe the fault does not lie entirely in Audrey. I know i often did crazy things and got upset about boyfriends between the ages of 18-22.

On the other hand, I think she should certainly have to do alot of restitution but mainly alot of psychotherapy so she can straighten out her life. I understand how Mr. Cooke feels; he lives in my area and it is so sad about his daughter. I have always wondered how she could have disappeared without a trace.

 

[Newswolf]

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBNKRB05WD.html

Audrey Seiler, the University of Wisconsin-Madison student who faked her abduction, was sentenced Thursday to three years' probation after she pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts.
Seiler read a statement during the court hearing in which she attributed the ordeal to severe depression that caused her to act irrationally.

"I'm taking care of myself now, so someday people will see I'm still a girl to be proud of," said Seiler, who withdrew from school after the widely publicized incident and is in therapy.

 

[deputylinda]

sad case. and it cost the taxpayers a lot of money.

 

[Lakergirl123]

Big deal - three years' probation!
:loser:
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Student pleads guilty to faking her own abduction

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Audrey Seiler, the University of Wisconsin-Madison student who faked her abduction, was sentenced Thursday to three years' probation after she pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts.

Seiler read a statement during the court hearing in which she attributed the ordeal to severe depression that caused her to act irrationally.

"I'm taking care of myself now, so someday people will see I'm still a girl to be proud of," said Seiler, who withdrew from school after the widely publicized incident and is in therapy.

Seiler, 20, pleaded guilty to two counts of obstructing officers as part of a plea agreement. She nodded softly as Dane County Circuit Judge James Martin ticked off the conditions of her probation. They include reimbursing the Madison Police Department $250 a month during her probation, an amount that could increase to $400 a month if she graduates during her probation and gets a job.

Seiler, of Rockford, Minn., can have the charges expunged from her record if she completes her probation.
...snip


http://www.courttv.com/people/2004/0701/fakeabduction_ap.html

 

[Tricia]

This is a sad case. It seems as if she was under so much stress that she just lost it.

I hope she gets the help she truly needs.

 

[mssheila]

Audrey Seiler's "saga" will be the subject of an hour-long show on CourtTv on Thursday, April 20th at 9 pm Central.

Being local to this story, I remember the worry, the fear, and then when she was found to have faked the entire thing, the OUTRAGE of this community. It was such an ordeal.

http://www.courttv.com/onair/shows/the_investigators/q_z_episodes/tracing_audrey.html

 

[lisag]

That's dumb... She had her 15 minutes, let it go... She's not working with a full deck!!

 

[mssheila]

She definetely did have her 15 minutes, but I will be watching the show. I'd like to see the entire thing put together in one cohesive story.

 

[close_enough]

thanks for the heads up...i marked it on my calendar to watch Thursday night

 

[NewMom2003]

Thanks for the heads up. Did she ever have to pay restitution for what she did or were there any charges ever filed against her?

 

[lisag]

Thanks for the heads up. Did she ever have to pay restitution for what she did or were there any charges ever filed against her?

This is all I could find:

http://wcca.wicourts.gov/caseDetail...EA2E469D0B6E83971013C0&recordCount=1&offset=0

 

[newtv]

what did she do- i dont know the case

 

[Ntegrity]

I hope she's gotten some intense psychiatric help.

 

[mssheila]

Newt- She faked her own abduction. It was quite an ordeal. They were searching the city- scouring for her. I even did some searching. It turned out that someone in a high rise over looking a swampy area caught sight of her- ALONE- and the police "rescued" her, not knowing that there wasn't a bad guy right behind her. In the end the community was OUTRAGED that she just "ran off" and made up the abduction story.
ETA: the manhunt after her safe return continued for her "captor" in the swamp after her rescue. Costing the city and county a heck of a lot of money. We're talking choppers, infared heat sensing equipment for the swamp, and lots and lots of cops, dogs, etc... She finally came clean within a day or two.



ETA link: http://www.answers.com/topic/audrey-seiler

 

[newtv]

Newt- She faked her own abduction. It was quite an ordeal. They were searching the city- scouring for her. I even did some searching. It turned out that someone in a high rise over looking a swampy area caught sight of her- ALONE- and the police "rescued" her, not knowing that there wasn't a bad guy right behind her. In the end the community was OUTRAGED that she just "ran off" and made up the abduction story.
ETA: the manhunt after her safe return continued for her "captor" in the swamp after her rescue. Costing the city and county a heck of a lot of money. We're talking choppers, infared heat sensing equipment for the swamp, and lots and lots of cops, dogs, etc... She finally came clean within a day or two.



ETA link: http://www.answers.com/topic/audrey-seiler

thxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
i guess i could have googled that but I like hearing it here first.lol
thx so mcu-I sorta recall this now....wasnt she a student or something..

 

[mssheila]

Yes, she was a student at UW Madison. She shamed herself right back to Minnesota though, after all that.