Investigators say Lauren Spierer was last seen at 4:30 a.m. and was in the Bloomington, Indiana area near the corner of 11th Street and College Avenue on June 3. Since then, hundreds of volunteers and law enforcement officials have donated their time to help find the missing student.
On July 4, investigators in Indiana sent out new information about a body they discovered. On Tuesday, the Marion County Corner’s office said the remains are those of an African American woman. Her official cause of death has yet to be determined.
Lauren is a fashion student at Indiana University and was scheduled to start an internship this summer at a Manhattan Anthropologie. She is small, only 4 feet 11 inches tall with blond hair and blue eyes. Lauren was last seen wearing a white v-neck shirt, scooped at the bottom in the back and front, the sleeves fell to her elbow and are described as “bell” or “butterfly.” The shirt may have a “distressed” look. Lauren had black leggins with possible zippers at the bottom.
Investigators say Nadirah Ruffin, 19, was abducted at gunpoint on March 26 and last week Nadirh’s remains were found in Philadelphia in the Schuylkill River inside Fairmount Park. Nadirah, who was the mother of a four-year-old son, body was found duct-taped and handcuffed. Authorities say her remains were badly decomposed and had to be identified through dental records.
At a press conference late last week authorities say the car used in this murder could be a Ford Focus type with a New Jersey license plate. The FBI is also assisting local authorities. There is a $20,000 reward for information leading to her killer(s).
If you know anything about this brutal murder, please call authorities: (609) 909-7800 or call Crime Stoppers: (609) 652-1234
A manhunt is on to find a husband and wife who police say murdered and dismembered a Los Angeles man and left his remains in a motel. Herbert Tracey White, 49, is described as a loving man, someone who took care of the homeless in downtown LA, and someone who unselfishly gave his time and money to help others. Investigators told me they found Herbert’s body in a Los Angeles motel room on November 29. He was cut into pieces and stored in a backpack. Other body parts were found wrapped in a blanket.
Upon the horrible discovery, detectives also noticed the suspect or suspects attempted to clean up the crime scene and remove the body, but for some reason they left the parts behind and fled.
Through the investigation, detectives first figured out who was staying at the motel room and worked their way backwards from there. On December 6, an arrest warrant was issued for a husband and wife. Edward Garcia Jr., 36, and his wife, Melissa Hope Garcia, 25, are now charged with Herbert’s murder.
UPDATE: Arrest made in this case. Sanders was picked up yesterday at a truck stop in Gulfport, Mississippi. A source told me a tip came in last Wednesday from a truck stop that the suspect was coming in to shower on the weekends and buy candy bars. Authorities set up surveillance and he was picked up yesterday. The vehicle was also seized, Sanders swapped out the license plates on the car. More to come.
This case was originally brought to me a couple of weeks ago from one of my U.S. Marshal contacts. Yesterday, the investigation advanced to new levels and now the FBI and U.S. Marshals are on the hunt for a man they believe kidnapped Lexis.
It all began on October 8, 2010 when hunters in Harrisonburg, Louisiana stumbled across what they believed to be human remains. The men contacted the Catahoula Parish Sheriff’s Office and an immediate investigation went underway. Since then the FBI, U.S. Marshals, U.S. Postal Service, Office of Louisiana Attorney General and the LSU Forensic Anthropology and Computer Enhancement Services have all been on the case.
UPDATE:Investigators confirm they have found Zahra Baker’s remains in North Carolina. Authorities found the bones earlier this week in an isolated location, dug beneath the earth in a large grave. A “no fly” zone was erected above the area where investigators were searching, that zone would not allow news choppers above.
Hickory Police Chief Tom Adkins said earlier today at a press conference, “I’ve been dreading this moment [since] early on in this investigation. As investigators we are trained to follow leads, but never give up the hope the evidence may take us in the wrong direction and the outcome may be different. We have recovered enough physical evidence to believe we have found Zahra.” Chief Adkins continued to say that he and his staff are devastated.
Zahra’s mother has arrived in the United States from Australia. Stay tuned for updates on this case…
Northern Illinois University students are on edge as they learn that one of their missing classmates may have been burned to death in a nearby wooded area. Antinette “Toni” Keller has been missing since October 14 and her remains “may” have been found two days later. Investigators confirm they found charred human remains in DeKalb Park on October 16, as well as items consistent with property possibly belonging to Toni. The problem is that because of the damage to the body, it is difficult to say for certain that it is her. Investigators say the reason for the delay in announcing that they found remains was because of the fact that it took them more than a week to even determine if it was a human body. Despite the official body confirmation, authorities have shifted Toni’s case from a death investigation to a homicide investigation. Although all signs point to the body being Toni, it may take a little time to say for certain that it is in fact her.
Ingmar Guandique, the man charged with murdering Chandra Levy, will appear in court today. The 28-year-old illegal alienfrom El Salvador pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and other charges, and his attorneys are requesting a new venue for his trial. They believe massive media coverage will not allow him to have a fair trial.
Guandique was already serving a ten-year sentence in California for attacks on two other women in Rock Creek Park. In 2002, Chandra’s remains were found in the same park. Investigators believe Chandra was murdered on May 1, 2001. At the time of her death, Chandra was interning at the Federal Bureau of Prisons and was having an alleged affair with Congressman Gary Condit (D-Calif). Condit was never named a suspect.
Michelle Sigona is a crime fighting, victims advocate extraordinaire, but for Michelle -- the good fight doesn't stop there. In her spare time, she is a volunteer firefighter -- and now, she is tackling the issues and cases that mean the most to her....
