Lauren Spierer case: Mother does not think missing student is alive

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The mother of missing college student Lauren Spierer has had a change of perspective in her daughter’s disappearance.
Charlene and Robert Spierer returned to Bloomington from New York as the one-year anniversary of their daughter’s disappearance neared.


In an interview with The Journal News, a New York-based newspaper, Charlene Spierer gave a different answer than she had in previous interviews when asked if she believed her daughter was still alive.
“I don’t,” she said.

“We’re trying to be realistic,” Robert Spierer said. “We know that if she had the chance to reach out to us, she would have done it.”
More than 10 months after her disappearance, Spierer’s parents are continuing to push their effort to find their daughter and bring justice to whoever was responsible for her disappearance.
Investigators said Spierer and a person of interest, Corey Rossman, were together at Kilroy's, a local bar, before her disappearance. Witnesses told police that Spierer was highly intoxicated and left her phone and shoes at the bar before stumbling out with Rossman.
Through his attorney, Rossman claimed he was assaulted and has no memory of what happened that evening.
“I feel if she never met Corey Rossman, she’d be alive today,” Robert Spierer said. “His claim of memory loss is laughable. He’s a perfect example of someone who only cares about self-preservation, without any thought for another human being.”


They are still pushing forward with their effort to find their daughter, take her home and bring justice to whoever was responsible.


Some of the people the 20-year-old hung out with that night remain persons of interest in the criminal investigation, and the young woman’s parents continue to question their truthfulness — even after their private investigator interviewed a couple of them.


In his toughest comments yet about the persons of interest, Robert Spierer implored the parents of each of them to “take their sons to the police station and allow for the law enforcement to (perform) polygraphs.”


“I feel if she never met Corey Rossman, she’d be alive today,” he said of one of the students she was with that night. “His claim of memory loss is laughable.”

“He’s a perfect example of someone who only cares about self-preservation, without any thought for another human being,” he added.


The parents, who met earlier Monday with Bloomington police, would particularly like to hear from Rossman.