Missing Wisconsin Student

[lovemyshiba]

Have you seen this on the news? A young woman was found the other day, after being missing for 4 days, I believe.
I'm watching CNN right now, and I just read this:

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=2&u=/ap/20040402/ap_on_re_us/missing_student

Any opinions?

Kater, what do you think? Is she a student at your school?

[2kitties]

That's near me. It's a huge deal here. She made up the story. Very sad. Clearly she is a very sick girl.

[CathyBogart]

Sounds suspicious. Just the story made me think of a girl I know who would make up stuff like that for attention with no regard to consequences for herself or others involved.

[2kitties]

I know it sounds that way Wolfchan, but I honestly think the girl in this story is ill. I feel so badly for her family and the townspeople who came to far to help search for her. Hopefully, she can get medical care soon and not face too many awful things. This will obviously be with her the rest of her life.

[lovemyshiba]

I hope she gets some help too.
She could be charged with a crime though.

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

I was wondering about this myself. When they found her, my first thought was "Well, that's odd." I don't know why because I should have been overjoyed that she was ok, but for some reason the whole thing just seemed weird and struck me as odd. I know they had said that a few months ago (?) she was struck over the head from behind, but of course there was no one else around as a witness.... Then I heard when they found her she was dehydrated and cold, but otherwise in good health so I thought "Ok, maybe she was abducted." My thinking being that if it was a hoax she wouldn't let herself get dehyrdrated.... So I was/am totally confused.

However, for some reason I've got this feeling (like my other "thoughts") that like 2kitties says, this girl is really ill and not just doing this for attention. I mean, it's one thing to hit yourself over the head and claim it was somebody else, but to tie and duct tape yourself up and spend 4 days in outside - it's cold outside these days!

I just hope this was a cry for help and the people close to her take heed.

[dukedogsmom]

I think she should be fined for all the manhours law enforcement spent looking for her. She sounds like she's a real piece of work.

[Kater]

Oi! Everyone has been going through all sorts of emotions as a result of this whole ordeal! Yes, she is a student at my school but I don't know her personally.

At first, everyone was so worried for her as well as afraid that others might be in danger.
Then everyone was so relieved when she was found and found alive!
Now, as more information is released, everyone is increasingly skeptical of her story. :(

I think either she has an undiagnosed mental illness, is on drugs, is having an affair (she has a boyfriend) with another man or is in a cult.

I can't help but feel sorry for her at this point. This has gotten a seemingly disproportionately large amount of national media attention! (Isn't there anything else going on nationally???) She will have to transfer schools to have any sort of normal life and even then people will recognize her. I'm not saying she should expect not to suffer consequences for her mistake (assuming she is lying) but it's still a sad thing.

I'm mainly happy that no one is in danger of being kidnapped and she is alive and unhurt. At this point I guess I'm hoping she can get the help she needs.

[Edwina's Secretary]

I've read she is a top student from a small town in Minnesota. Maybe she cracked from the pressure and expectations. I thought something was amiss when she was observed on the security camera leaving -- alone -- at 2:30 am without a purse or anything. Very sad.

[Kater]

Originally posted by dukedogsmom
I think she should be fined for all the manhours law enforcement spent looking for her.
They just quoted that cost to be $70,000 on tonight's evening news. I don't know if that figure includes the FBI costs - I think it's just the cost to Madison.
WOW!

[Tonya]

Serious head problems! She needs help!

[aly]

It was even on our local news today, so the poor girl has nowhere to hide.

I agree that the pressures of school probably got to her. They said that no one saw any signs from her that she would do something like this. School stress can make you crazy though. She just seems so normal of a person, its crazy.

[jazzcat]

Hope she gets some help because you would have to have some serious problems to go to these kinds of extremes for attention.

I can't imagine how all those people who spent time and money looking for her feel.

[teenster3]

I work in Madison where it happened and saw the helicopters overhead the day they were " supposedly searching for the guy who took her". I happened to hear about the incident from a girl at my work.....I gotta tell you, it had everyone talking. (What could have happened? When will they find out who did it? ETC. ETC.) I guess the only true person who will know what happened will be her. I was so scared about the story breaking myself...it just felt too close to home. I don't know how I feel about the situation. I do feel somewhat sad for the girl but enraged as well, is that wrong? This was a serious "crime". I just can't believe someone could make that up! What about the people IT REALLY HAPPENS TO?

[Desert Arabian]

I live near Madison too. I cannot belive this girl did this. Just about every channel here in Wisconsin was covering her story and everyone was worrying about her. I wonder what caused her to make up her kidnapping story!? Whatever the reason, she should still get charged, she raised a lot of hell.

Just glad it is fake and not real, and she's ok....

[Logan]

I told my husband, just yesterday, that I wished that all the media attention would just "go away" now. There is no suspect to look for, and I would wish some peace for this girl and her family so that they can attend to her needs, rather than responding to the media. :( :( :( I totally agree with some sort of compensation towards the expenses of the search for her, but it seems that her mental wellbeing should be the first and foremost on the list of priorities.