Latest / True Crime and Wine Time / S2 E18 _ Midday Missing _ Thomas Harper & Lauren Spierer _ Missing in Indiana
Transcript
- 0:47Speaker 1: Hello everyone, and welcome to Midday Missing, where we highlight
- 0:52Speaker 1: missing person cases that need more attention. So as you
- 0:55Speaker 1: can see, I am not very true crime, no instead
- 0:58Speaker 1: and Lama and I think this might be the last
- 1:01Speaker 1: episode I'm subbing for her while she's recovering and out
- 1:05Speaker 1: on medical leave. She'll be back soon and then you'll
- 1:08Speaker 1: have her back and it'll be great. If you don't
- 1:11Speaker 1: know who I am, I've done a few of these before,
- 1:15Speaker 1: and you may be familiar with me as either Terry's
- 1:18Speaker 1: co host on True Crime and Wine Time or my
- 1:20Speaker 1: own show, Couch Court with Lama.
- 1:22Speaker 2: Now.
- 1:23Speaker 1: Midday Missing streams every Monday and Wednesday at noon Central
- 1:27Speaker 1: one pm Eastern on our YouTube channel, True Crime and
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- 2:32Speaker 1: good deal. So Hello Buffy, Hello, good afternoon to you.
- 2:36Speaker 1: Oh there, she is the Queen herself arry true Crime
- 2:38Speaker 1: into the chat. You are more than welcome and we
- 2:42Speaker 1: are looking forward to you being back as well. Hello Pam,
- 2:46Speaker 1: Hope you're doing good. So for today we're going to
- 2:50Speaker 1: be heading back to Indiana, which is right next to
- 2:53Speaker 1: my state. Now, Indianapolis and Bloomington are two of the
- 2:58Speaker 1: most well known cities in the state of Indiana, but
- 3:00Speaker 1: there's also, like you know, three big cities in the
- 3:02Speaker 1: whole state. So now each your offer a distinct atmosphere
- 3:08Speaker 1: and role within the state. Indianapolis the state capital and
- 3:12Speaker 1: largest city, sits in central Indiana along the White River
- 3:16Speaker 1: and is known for its strong sports culture, major business centers,
- 3:21Speaker 1: and events like the legendary Indianapolis five hundred held at
- 3:25Speaker 1: the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I think did the breakyard used
- 3:29Speaker 1: to be there too? I don't know, I feel like
- 3:31Speaker 1: I remember that from as a kid. Now about fifty
- 3:34Speaker 1: miles to the south lies Bloomington, a vibrant college town
- 3:39Speaker 1: best known as the home of Indiana University. Bloomington and
- 3:43Speaker 1: Bloomington's identity is shaped by the university, giving the city
- 3:47Speaker 1: a lively cultural scene, diverse restaurants, music, arts, and a
- 3:52Speaker 1: youthful energy, while the surrounding hills in forest add a
- 3:56Speaker 1: scenic contrast to the bustle of Indianapolis, which it's it's
- 4:00Speaker 1: kind of like the same where I live in Ohio
- 4:01Speaker 1: as well. Now together the two cities reflect both the
- 4:05Speaker 1: economic hub and the academic heart of Indiana. Now. In
- 4:10Speaker 1: recent years, Indiana has continued to reapport a steady number
- 4:15Speaker 1: of missing person cases. According to the National Crime Information Center,
- 4:20Speaker 1: there were about one thousand, four hundred and one active
- 4:24Speaker 1: missing person cases in Indiana in twenty twenty three and
- 4:28Speaker 1: those involved both adults and children, and as of early
- 4:32Speaker 1: twenty twenty five, roughly two hundred and forty cases remained
- 4:37Speaker 1: open statewide. Now it is a rate that is lower
- 4:40Speaker 1: than many other states, but still represents hundreds of families
- 4:44Speaker 1: searching for answers. And so today we want to draw
- 4:47Speaker 1: our focus on two of those two hundred and forty cases.
- 4:52Speaker 1: Now our first case. Hold on, you would think I
- 4:56Speaker 1: know how to do this slide show. I was not prepared.
- 4:58Speaker 1: Way to go. You have one job. Sorry, Oh, there
- 5:05Speaker 1: we go. I know what I'm doing. Now our first case. Sadly,
- 5:10Speaker 1: we could not find a lot of information, which we
- 5:13Speaker 1: believe means we need to share it even more so.
- 5:17Speaker 1: Thomas Harper, who also goes by the name TJ, was
- 5:22Speaker 1: thirty two years old when he was last seen on
- 5:24Speaker 1: July third, twenty twenty five, so just last year. His
- 5:29Speaker 1: sudden disappearance has let family and friends searching for answers,
- 5:33Speaker 1: and investigators are asking the public for help in locating him.
- 5:38Speaker 3: Now.
- 5:38Speaker 1: Thomas stands approximately six feet tall, weighs about one hundred
- 5:43Speaker 1: and forty pounds. He has several distinctive tattoos that could
- 5:47Speaker 1: help identify him, including the phrase family first across his chest,
- 5:52Speaker 1: No Mercy with a rose on his arm, praying hands
- 5:56Speaker 1: on his upper right shoulder blade, and the name Holly
- 5:59Speaker 1: tatou on his right wrist. So very identifiable tattoos now.
- 6:04Speaker 1: Thomas Harper was last seen on July third, twenty twenty five,
- 6:09Speaker 1: near Denver Street in Indianapolis, and other reports indicate his
- 6:14Speaker 1: last known movements were near Colorado Street, Chester Street, and
- 6:18Speaker 1: Denny Streets. Now, Thomas was known to spend time on
- 6:22Speaker 1: the east Side near Tenth Street, and in areas between
- 6:25Speaker 1: Michigan and New York Street. These neighborhoods were familiar to him,
- 6:30Speaker 1: and he often visited friends and acquaintances there, so if
- 6:33Speaker 1: you live in that area, you might have seen him
- 6:37Speaker 1: or seen something now. Since Thomas was last seen, concern
- 6:41Speaker 1: has grown among those who knew him. Family, friends, and
- 6:45Speaker 1: community members have worked to raise awareness about his disappearance.
- 6:50Speaker 1: Flyers have been distributed around Indianapolis, and post on social
- 6:54Speaker 1: media have shared his photo and descriptions of his tattoos
- 6:58Speaker 1: in hopes that someone out there may recognize him now.
- 7:02Speaker 1: Despite all those efforts, though Thomas Harper has not been
- 7:06Speaker 1: located now in the investigators with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police
- 7:12Speaker 1: Department have been working to trace Thomas's last known movements.
- 7:17Speaker 1: Detectives have canvas the area where he was known to
- 7:20Speaker 1: spend time and have searched for video footage that could
- 7:23Speaker 1: provide new leads. Authorities believe someone out there may have
- 7:28Speaker 1: information that could help locate him and give his family
- 7:32Speaker 1: answers because we know that the families struggle so much
- 7:37Speaker 1: when someone loved one goes missing. Now, if you have
- 7:40Speaker 1: any information about the disappearance of Thomas Harper or DJ
- 7:45Speaker 1: as he likes to go by, please contact the Indianapolis
- 7:49Speaker 1: Metropolitan Police Department at three one seven three two seven
- 7:54Speaker 1: six one six to zero. So please also share his story.
- 8:00Speaker 1: Are missing Person's flyers because someone out there knows something,
- 8:05Speaker 1: even if it's a very trivial thing, it could be
- 8:08Speaker 1: just the thing that they need to break the case. Now.
- 8:11Speaker 1: If you or someone you know have I loved one
- 8:16Speaker 1: missing and are interested in having their story featured on
- 8:19Speaker 1: an upcoming episode of Midday Missing or join us for
- 8:23Speaker 1: a live interview, please contact us by emailing Terry T. E.
- 8:27Speaker 1: R I at tcwtmedia dot com, or you can contact
- 8:32Speaker 1: us through all of our social media accounts they answer them.
- 8:38Speaker 1: I don't. I don't participate in the social media, but
- 8:41Speaker 1: I can say they do look at them every day
- 8:43Speaker 1: and respond to people. So either way of contact works
- 8:48Speaker 1: for us. Now, next is Lauren spier Oh, I'm sorry
- 8:55Speaker 1: if I got your last name wrong, Lauren, I apologize.
- 8:58Speaker 1: It's not not my sh and I should have looked
- 9:01Speaker 1: that up and that's my fault. So we'll just call
- 9:03Speaker 1: you Lauren now. Lauren was twenty years old when she
- 9:07Speaker 1: disappeared on June third, twenty twenty eleven, after a night
- 9:12Speaker 1: out in Bloomington, Indiana, the college town we were talking about. Now.
- 9:16Speaker 1: Despite national media coverage and years of investigation, Laura has
- 9:21Speaker 1: never been found and her case remains unsolved now. Lauren
- 9:26Speaker 1: was born January seventeenth, nineteen ninety one, to Charlene and
- 9:30Speaker 1: Robert Spiir Spirer Sorry. She grew up in Scarsdale, New York,
- 9:38Speaker 1: a town in lower Westchester County. Lauren graduated from Edgemont
- 9:44Speaker 1: High School in two thousand and nine and later enrolled
- 9:47Speaker 1: at Indiana University, where she was studying Textiles merchandising.
- 9:52Speaker 3: Now.
- 9:53Speaker 1: While attending IYU, Lauren was active in the Jewish community
- 9:58Speaker 1: and had recently spent spring break play trees in Israel
- 10:01Speaker 1: on behalf of the Jewish National Fund. Many of her
- 10:05Speaker 1: closest friends at Indiana University were people she had known
- 10:08Speaker 1: for years, including her boyfriend Jesse Wolfe and her friend
- 10:12Speaker 1: Jay Rosenbaum, whom she had met earlier at Camp Towanda
- 10:17Speaker 1: in Pennsylvania. Now, on the night Lauren disappeared, she had
- 10:21Speaker 1: been out drinking with several friends in Bloomington, as one
- 10:24Speaker 1: does in a college town. You lived in one, We've
- 10:27Speaker 1: all done it all right. However, her boyfriend was not
- 10:31Speaker 1: with them that evening, but the couple exchanged text messages
- 10:34Speaker 1: before he went to bed. According to witnesses, Lauren was
- 10:39Speaker 1: very intoxicated during the night, and investigators later used surveillance
- 10:44Speaker 1: footage and witness statements to create a timeline of her movements.
- 10:49Speaker 1: Now they know that at approximately twelve thirty am on
- 10:53Speaker 1: June third, twenty eleven, witnesses reported that Lauren left her
- 10:58Speaker 1: apartment with a friend named David Ron. The two went
- 11:02Speaker 1: to Jay Rosenbaum's apartment, where she met Corey Rossman, who
- 11:06Speaker 1: lived next door. At one forty six am, So we're
- 11:10Speaker 1: about an hour and fifteen minutes later, surveillance footage shows
- 11:15Speaker 1: Lauren entering Kilroy's Sports Bar in Bloomington. It's almost closing time.
- 11:21Speaker 1: At two twenty seven am, she was seen leaving the
- 11:24Speaker 1: bar with Corey Rossman. Lauren had left her cell phone
- 11:28Speaker 1: and her shoes behind at the bar after removing them
- 11:32Speaker 1: while walking on the sand covered patio, Rossman walked with
- 11:36Speaker 1: her towards her apartment complex. Now three minutes later, at
- 11:41Speaker 1: approximately two thirty am, Lauren was seen entering the Smallwood
- 11:46Speaker 1: Plaza apartments where she lived. A passer by named Zach
- 11:50Speaker 1: Oakes noticed that she appeared heavily intoxicated and asked if
- 11:55Speaker 1: she was okay at two forty eight ams so. Eighteen
- 12:01Speaker 1: minutes later, after leaving the apartments, Lauren and Rossman entered
- 12:06Speaker 1: an alley that runs between College Avenue and Morton Street.
- 12:11Speaker 1: Security cameras captured them exiting the alley at two fifty
- 12:15Speaker 1: one am and walking toward an empty lot. Her keys
- 12:19Speaker 1: and purse were later found along the route through the alley. Okay,
- 12:25Speaker 1: this is very interesting. Lauren and Rossman then arrived at
- 12:30Speaker 1: Rossman's apartment. His roommate Michael Beth, was also there. Michael
- 12:37Speaker 1: later stated that Rossman was extremely intoxicated and vomited on
- 12:42Speaker 1: the carpet while going upstairs. I mean, this sounds honestly
- 12:46Speaker 1: like regular college because Shenanigan's to be quite honest with you,
- 12:51Speaker 1: as somebody who lives in a college town and may
- 12:53Speaker 1: have done some of these things. It's pretty if you
- 12:56Speaker 1: walk down the main street you see this. Is it
- 12:59Speaker 1: the smartest there's probably not, but we all do it, well,
- 13:02Speaker 1: not everybody, but a lot of people do now. Bess said,
- 13:06Speaker 1: he well, Michael will call him Michael, because if I
- 13:09Speaker 1: say his last ning, that's confusing. Michael Beth said he
- 13:12Speaker 1: helped Rossman to bed and then tried to persuade Lauren
- 13:16Speaker 1: to stay at the apartment because of her condition. According
- 13:20Speaker 1: to Michael, Lauren said she wanted to return to her
- 13:23Speaker 1: own apartment. Around three point thirty am, Michael Beth called
- 13:28Speaker 1: his neighbor Jay Rosenbaum and asked him to come and
- 13:32Speaker 1: help take care of Lauren. Michael said Lauren had been
- 13:35Speaker 1: attempting to get him to drink with her at her
- 13:37Speaker 1: own apartment. Lauren eventually went to Rosenbaum's apartment, but while there,
- 13:43Speaker 1: Rosenbaum noticed a bruise under her eye. Which he believed
- 13:47Speaker 1: may have come from a fall earlier in the evening.
- 13:51Speaker 1: Lauren reportedly told him that she did not know how
- 13:53Speaker 1: she got the bruce.
- 13:56Speaker 2: Now.
- 13:56Speaker 1: Two phone calls were made from Rosenbaum's phone shortly before
- 14:00Speaker 1: Lauren reportedly left. Rosenbaum said Lauren made both calls, one
- 14:06Speaker 1: to David Ron and another to a different friend. Now.
- 14:10Speaker 1: Neither call was answered and no messages were left. At
- 14:15Speaker 1: approximately four thirty am, Rosenbaum said Laura left his apartment.
- 14:21Speaker 1: He reported seeing her at the intersection of Eleventh Street
- 14:24Speaker 1: and College Avenue, heading south on College Avenue. Ooh, this
- 14:29Speaker 1: is way late in the morning. Oh goodness. That was
- 14:33Speaker 1: the last conformed site reported sighting of Lauren. Okay, so
- 14:39Speaker 1: later that morning, Jesse Woof sent Lauren a text message.
- 14:44Speaker 1: The response he received came from an employee at Kilroy's
- 14:47Speaker 1: Sports Bar who had her phone. Wolf then reported Lauren missing.
- 14:54Speaker 1: In August twenty eleven, Bloomington Police and the FBI conducted
- 14:59Speaker 1: a nine day's search of the Sycamore Ridge Landfill in Pimento,
- 15:04Speaker 1: south of Terry House A landfill? How did they get
- 15:07Speaker 1: to that conclusion? The landfill receives trash from Bloomington after
- 15:12Speaker 1: it passes through a transfer station, but nothing has been
- 15:16Speaker 1: reported as found. In April twenty fifteen, police examined a
- 15:22Speaker 1: possible connection between lawrence disappearance and the murder of another
- 15:27Speaker 1: Indiana University student, Hannah Wilson, who also disappeared after visiting
- 15:33Speaker 1: Kilroy's That's That's Interesting. Wilson was later found murdered in
- 15:38Speaker 1: Brown County, and a man named Daniel Messil was arrested
- 15:43Speaker 1: and convicted of that crime. By July twenty fifteen, investigators determined, though,
- 15:48Speaker 1: that the two cases were unrelated and that the similarities
- 15:52Speaker 1: between them were coincidental. Okay, Mesil has never been charged
- 15:58Speaker 1: in connection with lawrence disi appearance. On January twenty eighth,
- 16:03Speaker 1: twenty sixteen, investigators followed up on a lead and searched
- 16:08Speaker 1: a property on Old Morgantown Road in mart Martinsville, about
- 16:12Speaker 1: twenty miles north of Bloomington. The property was connected to
- 16:17Speaker 1: a man named Justin Wagers. Cadaver dogs indicated potential evidence
- 16:23Speaker 1: at the property, and investigators conducted a search of the
- 16:26Speaker 1: barn and surrounding dirt but found nothing. Man. I would
- 16:30Speaker 1: love to know how they got to that conclusion to
- 16:33Speaker 1: have enough for a search. Oh, that's interesting. In twenty seventeen,
- 16:41Speaker 1: Brown County Prosecutor Ted Adams stated he believed Daniel Messel
- 16:45Speaker 1: could be connected to lawrence disappearance, unlike this statement made
- 16:50Speaker 1: in twenty fifteen. Well, that's interesting. Mesl again has never
- 16:55Speaker 1: been charged in the case. Now years have passed without
- 16:59Speaker 1: you regarding Lauren's disappearance. On June third, twenty twenty five,
- 17:05Speaker 1: Laurence's parents released a statement marking the fourteenth anniversary of
- 17:10Speaker 1: her disappearance. And I'm going to read the statement to
- 17:13Speaker 1: you in full. June third, today marks fourteen years since
- 17:19Speaker 1: laurence disappearance. Even as this year marks the day, I
- 17:24Speaker 1: am anticipating next year, the fifteenth year. That's how quickly
- 17:29Speaker 1: these days pass, one folding into the next, one year
- 17:34Speaker 1: folding into the next. It has been a very long
- 17:38Speaker 1: fourteen years, at times unbearable, at other times hopeful, never
- 17:45Speaker 1: any resolution. The not knowing what happened on June third,
- 17:50Speaker 1: the not knowing where Lauren's remains are, and the lack
- 17:54Speaker 1: of any kind of closure is devastating, exhausting and endless. Yes,
- 18:01Speaker 1: what you don't know can devastate you. Every year, on
- 18:07Speaker 1: this day, I consider whether I should even post anything.
- 18:11Speaker 1: It seems so futile. Sharing my thoughts is really about
- 18:16Speaker 1: me and my longing for the truth, answers, and more importantly,
- 18:20Speaker 1: as a reminder to those responsible that we will never forget.
- 18:26Speaker 1: I can only try. My thanks to all who continue
- 18:30Speaker 1: to remember Lauren and to those who have shown us
- 18:32Speaker 1: unbelievable kindness. I hope with all my heart the day
- 18:37Speaker 1: will come when the not knowing comes to an end
- 18:40Speaker 1: and we can give Lauren the piece she deserves. To
- 18:44Speaker 1: our dear Lauren and our hearts always. That is so
- 18:50Speaker 1: gut wrenching and heartbreaking. Ah, poor family. And there's so
- 18:55Speaker 1: many families that I feel the same thing all the
- 18:58Speaker 1: time when they don't have answers. Now, someone out there
- 19:03Speaker 1: knows something, all right. I don't think that's up for debate.
- 19:06Speaker 1: Somebody out there knows something. And Lauren's family and friends
- 19:10Speaker 1: deserve to know the truth about her disappearance. They deserve
- 19:15Speaker 1: to have her brought home and given the proper respect
- 19:18Speaker 1: that she deserves. Now, if you know anything, again, no
- 19:23Speaker 1: matter how small or trivial it may be, and maybe
- 19:26Speaker 1: you're wrong, and that's okay, please contact the Bloomington Police Department.
- 19:31Speaker 1: At eight one, two, three, thirte nine, four, four, seven seven.
- 19:39Speaker 1: Joe Kenda does say there's no coincidences and murder that
- 19:42Speaker 1: he does. I love Lieutenant Joe Kenda. That's really that
- 19:47Speaker 1: is a very very interesting story. I'm probably gonna look
- 19:50Speaker 1: more into that because I am very curious. I want
- 19:53Speaker 1: to see the route that she took. So many questions,
- 19:58Speaker 1: but I'm not going to post right now, that's probably
- 20:01Speaker 1: not appropriate. All right, you guys, Well, thank you so
- 20:04Speaker 1: much for joining me today. It really means a lot
- 20:06Speaker 1: to us and to the families who are missing their
- 20:09Speaker 1: loved ones. Maybe you don't know these people, but it
- 20:12Speaker 1: does make a difference to them. They've said it such,
- 20:15Speaker 1: so please don't forget. You can also join our Facebook group.
- 20:19Speaker 1: That is where we will post all our missing person
- 20:21Speaker 1: posters as well share other posters and today's posters for
- 20:26Speaker 1: these cases will be on terry true crime socials so
- 20:30Speaker 1: that you can share even if you are not on Facebook.
- 20:33Speaker 1: Literally sharing this could get them answers, because that's the
- 20:37Speaker 1: great thing about the Internet. You never know who's on
- 20:40Speaker 1: the other side of that screen. That would be like
- 20:43Speaker 1: jog a memory. So if you have social media, please
- 20:46Speaker 1: do that. You can also follow us on all social
- 20:49Speaker 1: media platforms to stay connected and be part of the conversation. Remember,
- 20:54Speaker 1: you can catch all of our shows right here on
- 20:56Speaker 1: our YouTube channel and listen to our podcast on your
- 20:59Speaker 1: face favorite platform. Now, True Crime and Wine Time is
- 21:04Speaker 1: back this Thursday. I'll be there with my lovely guest
- 21:07Speaker 1: co host Amos. You will be joining me. I'm very
- 21:09Speaker 1: excited about that. We eight pm Eastern, seven pm Central
- 21:15Speaker 1: for another deep dive into shocking true crime cases, perfectly
- 21:19Speaker 1: paired with some wine. And this week we're going to
- 21:22Speaker 1: begin our three part series covering Captured the Call that
- 21:25Speaker 1: brought down Sean Great. It's an Ohio story and it
- 21:30Speaker 1: is something I'll tell you that you do not want
- 21:33Speaker 1: to miss it. Now, be sure to check out our
- 21:36Speaker 1: merch shop on our website tcwtmedia dot com. And remember,
- 21:42Speaker 1: if your cozy crew, Lovelies, writer, die or higher, you'll
- 21:45Speaker 1: get those sweet discount codes you can redeem however many
- 21:48Speaker 1: times you want, and the shop is already open for you.
- 21:52Speaker 1: You can find that under the community post of our channel.
- 21:56Speaker 1: And look, I have the coloring book and there's even
- 22:00Speaker 1: a mid Day Missing coloring page with Terry right there.
- 22:06Speaker 1: It's very affordable and it's very good quality. I'm very
- 22:09Speaker 1: excited to start coloring and it's a night. It helps
- 22:12Speaker 1: my anxiety, so I recommend getting you ordered your coloring book, Pam.
- 22:16Speaker 1: It's great. I'm so excited about it. Who would have
- 22:19Speaker 1: thought I would have been in a coloring book. It's
- 22:21Speaker 1: so cool. Well, friends, until next time, stay safe. If
- 22:27Speaker 1: you see something, say something, and let's help these families
- 22:31Speaker 1: bring their loved ones home. Okay, they deserve answers, And
- 22:36Speaker 1: as I always say, until next time. I'm sure I'll
- 22:38Speaker 1: guest guest host again sometime in the future. But if not,
- 22:44Speaker 1: everybody have a wonderful day and go forth and be amazing.
- 22:48Speaker 1: All right, Bye.
- 22:49Speaker 3: Guys in.
- 23:02Speaker 2: The pot b