BPD still analyzing vehicle footage, give updated information on Lauren’s clothing

On the 12th day in the search for Lauren Spierer, the Bloomington Police Department still has no leads or suspects, but they do have a better description of what Lauren was wearing the night she disappeared.

After conducting interviews with the 20-year-old IU student’s friends and analyzing video footage of her, BPD knows Lauren was wearing a white v-neck shirt with sleeves to her elbow that are in a bell or butterfly shape. The shirt also scooped at the bottom and the material was distressed. She was also wearing black leggings, and police now know they had silver zippers at the ankles.

During Monday’s press conference, Capt. Joe Qualters said their attention had been brought to a vehicle in a video near where Lauren disappeared at 11th Street and College Avenue. During Tuesday’s press conference, he said the FBI is still processing the video, and he hopes he can release details about the vehicle on Wednesday.

“We do have an indication of what that car looks like,” Qualters said. “If we release a generic description, we’re afraid we’ll waste resources on too many leads.”

Qualters said that he believes that BPD has conducted preliminary interviews with all of the original persons of interest, and everyone has been cooperative. He also said that BPD has heard many rumors about Lauren, and they’re not disregarding anything they’ve heard.

“If you close your mind off to any possibility, then you close your mind off of what could have possibly happened,” Qualters said.

As of today, BPD has received about 1,000 tips related to this case, and more than 350 tips came through the tip system they set up with the FBI to handle calls after the airing of “America’s Most Wanted.”

The searches continue for Lauren at 11 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. each day starting from Eighth Street and College Avenue. Trained personnel from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children are helping with the search as well as Texas

EquuSearch, which left early today for searches on horseback in rural areas.

Lauren’s father, Robert Spierer, said IU has made a generous financial offer to aid in their search for Lauren. Lauren’s family has also offered a $100,000 reward for her return.

“Let me be firm that we’re here, we’re energetic every day, and we’re going to aggressively search until we find Lauren,” Robert Spierer said.

Charlene Spierer, Lauren’s mother, once again spoke to whoever has Lauren or knows about her whereabouts that “it’s time to come forward.” She said that Lauren is a sweet, bubbly girl who, if she was here, would be doing a much better job at doing this,” Charlene said.

“I start everyday thinking today will be the day, and I go to bed every night thinking I’ve failed and that I haven’t done enough,” she said as she broke into tears.

For video of Charlene Spierer's statement, click here.

For full audio of the press briefing, click here.