(Source)--On Jan. 13, Wade Steffey disappeared. It's been 28 days. Snow covers the fields, which have been searched for clues on Steffey's disappearance. And the days have grown colder, just like the clues. Steffey, a Purdue freshman in the College of Technology, is one of five college students who have gone missing in Indiana in the past six years.
Two students are still missing and three are dead. Some cases are closed, some remain open and some have changed. Yet, the search for Steffey continues. Almost four weeks into the search, Steffey's roommate, Ben Buckner, is starting to wonder. "It's kind of hitting hard lately," said Buckner, a freshman in the College of Liberal Arts. "I guess things are kind of dwindling down. It's just been a really long time."
One police officer who worked on the case of missing Indiana University student Jill Behrman remembered the Bloomington police's course of action and what they did when the case started to get cold. "It becomes a balancing act after a while," said Capt. Joe Qualters of the Bloomington Police Department. "Early on you get a lot of information, a lot of that info has to be tracked down as potentially worthwhile," said Qualters. "(But) if you have nothing to follow up on, it will always remain an open case."
Buckner will be attending a vigil for Steffey in their hometown of Bloomington, Ind. But for now, the reality of being alone in his residence hall room has been a struggle. "I try to spend a lot of time across the hall with my friends there and stay out of my room," said Buckner. "I've gotten used to my room being quiet and empty but it's a lot different than it used to be."
A MISSING HISTORY:
Age and class: 19, sophomore at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind.
Date missing: May 31, 2000
Result: Behrman's body was found in 2003 in the rural area of Morgan County, Ind. John R. Myers II was convicted in 2006 of murdering Behrman. He is seeking an appeal.
Age and class: 18, freshman at the University of Notre Dame
Date missing: Dec. 12, 2002
Result: Sharon's body was found on Feb. 12, 2003, in the St. Joseph River in South Bend, IN. An autopsy concluded that he had drowned. Police suspected the freezing weather would have caused hypothermia. Also, the autopsy showed his blood alcohol level was 0.224.
Age and class: 20, sophomore at Indiana State University
Date missing: May 24, 2002
Result: After almost 4 1/2 years, Javins is still missing. His parents, Merv and Doreena Javins, withdrew a reward for him that expired on Nov. 26, 2006.
Age and class: 19, former student of Vincennes University in Vincennes, IN
Date missing: Jan. 12, 2005
Result: Thiem's body was found in April 2005 near the Wabash River near Carmi, Ill.
Age and class: 19, freshman at Purdue
Date missing: Jan. 13, 2007
Result: After almost four weeks, Steffey is still missing.
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