BLOOMINGTON, Indiana (Isabelle Zehnder reporting) -- Investigators in the case of a missing Indiana University fashion student are hoping forensic evidence will help them to determine if a decomposing female body found in a creek Sunday north of Indianapolis is connected with the disappearance of Lauren Spierer, the cousin of Days of Our Lives star Tamara Braun.
[Update: July 5 - Police say the body found is not that of Lauren Spierer, they have determined the woman was likely African-American.]
The body was recovered Sunday evening from Fall Creek on the northeast side of Indianapolis by authorities there.
Witnesses located the body that was floating and lodged between debris in the creek, WXIN-TV reported. At about 6:50 p.m. passers-by called 911 to report the floating body. Paramedics pronounced the woman dead before the case was taken over by homicide detectives, The Daily Mail reports.
“We’re not able to determine any type of identity, not even race at this point, because the body is so decomposed,” an Indianapolis police spokesman said, according to ABC News.
An autopsy will be performed Tuesday morning at Marion County Coroner’s Office.
Bloomington police are in contact with the Indianapolis Metropolitan police, the agency that recovered the body. Indianapolis is about an hour’s drive north of Bloomington, straight up Hwy 37, and Fall Creek is about 65 miles north of Bloomington.
Detectives are saying there’s not enough information at this time for police to “determine the identity or a basic description of the body,” Lt. William Parker said in a statement.
Parker said he hopes a pending forensic examination will provide more information.
Not far from Fall Creek in Noblesville, Indiana, a 74-year-old woman went missing about two weeks ago. Dorothy Heard was last seen June 13 and it is possible that the woman's body found could be hers.
On the day Dorothy went missing her wedding ring was taken to a pawn shop. Later that day her credit card was used at a local Walmart for jewelry, and another transaction worth nearly $700 was attempted but denied. Her nephew is suspected of pawning the ring and using her credit card, and is a person of interest in the case.
Lauren’s parents gave an emotional plea last week begging the parents of her friends to help their kids “find their moral compass” and come forward with any information they have on Lauren’s disappearance. Read: Parents issue new plea 'find your moral compass'.
The plea came after Jay Rosenbaum, one of the last people to see Lauren, hired a high-profile criminal defense lawyer and left his Bloomington condo, and when Lauren’s boyfriend, Jesse Wolfe, and three other friends – Corey Rossman, Mike Beth, and David Rohn all retained lawyers. They are the last people to see Lauren the early morning she went missing.
ABC News Good Morning America reports that Corey Rossman was the last person to allegedly see Lauren before she disappeared that night. He was in a fight at her apartment complex and according to his lawyer, he has no memory of the fight.
GMA reports Corey was also arrested this past fall for underage drinking after he allegedly appeared to be breaking into an apartment with a credit card at Smallwood Plaza – the same complex where Lauren lives.
Lauren’s mother, Charlene Spierer, said, “I want to say to the person who has Lauren or has harmed Lauren: Shame on you! In relationship to that, the person who knows this person who's not coming forward with the information, I beg you to come forward.”
Lauren’s parents are frustrated because all five have all ignored their pleas to come forward with any information they might have.
Bloomington Police Captain Joe Qualters described their reluctance to cooperate to People saying, “Perplexing? Perhaps. Curious. Disturbing. All in all, I think I’d probably characterize it as unfortunate.”
Rossman and Beth have already given DNA samples, and Rosenbaum’s lawyers said he’s passed a polygraph test.
Lauren went missing June 3 after a night out with friends. She was last seen walking home barefoot with Rossman, one of the five friends who last saw her. They had spent the evening at Kilroy’s Sports Bar in Bloomington followed by a party with friends.
In mid-June police found what they thought were new clues in the case – images of a white pick-up truck on a security surveillance video – but they've ruled out any connection and are back to square one, CNN reports.
Officials have received thousands of tips but none so far have yielded anything concrete.
Holly Bobo - another missing college student
Holly Bobo is another young college student missing from Darden, Tennessee, about 300 miles from Bloomington where Lauren vanished.
It's been pointed out that these two young women's cases bear similarities, though police say they don't believe they're connected: They are both 20-year-old college students, both blonde haired and blue eyed beauties, both petite. Both cases garnered huge media attention and massive volunteer ground searches. Holly is the cousin of country singer star Whitney Duncan and Lauren is the cousin of Days of Our Lives star Tamara Braun. Another similarity in these two young women's cases. Read: Holly Bobo & Lauren Spierer: Officials don't believe cases are connected.
Holly went missing April 13. Her parents, Dana and Karen Bobo, are living through the nightmare Lauren’s parents are living through right now. Not only do they not know what happened to their daughter, the Bobos have also lived through the fear, the waiting and wondering each time a body is found.
Like Lauren's parents, the Bobos hope and pray it's not their daughter. These parents all hope their daugthers are still alive and will come home to them soon.
That’s all they have to hold onto at this point – hope.
Other recent missing persons’ news:
Lauren Spierer missing: Parents issue new plea 'find your moral compass'
Lauren Spierer missing: Police, search dogs at homes of 4 persons of interest
Last person to see Lauren Spierer says he’s cooperating with police
Holly Bobo & Lauren Spierer missing: Officials don’t believe cases are connected
Police say woman found dead in Walmart parking lot on drinking binge (Timeline)
Jennifer Simpson’s dad: Not enough done for missing daughter found dead in car
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Sources: CNN, Daily Mail, NBC New York, ABCNewsgo.com, Good Morning America, Indiana News
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