Vigil held in Scarsdale, N.Y. for missing student

SCARSDALE, N.Y. — Hundreds of people gathered in the village Tuesday night at the Scarsdale Synagogue Temples Tremont and Emanu-El to hold vigil for Lauren Spierer, a local college student who has gone missing in Bloomington, Ind.

They were hoping against long odds that Spierer, who grew up in Edgemont and is studying fashion at Indiana University, would be found safe and healthy soon.

“We have come together as a community to support this family,” Rabbi Stephen Klein said. “We continue to keep hope and faith alive.”

Gabrielle Kohn, 24, of White Plains is a close friend of Spierer’s older sister, Rebecca. She said she plans to go to Bloomington today to help with search efforts.

“I have known Lauren since she was like 2 years old,” she said. “She is the most giving person and has a bubbly personality. She could light up a room.”

Spierer, 20, disappeared early Friday after a long night of drinking in which she lost track of her shoes, cellphone and keys — all within just a few blocks of her off-campus apartment.

While search groups head out three times a day in Bloomington, the story of Spierer’s disappearance has gained national media — and social media — attention.

Her parents, Robert and wife Charlene,  appeared on NBC’s “Today” show Tuesday morning. News has been broadcast on Facebook, with a page titled “Help Find Lauren Spierer- Missing from Indiana University” — one of at least three set up for the cause — attracting nearly 12,000 followers as of late Tuesday afternoon.

A Facebook event page set up to spread the word about the search had reached nearly 72,000 participants.

On Twitter, celebrities including “American Idol” host Ryan Seacrest, 1980s heartthrob Scott Baio and reality TV star Kim Kardashian, have sent notes to their hundreds of thousands of followers about the hunt for Spierer in response to pleas from her friends.

“IU student Lauren Spierer MISSING,” Baio wrote. “Pls share on social sites. She’s a neighbor of our frds.”

At the news conference, Robert Spierer thanked the volunteers and police and pleaded for continued support. He said the photos circulated of his daughter fail to convey how blond her hair is.

“She’s full of life, always on the go, fun to be with,” he said.

She volunteered with Habitat for Humanity and other organizations, he said, and spoke with her mother daily. “She’s a loving girl.”

Reached later by telephone, he said he had been unaware of the planned vigil in Scarsdale, but was grateful to hear of it.

“We appreciate all the support from our friends back home,” he said. “All their good wishes and prayers really help.”

Asked how he has found the strength to carry on, he said: “There’s no other way. I don’t know what else to do.”

This story was written by Ned P. Rauch and Danielle De Souza and published by The Journal News.