Lauren Elizabeth Spierer was born on January 17, 1991, to Charlene and Robert Spierer and grew up in Scarsdale, New York. She graduated from Edgemont High School in 2009 and enrolled at Indiana University in Bloomington, where she was studying textiles merchandising. Spierer was active in the campus Jewish community and had spent a college spring break planting trees in Israel through the Jewish National Fund. Nine months before she disappeared, on September 2, 2010, she was arrested on charges of public intoxication and illegal consumption.
On the night of June 2 into the early morning of June 3, 2011, Spierer went out drinking with friends in Bloomington. Surveillance video shows her entering Kilroy's Sports Bar at 1:46 a.m. and leaving at 2:27 a.m., when she left behind her cell phone and shoes. Witnesses described her as very intoxicated. Security cameras recorded her walking through an alley near her apartment complex, Smallwood Plaza, around 2:48 to 2:51 a.m.; her keys and purse were later found along that route. She was last reported seen around 4:30 a.m. near the intersection of 11th Street and College Avenue, walking south, barefoot, and wearing black leggings and a white shirt. Later that morning, after being unable to reach her by phone, her boyfriend contacted the bar and then reported her missing to Bloomington police.
Bloomington Police, the Indiana University Police Department, and the FBI investigated. In August 2011, investigators conducted a nine-day search of the Sycamore Ridge Landfill near Terre Haute, Indiana. By May 24, 2013, police had logged 3,060 tips in the case. In April 2015, Bloomington Police announced they were investigating a possible connection between Spierer's disappearance and the killing of another Indiana University student, Hannah Wilson, who had gone missing after visiting the same bar and was later found dead in Brown County; by July 2015, investigators concluded the two cases were unrelated. Daniel Messel, who was convicted in 2016 of murdering Wilson, was described in 2017 by a Brown County prosecutor as possibly connected to Spierer's disappearance, but Messel has never been charged in her case. On January 28, 2016, the FBI and other agencies searched a property in Martinsville, Indiana, about 20 miles north of Bloomington, following leads in the case; cadaver dogs indicated a possible scent, but a subsequent excavation found no evidence.
Investigators and Spierer's family have discussed two leading theories: an accidental drug- or alcohol-related death, since friends told police she had used cocaine and crushed Klonopin that night and had a heart condition, long QT syndrome, that could have compounded the danger; or abduction by a stranger, a possibility investigators have said they have not ruled out. Spierer's parents also filed civil negligence lawsuits against several acquaintances who had been with her that night, arguing they failed to see her home safely; a federal judge dismissed the claims in 2013 and 2014, and a federal appeals court upheld the dismissal on August 14, 2015. No one has been criminally charged in connection with Spierer's disappearance. The case drew heavy national media attention that commentators and the Indiana Daily Student have cited as an example of "missing white woman syndrome," contrasting it with the more limited coverage given to Crystal Grubb, another Bloomington-area woman who went missing in 2010. Spierer remains missing and is presumed dead; the case is unsolved.
Lauren Elizabeth Spierer is born to Charlene and Robert Spierer.
2010-09-02
Spierer is arrested on charges of public intoxication and illegal consumption, about nine months before her disappearance.
2011-06-03
Spierer is seen on surveillance video entering Kilroy's Sports Bar in Bloomington at 1:46 a.m. and leaving at 2:27 a.m., leaving behind her phone and shoes.
2011-06-03
Security cameras record Spierer walking through an alley near her apartment complex around 2:48 to 2:51 a.m.; her keys and purse are later found along this route.
2011-06-03
Spierer is last reported seen around 4:30 a.m. near the intersection of 11th Street and College Avenue, walking south, barefoot, and wearing black leggings and a white shirt.
2011-06-03
After being unable to reach Spierer, her boyfriend reports her missing to Bloomington police.
2011-08
Bloomington Police, Indiana University police, and the FBI conduct a nine-day search of the Sycamore Ridge Landfill near Terre Haute, Indiana, for evidence in the case.
2013-05-24
Investigators report having received 3,060 tips in the case to date.
2013
A federal judge dismisses part of a civil negligence lawsuit filed by Spierer's parents against acquaintances who were with her the night she disappeared.
2014
The judge dismisses the remainder of the civil lawsuit, finding no basis for a jury to determine legal responsibility for what happened to Spierer.
2015-04
Bloomington Police announce they are investigating a possible link between Spierer's disappearance and the killing of fellow Indiana University student Hannah Wilson, who disappeared after visiting the same bar.
2015-07
Investigators conclude that the Spierer and Wilson cases are unrelated.
2015-08-14
A federal appeals court upholds the dismissal of the Spierer family's civil lawsuit.
2016-01-28
The FBI and other agencies search a property in Martinsville, Indiana, about 20 miles north of Bloomington, following leads in the case; a subsequent excavation finds no evidence.
2016
Daniel Messel is convicted of the 2015 murder of Hannah Wilson.
2017
A Brown County prosecutor states he believes Messel could be connected to Spierer's disappearance; Messel is never charged in her case.
Best coverage
Titles and descriptions are the creators’ own and may not reflect current legal status; see the dossier above for sourced case facts.
VIDEO
Georgia Marie / 40 min
WHERE IS LAUREN SPIERER? | MIDWEEK MYSTERY
People
Lauren Spierer
VICTIM
20-year-old Indiana University student who disappeared in Bloomington, Indiana on June 3, 2011; presumed dead, case unsolved.
Daniel Messel
CONVICTED
Convicted in 2016 of the 2015 murder of fellow Indiana University student Hannah Wilson. In 2017 a Brown County prosecutor said he believed Messel could be connected to Spierer's disappearance, but Messel has never been charged in connection with Spierer's case.
Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.
Lauren Spierer, a 20-year-old Indiana University student, disappeared in the early hours of June 3, 2011, after leaving a bar in Bloomington, Indiana. Despite an extensive investigation by Bloomington police, Indiana University police, and the FBI, she has never been found and is presumed dead. No one has been charged, and the case remains unsolved.
Where did the disappearance happen?
Bloomington, Indiana.
Who was convicted?
Daniel Messel (Convicted in 2016 of the 2015 murder of fellow Indiana University student Hannah Wilson. In 2017 a Brown County prosecutor said he believed Messel could be connected to Spierer's disappearance, but Messel has never been charged in connection with Spierer's case.).
