Three weeks, 1,500 tips and 300 missions into the search for Indiana University student Lauren Spierer, police say they have no clear indication about what happened to her.
Bloomington Police Capt. Joe Qualters Friday announced that the department will no longer hold scheduled news conferences about Spierer. But he also stressed that investigators are confident they will eventually crack the case.
"We probably could have thrown up our hands and said, 'We're fininshed,' but we're not finished," Qualters said. "Not only will the search efforts will continue, but the efforts to determine what happened and led to Lauren's disappearance is something we will continue to do."
Spierer's mother, Charlene, said the pain has been multiplied by not getting any clear answers.
"Perhaps it was a terrible accident that happened, and we can deal with that," Spierer said. "We can deal with whatever it is. What we can't deal with is what we don't know."
The couple plan to stay in Bloomington "as long as it takes" to find their daughter, but Charlene admits they are ready to return home to New York.
"We just really need our daughter. We just need somebody to stand up and do the right thing," Charlene Spierer said.
Twenty members of the Indiana Guard Reserve have joined the search effort. They'll meet with other volunteers Saturday during a large-scale effort deemed "Find Lauren Day."
