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Friday, March 29
The Indiana Daily Student

Owners, managers of Smallwood Plaza send open letter regarding disappearance of Lauren Spierer

An open letter was sent to the Indiana Daily Student on Thursday from Smallwood Plaza managers and owners regarding the disappearance of Lauren Spierer. Lauren, an IU junior, lived at Smallwood at the time of her disappearance. She was last seen June 3.

The following is the full letter that was sent to the Indiana Daily Student:

“Where you used to be, there is a hole in the world, which I find myself constantly walking around in the daytime and falling in at night.  I (we) miss you like hell.”
— Edna St. Vincent Millay

"In the seven-year-old Smallwood Building in downtown Bloomington a gaping, aching, debilitating hole has expanded since the early morning hours of June 3.  It has enveloped two sweet, devoted parents and a devastated sibling, three roommates, countless friends, scores of volunteers, dedicated police officers from multiple departments, and the committed staff and management of Smallwood Plaza.  This chasm holds within it a daily, agonizing reminder of a vibrant, 20-year-old bundle of enthusiasm, beauty and creativity named Lauren Spierer.

"Many careless and thoughtless statements have been made about the place Lauren calls home.  Most of those who have written these words know nothing of the investment that has been made to give our residents peace of mind; they have no sense of the tremendous bonds that exist between our residents and staff, and they seem to have no perception of the effect such insensitive remarks have upon parents Robert and Charlene Spierer.

"As the poet Edna St. Vincent Millay wrote, there is a hole in our world and yes, to be somewhat crass, to quote Ms. Millay we all miss Lauren like hell.  But our pain and anguish is infinitesimal compared to what Mr. and Mrs. Spierer are experiencing every moment of every day.  As the investigation enters its second full month, our entire staff and ownership, Mr. and Mrs. John Jacobs of Bloomington, join the Spierers in adhering to the hope that Lauren is still with us and will someday return to her mother’s and father’s arms.

"We pledge our continued, unwavering support to the Spierer family.  We thank them for their constant, astonishingly selfless support of our facility and staff.  And we vow to them that we will deploy every resource at our disposal to finding their daughter and bringing to swift justice those responsible for her disappearance.  Long after the headlines have subsided and the news satellite trucks have moved on to the next sensational case, we, and all those who love and care for the Spierers will stand by their side until this numbing chapter is resolved.

"Until then, we thank the greater Bloomington community, the Bloomington Police Department, Bloomington media, Indiana University, Old National Bank, The Hillel Center and the countless scores of volunteers and businesses who have joined hands and at times risked their own safety all in the name of restoring a very special family.   May God bless all their efforts and may He compel those with information to come forward and bring a close to a family’s agony.

With love and prayers,

John and Kara Jacobs, Owners of Smallwood Plaza
Denise Haggard, Senior Property Manager and the staff of Smallwood Plaza
Alex Jackiw, President and the staff of Buckingham Properties
Ernie Reno and the staff of Hetrick Communications"

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