Truck no longer considered in Spierer case

The white truck that police released footage of last week has been eliminated from consideration in the case of the missing 20 year-old IU student, Lauren Spierer, BPD Capt. Joe Qualters informed the press Monday.

After receiving numerous tips on the vehicle, including pictures of the same truck taken by members of the public, the white truck was able to be identified as belonging to a local business owner who the police will not identify.

The business owner told the police that he was picking up an employee in the footage that was released. The police originally identified that truck as potentially suspect when video footage seemed to show the vehicle passing twice through the area where Lauren disappeared. When the footage was released, the police stressed that the time on the cameras could be incorrect, which ended up being the case.

The white truck could be seen on two different cameras, each of which was connected to a separate computer system that had different times, making it seem as though the vehicle passed through twice when it only passed through once.

Police have talked to the business owner and corroborated everything that he said on video surveillance. A police officer accompanied the business owner in the white truck along the route that the business owner claimed to have taken the night Lauren disappeared, and video surveillance supported his claim. The business owner has been fully cooperative with the police.

Capt. Qualters also said that a bag of clothing was retrieved from behind a dumpster at Smallwood Plaza, but that it turned out to have “no significance to this case,” Qualters said.

Qualters said it was possible that someone tried to throw the bag into the dumpster and missed, which explains why it seemed to be hidden behind it.

The search that took place yesterday afternoon in a wooded area south of Martinsville turned up no information.

Police had received a tip at about 3:30 p.m. Sunday that there was a body in the area. BPD followed up with the person who made the tip who then clarified that there was a suspicious odor but they had not seen a body.

The police then searched the area where the odor was reported and found what appeared to be a suspicious mound of about two feet by four feet that appeared to be fresh. Police dug up the mound but found “absolutely nothing,” Qualters said.

Police are not in a position to give more consideration to one statement and less to another, Qualters said. He also characterized the investigation as still in the information-gathering stage.

When asked if he found the investigation’s progress frustrating, Qualters said “I think, from a personal perspective, the only frustration is the we are not able to provide an answer. We will not be satisfied until we can provide an answer to what happened to Lauren.”

Lauren’s father, Robert Spierer, then thanked the media for their coverage of the story, adding that when they have contacted the Spierers, the media has “given us space when we’ve needed space.

The questions have been respectful, and we appreciate that.” Robert also thanked volunteers and encouraged anyone who is able to help with the search today to go to the search headquarters at McNutt Quad.

As the search has now expanded to many of the large, rural areas around Bloomington, Robert asked landowners to allow volunteers to have access to their property for searches. Gloves, ponchos, bug spray and food are being provided to volunteers, Robert added.

Lauren’s mother, Charlene Spierer, then made a statement. She said that she wanted to “say to the person who has that info: We all come to a crossroads in our life where we can take the high road or the low road. I’m begging and pleading with you to define yourself as a person that’s going to help with this. Our only goal is to find Lauren. Please take the high road.”

BPD press conferences on the Lauren Spierer case will continue this week on Wednesday and Friday at 11:30 a.m. The volunteer headquarters for the search has been moved to McNutt Quad. Searches will now depart from there and start at 8 a.m. with searches going until 5:30 p.m.