IU student studying overseas reported missing

An Indianapolis family's concerns are growing after their daughter, an IU junior, went missing last week while studying abroad in England.\nLisa Wright, who had just completed an overseas program in London April 15, has not responded to any of the family's e-mails in more than a week.\nMatthew Stewart, Wright's uncle and a 25-year veteran of the Indianapolis Police Department, said the family was concerned when they had not heard from Wright after she finished classes and an internship at Merrill Lynch.\n"Several of our family members, including her mother, have been e-mailing her since last Friday without a response," Stewart said. "Lisa normally communicates with us on a daily basis so that was very uncharacteristic of her."\nOnce Wright's program ended 10 days ago, Stewart said she planned to go directly to a military base two hours from London where her cousin lived. During a previous trip one month ago, Wright left her cell phone with her cousin on the base and planned to pick it up before her family visited to sightsee in London, a trip they had planned to embark on today.\nWright had spoken to her cousin on several occasions prior to her disappearance, including April 19, the last time anyone spoke to her. But then her plans changed.\n"Lisa indicated she would not be coming to the base and that she decided to find a bed-and-breakfast location in London and stay," Stewart said. "She called her cousin and said to mail her phone to an address where either she would be staying or where she would have contact."\nWright never made it there. That phone call to her cousin is the last contact she had with any family member.\nStewart said that address is initially where London Police were sent, but there was so sign of Wright.\nA London police duty press officer was not in the office at press time to comment on the investigation.\nWright's family became increasingly worried when they received an unpaid tuition bill from Arcadia University, the Pennsylvania college that organized the study abroad program Wright was attending.\n"Lisa is a business major with a concentration in finance," Stewart said. "She's very particular for details and she has never let a bill of any kind, especially one of that importance, go astray -- so that raised a red flag."\nWhen her family checked her bank account, they noticed thousands of dollars were missing, and Wright's account balance was negative. Her family said Wright had saved money for her trip to England and the activity in her account was uncharacteristic of her personality.\n"The other major piece (of the puzzle) is that thousands of dollars have been withdrawn from not only her checking account but her savings account over a period of a number of days," Stewart said. "Lisa never touches her savings account, let alone removes thousands of dollars in such a short time." \nStewart said he is concerned the police in London are not doing all they can to help bring Wright home.\n"It is our feeling right now that the London Police Department might simply be treating this as another simple missing persons case, and that is just not the case," Stewart said. "As a police officer, I know in missing person cases time is very critical, time is of the essence. The more time that lulls is very critical in the safe return of Lisa Wright."\nWright's family contacted U.S. Sens. Evan Bayh and Richard Lugar who contacted the U.S. State Department, raising an international alert for Wright. A spokeswoman for the State Department said because of privacy reasons they could not release any information but that they were doing what they could to aid in the investigation.\nThe family is asking anyone who has communicated with Wright this month to come forward despite whether or not they think the communication was of importance.\n"We would like to hear from them because even though it may not be significant to them it may be critical information," Stewart said. "We ask the community to continue to pray for Lisa's safe return ... we are a family of faith and we would appreciate prayers."\nStewart said the family also urges the community to contact local and state officials, including Sens. Bayh and Lugar, Congresswoman Julia Carson and Gov. Mitch Daniels on Wright's behalf. The hope is that officials can contact the State Department to pressure London Police "so no stone is left unturned," Stewart said.\nIU Police Department officers and IU officials were notified over the weekend about Wright's disappearance.\n"Unfortunately, we're rather geographically detached and at this point all we can do is contact authorities in London and they're currently attempting to locate her at addresses she was last known to frequent or live," IUPD Lt. Jerry Minger said.\nDirector of IU Media Relations Larry MacIntyre said IU was notified of the situation Friday.\n"The following morning, Dean of Students (Richard) McKaig asked the Office of Overseas Study to send an e-mail to all program participants asking them to contact IU if they might have any information about Lisa's whereabouts," MacIntyre said. "The e-mail went out early Saturday, and as of Sunday morning, we had not received any additional information from any students who were sent e-mails."\nStewart said members of Wright's family who were originally leaving today to visit Wright in London are still headed overseas, but instead intend to aid in the investigation. The very nature of Wright's personality has led her family to worry even more about her whereabouts.\n"Lisa had a very good relationship with the family, in fact, as I can recall, I have never known Lisa to get in an argument with any family member," Stewart said.\nWhile the family is waiting to hear any news on Wright's whereabouts, they remember her for her exceptional academic performance and spirited outlook.\n"Lisa was very outgoing and uplifting. She was the kind of person everyone would want to be around," Stewart said. "You'd probably be hard-pressed to find a person to say something derogatory about her in regard to her personality."\n-- Contact Campus Editor Mallory Simon at mgsimon@indiana.edu.