Community search yields no new clues on missing student

January 18, 2006

Community search yields no new clues on missing student

**Wade Steffey**

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A search of the Purdue campus perimeter on Thursday (Jan. 18) that involved more than 300 volunteers did not yield any additional clues to the whereabouts of a missing university student.

Purdue police requested volunteers from the campus and community to search for freshman Wade S. Steffey, 19, from Bloomington, Ind. Steffey, a National Merit Scholar majoring in aviation technology, has been missing since early Saturday (Jan. 13).

Thursday's search, which also included campus and area law enforcement officials and members of the Purdue Fire Department, began at 2 p.m. and concluded around 5:30 p.m. Purdue spokesperson Jeanne Norberg said that, in addition to the outdoor search, university employees also coordinated searches of campus buildings.

Volunteers briefed by police
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Law enforcement officials will continue their search on Friday (Jan. 19) without the assistance of volunteers, Norberg said.

"The volunteers allowed us to search a significant number of less well-traveled areas on the edges of campus," Norberg said. "We are grateful for the response we had from the campus and Greater Lafayette community."

Police were alerted to Steffey's disappearance on Tuesday (Jan. 16) after family and friends became concerned that he had not been seen since early Saturday (Jan. 13). Steffey was seen at a party at the Phi Kappa Theta fraternity house, 900 David Ross Road, and was wearing a white long-sleeved shirt with light blue stripes and light-colored jeans.

Police have received a tip that a person matching Steffey's description was seen at the northwest corner of Owen Hall around 12:30 a.m. Saturday, near the time when a call was placed from his cell phone to a female student who lived there. Steffey had reportedly left his coat in Owen Hall, Norberg said.

Police originally believed that Steffey's bank account had been accessed at 1:11 a.m. Saturday (Jan. 13) at an automated teller machine at 1122 W. Stadium Ave., located in the lobby of Ford Dining Court. Investigators have since determined, however, that the ATM transaction occurred at around 8:30 p.m. Friday (Jan. 12).

Steffey is white with short brown hair and brown eyes, is 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighs about 150 pounds.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Purdue Police Department at (765) 494-8221 or the anonymous tip line at (765) 496-3784.

Writer: Brian Zink, (765) 494-2080, bzink@purdue.edu

Source: Jeanne Norberg, Purdue University News Service director, (765) 494-2096

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

Note to Journalists: In order to better utilize police officers for the search effort, all media inquiries regarding this case should be directed to the Purdue University News Service at (765) 494-2096.

PHOTO CAPTION:
Purdue Police Chief Gary K. Evans instructs the more than 300 volunteers who answered a call for assistance to help find missing student Wade S. Steffey. Volunteers on Thursday (Jan. 18) searched several areas in and around the campus, and law enforcement officials plan to continue the search on Friday (Jan. 19). (Purdue News Service photo/David Umberger)

A publication-quality photo is available at https://www.purdue.edu/uns/images/+2007/steffey-search.jpg

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