Missing UW Student Found Alive
Police Search For Suspect
Posted: 4:38 pm CST March 28, 2004Updated: 7:18 pm CST March 31, 2004
MADISON, Wis. -- University of Wisconsin student Audrey Seiler, 20, was found alive about 1 p.m. Wednesday.
She had been missing since early Sunday morning when she vanished from her off-campus apartment without a coat or purse. She was found less than two miles from where she disappeared.WISN 12 News reporter Nick Bohr, who is in Madison, said that police officially confirmed that the woman is Seiler and that she has non-life threatening injuries.Seiler is from Rockford, Minn.A Madison police spokesman said police received a phone call from someone who spotted a woman in a marsh near the Alliant Energy Center.She was transported to an area hospital by ambulance and has been reunited with her family.ABC News producer Glen Dacy told 12 News that the scene in Madison is one of jubilation.Dacy said the police officers are still on the scene with guns drawn and that they are looking for one suspect who they believe is armed.
Many people who had come from Minnesota to help in the search were staying at a hotel not far from where Seiler was found. WISN 12 News has been told the hotel (pictured, right) has been locked down -- people aren't allowed to leave.There are snipers on the roof of the hotel and everyone is being kept in the lobby. Bohr said that from what he's seen, it looks like authorities believe there is someone in the area to be found.A family friend told 12 News that she was sitting in the lobby of the hotel and was with Seiler's mom when they got the good news."We're all thrilled that she's OK," Sue said.The Search
Hundreds of friends and family, including her brother Kyle, classmates, teachers and many others from the Rockford, Minn., area, went to Madison to join the search. They combed the campus area for clues Tuesday, including the woods and high grass of the University of Wisconsin Arboretum for any sign of the missing woman."I just don't think it's Audrey, it's her family," said Audrey's hairdresser Pam Hartman. "They're just a wonderful family. They do a lot for the community, and it's a small town. So we're all very close."
Yet the family was determined and hopeful. Audrey Seiler's father (pictured, right) spoke publicly for the first time to thank the hundreds helping search for his daughter as they gathered at the Monona Terrace Tuesday afternoon."Audrey's whole family is hopeful and confident that we'll find Audrey safe," said Keith Seiler.Seiler's family believed getting the word out about Audrey would help bring her home."We're very confident and determined that if the right person hears this, or sees her face ... they'll have some information that will help us," said her uncle, Scott Charlesworth-Seiler.Police Reviewed Surveillance TapeSeiler's roommate last saw her leaving their Regent Street apartment about 2:30 a.m. Saturday. Madison police started looking for her around 2 p.m. Saturday. Officers and search-and-rescue dogs searched the area Sunday, and the FBI joined the search Monday.
Now police are reviewing surveillance tapes from her apartment entrance where she is seen leaving alone. The tape shows her peering outside as if she were waiting for someone or something, WISC-TV in Madison reported."The reason we are persuing this case so vigorously ... is that her leaving the apartment ... with the condition we found her residence ... is not consistant with her normal behavior pattern," said Capt. Luis Yudice of the MPD.Police are also reviewing files of sex offenders and others with a criminal history living in the area of Seiler's apartment.Police said Seiler didn't take any personal items she might need for any type of trip. This is considered atypical behavior for Seiler, investigators said. She is a 4.0 student, and she hasn't called anyone since her disappearance."None of this makes sense to us at all," Charlesworth-Seiler said. "Audrey hardly goes a day without talking to family. Audrey is a wonderful young woman, mature, responsible, level-headed, reasonable, very conscientious. Everybody who knows her is here helping. It's a testament to the kind of person she is."
Police say they are doing everything they can to find her. Tips continue to pour in, but none have helped yet, police said."We want (her family) to know we're working very hard to bring closure to this situation and to find their daughter," said Shannon Blackamore of the Madison Police Department. "It's a very sad situation. You have a daughter out there, and no one knows where she is."Seiler Attacked In FebruaryThe area around Seiler's apartment is not known to be particularly dangeous; however, she was attacked by an apparent stranger Feb. 1, WISC-TV reported.Detectives are refusing to release specifics of the report, but police told WISC-TV that Seiler was attacked one block from her home.
Police said they don't know if the attack is related to her disappearance. She was approached from behind, struck unconscious and left in a secluded area. Because she was attacked from behind, police do not have a description of the attacker in that case."(The attacker) left her unconscious and moved to another location outside, and eventually she was found and she was treated for those injuries," said Larry Kamholz of MPD.Her family revealed Tuesday that Audrey considered that a random act. Police said they have no link between that attack and her disappearance.Seiler's story hit national newscasts Tuesday, with some drawing parallels to the case of Dru Sjodin, who was last seen Nov. 22 leaving a shopping mall in Grand Forks, N.D. A convicted rapist was ordered earlier this month to stand trial on charges he kidnapped her. Investigators have said they believe Sjodin is dead.
Find Audrey Web Site
Anyone with information can contact the Madison Area Crime Stoppers at (608) 266-6014 or Madison police at (608) 266-4275.
WHERE'S AUDREY SEILER?  REPORTS  Minn. Friends, Family Come To SearchTuesday: RecapTuesday: Team Coverage Interview With FamilySearch Begins Audrey Seiler: Watch CBS ReportRESOURCES/TIPS Find Audrey Web SiteAnyone with information can contact the Madison Area Crime Stoppers at (608) 266-6014 or Madison police at (608) 266-4275. Statement From UW ProvostStatement From Student LeadersREWARD Seiler's family has set up a reward fund, called "Hope For Audrey" in her hometown of Rockford, Minn.Hope For Audrey Bank West 5921 Main St. Rockford, MN 55373 |
Many people who had come from Minnesota to help in the search were staying at a hotel not far from where Seiler was found. WISN 12 News has been told the hotel (pictured, right) has been locked down -- people aren't allowed to leave.There are snipers on the roof of the hotel and everyone is being kept in the lobby. Bohr said that from what he's seen, it looks like authorities believe there is someone in the area to be found.A family friend told 12 News that she was sitting in the lobby of the hotel and was with Seiler's mom when they got the good news."We're all thrilled that she's OK," Sue said.The SearchHundreds of friends and family, including her brother Kyle, classmates, teachers and many others from the Rockford, Minn., area, went to Madison to join the search. They combed the campus area for clues Tuesday, including the woods and high grass of the University of Wisconsin Arboretum for any sign of the missing woman."I just don't think it's Audrey, it's her family," said Audrey's hairdresser Pam Hartman. "They're just a wonderful family. They do a lot for the community, and it's a small town. So we're all very close."
Yet the family was determined and hopeful. Audrey Seiler's father (pictured, right) spoke publicly for the first time to thank the hundreds helping search for his daughter as they gathered at the Monona Terrace Tuesday afternoon."Audrey's whole family is hopeful and confident that we'll find Audrey safe," said Keith Seiler.Seiler's family believed getting the word out about Audrey would help bring her home."We're very confident and determined that if the right person hears this, or sees her face ... they'll have some information that will help us," said her uncle, Scott Charlesworth-Seiler.Police Reviewed Surveillance TapeSeiler's roommate last saw her leaving their Regent Street apartment about 2:30 a.m. Saturday. Madison police started looking for her around 2 p.m. Saturday. Officers and search-and-rescue dogs searched the area Sunday, and the FBI joined the search Monday.Now police are reviewing surveillance tapes from her apartment entrance where she is seen leaving alone. The tape shows her peering outside as if she were waiting for someone or something, WISC-TV in Madison reported."The reason we are persuing this case so vigorously ... is that her leaving the apartment ... with the condition we found her residence ... is not consistant with her normal behavior pattern," said Capt. Luis Yudice of the MPD.Police are also reviewing files of sex offenders and others with a criminal history living in the area of Seiler's apartment.Police said Seiler didn't take any personal items she might need for any type of trip. This is considered atypical behavior for Seiler, investigators said. She is a 4.0 student, and she hasn't called anyone since her disappearance."None of this makes sense to us at all," Charlesworth-Seiler said. "Audrey hardly goes a day without talking to family. Audrey is a wonderful young woman, mature, responsible, level-headed, reasonable, very conscientious. Everybody who knows her is here helping. It's a testament to the kind of person she is."Police say they are doing everything they can to find her. Tips continue to pour in, but none have helped yet, police said."We want (her family) to know we're working very hard to bring closure to this situation and to find their daughter," said Shannon Blackamore of the Madison Police Department. "It's a very sad situation. You have a daughter out there, and no one knows where she is."Seiler Attacked In FebruaryThe area around Seiler's apartment is not known to be particularly dangeous; however, she was attacked by an apparent stranger Feb. 1, WISC-TV reported.Detectives are refusing to release specifics of the report, but police told WISC-TV that Seiler was attacked one block from her home.Police said they don't know if the attack is related to her disappearance. She was approached from behind, struck unconscious and left in a secluded area. Because she was attacked from behind, police do not have a description of the attacker in that case."(The attacker) left her unconscious and moved to another location outside, and eventually she was found and she was treated for those injuries," said Larry Kamholz of MPD.Her family revealed Tuesday that Audrey considered that a random act. Police said they have no link between that attack and her disappearance.Seiler's story hit national newscasts Tuesday, with some drawing parallels to the case of Dru Sjodin, who was last seen Nov. 22 leaving a shopping mall in Grand Forks, N.D. A convicted rapist was ordered earlier this month to stand trial on charges he kidnapped her. Investigators have said they believe Sjodin is dead.Find Audrey Web SiteAnyone with information can contact the Madison Area Crime Stoppers at (608) 266-6014 or Madison police at (608) 266-4275. Copyright 2007 Channel3000.com. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
