Today Is Lauren Spierer's 22nd Birthday, and Her Family Still Wants Answers

Lauren Spierer’s parents, Robert and Charlene, recently spoke with People magazine to reveal the stark, harsh reality of living without their daughter. What seems like minutiae to some, small things, will bring back the pain of losing their daughter—so much so that, according to People, Spierer’s boxes from her time at college remain unpacked. Today, January 17, 2013, is significant for them: It marks the day on which Spierer either hopefully celebrates her 22nd birthday—somewhere, somehow—or would have celebrated the occasion.

On June 3, 2011, the then-20-year-old Indiana University student disappeared in Bloomington, south of Indianapolis. While police, fellow citizens, and even private investigators followed numerous leads, none to date has revealed exactly what happened that fateful night. Even so, her family has hardly given up. They seek new outlets to deliver the story of their daughter, going on Katie Couric’s TV program and so on. Leads are not as plentiful two years later, but investigators remain on the case and say that they follow up on what they do uncover and receive, working toward resolution, whatever that will look like.

No news is hardly good news as this missing-person case is concerned. For more details of the events surrounding her disappearance, see our timeline that documents the circumstances of that night and early morning, as well as developments in the wake of the realization that a bright young woman had gone missing. It’s 19 months later, and Robert and Charlene Spierer are not holding back, though they hope against hope. There’s just one resolution at this point that will satiate their heads and hearts.

Lauren Spierer photo courtesy Spierer family