Audrey Seiler: Mystery Surrounds Alleged Abductor

Missing Student Found Alive, In 'Good Shape'

Posted: 2:17 pm CST March 31, 2004Updated: 1:57 pm CST April 1, 2004

Police are interviewing Audrey right now, trying to piece together what exactly happened between the time she disappeared Saturday and her discovery yesterday.

Seiler, 20, spent the night at an undisclosed location with her parents.

Police theorize Audrey's abductor remains in Madison, where the search is concentrated. There are still a few officers on the scene near the Department of Revenue building, off Rimrock Road. They are reportedly looking for clues, not a suspect at this point.

"A lot of that information is sensitive to the investigation," said Larry Kamholz of Madison police. "We haven't gotten into details with her. We anticipate that will come today. We want to give her time before we start asking questions. When you have someone who's been abducted, and they still are in town with the abductor, a lot of times, that means there're some type of ties here."

Among the areas police will be probing are reports from people who work in the area where Audrey was found.

The Department of Revenue employee who called police after discovering Audrey in a marshy area near her office yesterday, is not talking to the media, but some who work with her have indicated Seiler may have been spotted in the same area on both Monday and Tuesday.

Assistant Police Chief Noble Wray told WISC-TV that at this time the department is proceeding with the information Seiler has provided, and they are putting together a sketch of the man she says held her against her will.

Department officials are being very tight-lipped.

Parents: Audrey "Overjoyed"

Seiler's parents thank all who helped find their daughter, who was treated and released at St. Mary's Hospital last night.

Seiler disappeared around 2:30 a.m. Saturday from her Regent Street apartment. Hundreds of local residents and friends from her hometown, Rockford, Minn., have been searching for her. She was found around 1 p.m. walking out of a marshy area near the Alliant Center off Rimrock Road.

Keith and Stephanie Seiler made their first public comments at St. Mary's around 5 p.m., saying Audrey is "overjoyed" to be back with her family.

"She's glad to be warm and to see her friends and family ... and a bit surprised at the big hullabaloo," father Keith Seiler said.

The Seilers said they haven't made any plans about what they will do next, they are just enjoying being reunited. Audrey left the hospital with her parents around 6 p.m.

"We are happy to be reunited with her, and she is happy to be with us," Stephanie Seiler said of her daughter. "We can't tell you how happy this makes us feel. And we can't thank you enough for all of these efforts. Audrey will learn about it someday, but right now, we are just focusing on being together, and holding each other and hugging each other and reaffirming that we are here for her and she is here for us."

Doctors say Audrey will be OK, but she has lots of muscle aches from being confined. Police would not elaborate on that statement.

Police Stake Out Area For Armed Suspect

A woman taking a lunch break at the Department of Revenue building saw Audrey walking in the marsh near Rimrock Road and the Alliant Center on the south side of Madison, and called police, reported WISC-TV in Madison. The woman told police that she does not want to be identified at this point.

Police set up a triangle perimeter between Rimrock Road, John Nolen Driver and the beltline and searched the area, including a grassy area behind the Sheraton Hotel, for an armed man for several hours. Seiler told police the man held her against her will. At one point, they used a bullhorn to tell the man to give up his weapon and come out, WISC-TV in Madison reported. Police called the area an "active crime scene," but called off the search around 7 pm.

Police described the suspect as a Caucasian man in his 20s with a big nose, wearing dirty clothes and a hat. Police said they believe he had a gun and a knife. Police would not say whether they know the man's identity.

John Nolen Drive and Rimrock Road were closed as police searched, making the commute home slow for many. Workers at Stark Realty and the Department of Revenue, which are in the area, were escorted out for their safety.

The Madison Police Department does not have its own helicopter, so they put a thermal imaging camera on a Milwaukee TV station's chopper to help find the alleged suspect. Assistant Madison Fire Chief Carl Saxe said the special cameras would pick up images of anything that is 98 degrees or more.

"On a cool day like today, it will be easy to pick out anyone hiding in the brush or grass," Saxe said.

UW Officials Relieved

Students had planned a vigil Wednesday night at Seiler's apartment building, which is now cancelled. Friends from Madison and her hometown are celebrating.

UW officials released a statement saying Seiler's disappearance drew the campus together.

"I can only imagine the ordeal that Audrey and her family have endured during the past few days," the statement from Provost Peter Spear reads. "In times of crisis, communities come together. Audrey's disappearance drew our community together, and I am proud of our university and city's response." ( Read Full Statement )

The Search

Hundreds of friends and family, including her brother Kyle, classmates, teachers and many others from the Rockford, Minn., area, helped search for Audrey since she disappeared over the weekend.

On Tuesday, they combed the campus area for clues, including the woods and high grass of the University of Wisconsin Arboretum.

Family and friends remained determined and hopeful the whole time.

"I think she could feel us there for her," said Krista Fisher, mother of Audrey's boyfriend. "She knew we wouldn't leave until this was resolved in a positive way and now we got that prayer answered."

phoneAnyone with information can contact the Madison Area Crime Stoppers at (608) 266-6014 or Madison police at (608) 266-4275.

Refresh this page for updates.

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