i must admit my thoughts also stray towards the negative sometimes. i just try to keep the faith that dru will be found safe.
as for the weather, it's actually not bad up here for december.

The Iowa State Daily had a nice article about a Gamma Phi Beta sister from UND who transferred to Iowa State and is helping the search for Dru down here. It was nice to read some positive Greek news for a change, the Daily has a history of being very anti-Greek.
--------------------
Looking for Dru. by Stefanie Peterson, Daily staff writer

The bonds of sisterhood connected members of the ISU chapter of Gamma Phi Beta sorority with a chapter more than 500 miles away when a University of North Dakota student disappeared two weeks ago.

Dru Sjodin was last heard from Nov. 22 while walking to her car in the parking lot of the Columbia Mall in Grand Forks, N.D., where she worked. She is a member of the University of North Dakota's Alpha Beta chapter of Gamma Phi Beta sorority.


Full Article

This afternoon on the radio the news said they found a maroon mercury with Dru's blood type splattered on the seats and they're sending samples off to a lab for DNA testing. If this turns out to be her blood, let's all have a moment of silence for her life, not her death. Life is a precious gift and we need to honor hers while her family could possibly experience the worst grief anyone could ever possibly have.

Oh no, that doesn't sound like good news. :( My prayers are with her and her family.

not good news
 

N.D. Police Tight-Lipped On Sjodin Investigation
Report: Police Find Blood Sample Matching N.D. Student's Blood Type

POSTED: 7:04 a.m. EST December 5, 2003
UPDATED: 5:43 p.m. EST December 5, 2003

Police in Grand Forks say the odds of finding a missing college student alive are fading with each passing day.

Grand Forks authorities spoke Friday afternoon about the latest developments in the search for missing University of North Dakota student Dru Sjodin.


DRU SJODIN

Discuss This Case
Rodriguez file from Minn. Dept. of Corrections


North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem thanked the Sjodin family for their strength. While Kirby said there's no need for more volunteers, he did ask landowners in the area to get out and search their properties for any evidence that might lead authorities to Sjodin. He then reiterated a reward of $140,000 is being offered for any information leading to Dru.

Dru's father, Allan, made a brief statement thanking everyone involved.

"We'll find you, Doodles. No problem," said Sjodin.

Today's search for her has involved only police, and it's focused in an area north of East Grand Forks, Minn. Conditions are snowy and cold.

Her family, friends and volunteers had also been searching for her. But her father, who still believes she is alive, said those searches are being re-evaluated.

Meanwhile, investigators say they have found blood in kidnapping suspect Alfonso Rodriguez's car that matches Sjodin's blood type, a St. Paul newspaper reported.

The St. Paul Pioneer Press, citing sources close to the investigation, reported Thursday night on its Web site that a more extensive DNA analysis is under way following the preliminary analysis.

The Star Tribune newspaper of Minneapolis reported that police have tapes placing Rodriguez, a three-time convicted rapist who has been charged with kidnapping, in the mall parking lot from which authorities believe Sjodin, 22, was abducted Nov. 22.

According to a report on the Minneapolis Star Tribune Web site, Grand Forks police Sgt. Mike Hedlund said the tapes show the 50-year-old suspect in a Grand Forks mall parking lot at the same time Sjodin, 22, was leaving work at a store in the mall. Hedlund said that hopes of finding Sjodin alive fade with each passing day.

The Grand Forks Police Department is disputing the Star Tribune report. Hedlund said the newspaper misinterpreted what he said.

"We have probable cause to believe that Mr. Rodriguez was at Columbia Mall that day," Hedlund said. "I also said we have received surveillance tapes. I'm not saying what's on those videotapes."

The Star Tribune also reported that a knife sheath was found in the parking lot.

Another newspaper, the Grand Forks Herald, reported that Rodriguez didn't show up for work the day Sjodin went missing.

Rodriguez, a level 3 sex offender from nearby Crookston, Minn., is being held on a $5 million bond. That classification is reserved for those considered most likely to reoffend.

His attorney said on Thursday during the bond hearing that Rodriguez wants to stay behind bars for his own safety.

The prosecutor said there's little chance he would offer to cut a deal with Rodriguez in exchange for information to help search for Sjodin.

Police say Sjodin likely was on her cell phone when she was abducted. Her boyfriend told police he heard her scream "Oh my God!" before the line went dead. In a call from Sjodin's phone a couple hours later, the boyfriend heard only static and the sound of buttons being pushed.

www.finddru.com

the link was posted on a CNN.com story and has pictures and printable flyers to distribute.

One of my sisters is really good friends with Dru. It was really sad to find out that one of her friends was missing. Our greek system wrote letters to tell her parents that we were thinking of them and praying for Dru to come home safe.

:(


Any idea to whom the car is registered?

they said it was the suspects car that they arrested. I really hope that if it is her blood that it was just a cut or a bloody nose or something and not something really really bad!!! I mean they didnt say how much blood it was but I hope its not alot. I hope she makes it home.


Nichole

This doesn't sound like good news. No matter what the circumstances, Dru needs to be brought home to her family. I know wherever she is, she knows that everybody is thinking of her and trying their hardest to find her.

This is such a sad story...
 

My thoughts go out to all the family and students hurting over the loss of this young girl. What a horrid time for them all. I am just in awe of all the people that are showing up to search in the bitter cold.

I haven't been able to find out any more info about the car with her blood type in it. I have been searching all morning on the TV if there was any more info about her.

Basically, what, what the Polioce are saying that they do not want to give info OUt!

What is sad, that from from My experience as a police Officer and Detective, She is Dead!:( Now is just a matter of finding Her Body!:(

If from reading Reports about this individual, He is violente and I take that as No Hope!

I can only Hope that there is Closer for the Family and Friends!

The news here today is this:

Investigators put the search for a missing University of North Dakota student on indefinite hold Saturday after two weeks of scouring the fields and rural roads across two states turned up no sign of her.


Full article

It doesn't sound like the police are hopeful anymore.

Dee

:( they put it on indefinite hold? that's so terrible :( have the police said anything as to why they can't just ask the guy [if he really is the person who abducted her] where she is?!:( :( :(

that really doesnt sound good :(:( i'm still trying to keep my hopes up for her and her family. i hope they can get this guy in custody to cooperate... we dont need a sad story around this time of year :(

I don't think he's talking...

I say turn him over to Syria and let them get the info out of him.

rodriguez said he didn't kidnap dru and he doesn't want to talk to the police.

as sad as it is, it's his constitutional right not to incriminate himself and not to talk to the police if he doesn't want to.

that being said - i hope whoever kidnapped her slipped up and left clues and that they find her very soon and reunite her with her family

i just can't believe they haven't even found clues yet. :( I don't know anything about the law enforcement/criminal investigation field, but wouldn't there be at least some clues if it was just a random attack instead of a super-planned-out one? :( This is so sad :(

I'm thinking that it doesn't sound good. The guy they have in custody is denying that he is the kidnapper. However, if they find her and she's not alive, then he'll be accused of murder. If he is the one who abducted her and he still had her alive somewhere, it would be in his best interest to say where she is. If they find her body, then he's an accused murderer, but if they found her alive, then the worst he would face is kidnapping charges. I'm sure his defense attorney would explain that to him. That makes me think that either 1) he isn't the right guy or 2) he is the right guy and he has already murdered her.

Dee

yea.. that's what I was thinking AGDee.

I know they can't give out any evidence or anything against the person, but I'm really starting to wonder what it was that led the authorities to him...besides the fact that they can place him in Grand Forks and at the parking lot at the time of her disappearance. Don't you need some kind of hard evidence before you can arrest someone?

my guess is that they have plenty of evidence to have him arrested. they are probably keeping it quiet because they don't want to mess up their investigation or his trial. they did find blood in his car matching her blood type. they are probably doing a dna match on that. i just hope that they find something. i am sure her family and friends will appreciate some type of closure.

It used to be no body, no conviction. But with the advent of new methods such as DNA, that has changed the total perspective of a crime.

They have his car with the Blood Samples in it.

Police keep somethings quiet for specific reasons that only the possible perpitrator would know.

While they cannot make him give a statement, there may be enough evidence to persue a criminal case.

The sad thing now is if she has not been found yet, Dru is most certainly dead. It may be a long time and by accident that Her body is found unless he tells.

This is a sad commentary on the human being for what he is.:(

the information about the evidence may be out as early as tomorrow. but here's what little info is out now:
1) rodriquez is a level 3 sex offender (most level 3's take each new crime one step further than the last)
2) there are blood stains matching dru's blood type in his car
3) a knife sheath was found in the parking lot (he used a knife in all of his previous attacks)
4) he was in grand forks and in the mall the day dru was abducted
5) dru's cell phone was last tracked in the direction of rodriquez's home town

thanks for the info stagebear.

Umm.. I'm a little uninformed.. what is a 'knife sheath"?:confused: thanks in advance :)

Its the knife shaped holder that you put your knife into.

Wow that is so scary. :( I really hope she turns up ok, but I know that sadly more often than not, these stories don't have happy endings. Hopefully this will be different.

Thanks for the info Stagebear.

thanks for all the info guys.
the news over this way doesnt really cover a whole lot in this case.
i agree, the way the evidence that they have relased is going doesnt make it sound too promising, but we all saw how the elizabeth smart case turned out. maybe we'll be lucky with this case as well.

What's different about this case contrasted to Elizabeth Smart's though is that Smart's captors weren't found until she was. In this case, it seems Rodriguez might have done this. So they have Rodriguez, but not Dru. That's what makes this case more ominous unfortunately. I suppose there's that slim chance that Rodriguez didn't do it, and there's someone else out there with her, but I have my doubts about that. Maybe she can beat the odds, but it's already been two weeks. If Rodriguez did this alone, there's not much hope sadly.

I just read a news article saying that a knife was also found in the suspect's car, along with blood that is Dru's type. New evidence in the case is suppose to be released to the media today.

I don't know if anyone has mentioned this or not, but I wanted to pass along a tip that a self defense teacher taught me... If anyone tries to kidnap you, fight with all your strength. Scream at the top of your lungs, and do your best to draw as much attention as possible to the situation. Even if your attacker is armed, you stand a better chance of getting away alive at the location where you are first approached than you do if you are taken to another location.

dzrose, thanks for passing along the tip. i don't know if this is helpful, but another friend of mine once told me that whenever she had to walk alone (to/from the car before/after work, or from the parking lot to the dorms) she would carry her keys in her hand in such a way that most of the keys were inside of her closed fist and her car key (which was the longest and umm.. sharpest of her keys) was the only one sticking out in between her fingers. If anyone tried attacking her, she said, she'd poke his eyes to injure him so she could get away :eek: I don't know how effective that would be but it sounded like a good idea if you have no other way to quickly get away:confused:

texas*princess -- good one! The same self defense instructor that I mentioned earlier told me about the key idea as well. You can do one or two keys in between your fingers... it works kind of like how a cat's claw does, and can scratch your attacker's face quite effectively.

FWIW, I took the NRA Personal Protection Course. It was a 12-hour day, and only about 1/4 is about the use of guns. There was SO MUCH good information that I recommend it to everyone of both sexes.

It's better to have the information and never use it than to become a stastic.

Actually, I read somewhere that you should only have one key sticking out like that. Two keys sticking out means that the "bad guy" can grab both keys and squish one of your fingers. But I have heard that the one key idea works well. Go for the eyes. Or, as another self defense instructor told us at a Greek Night once, if the attacker is male then you can reach behind you and grab, twist and lift, if you catch my drift.:eek:

Just heard this on the news: They found Dru Sjodin's shoe near a river (her roomie identified it), and the knife that they found in the suspect's car was soaking in a cleaning solution. They've called out the National Guard to look for her now, which is just as well. Her family & friends shouldn't be looking for her under these circumstances.

I could cry...

This is so sad.

that is horrible.. my thoughts are still with her friends and family

I was SO hoping for a happy ending to this...