http://www.kcci.com/news/22411734/detail.htmlMissing Student Case Focuses On InterviewsPOSTED: 12:01 pm CST February 2, 2010
UPDATED: 5:17 pm CST February 2, 2010
AMES, Iowa -- Iowa State police said Tuesday that they remain hopeful, but said a search for a missing student gets more difficult with each passing day.
Jon Lacina was last seen on Jan. 22 leaving a friend's apartment. His parent's reported him missing last Saturday.
Iowa State police continue to focus more on the investigation on Tuesday. They're conducting interviews with family and friends as well as following up on several leads.
ISU police said Tuesday they continue to search some remote areas on campus, checking all the rooftops of campus buildings.
Extensive searches over the weekend and on Monday didn't turn up any clues or evidence that could help police in their search. Police are not giving up the search, but will focus on more specific areas that may develop from their leads or they feel need to be rechecked.
Those on campus who know Lacina said he was a quiet student who was excited about his design work.
"I could tell when he was really engaged in work because he's very talented and when he got excited about projects, you could tell," said Professor Debra Satterfield. "One of the things that really struck me about Jon is on one level this is a news story, but this is a human story and he's a really sweet kid."
Other Missing Persons Connections?Iowa State is working with Ames police and the state Division of Criminal Investigation on a possible connection with two other missing person cases in the Midwest. Both cases involve young men around the same age as Lacina and who went missing around the same time, one is from Minnesota and the other from Wisconsin.
Sylvester McCurry, 18, was reported missing from Duluth, Min., on Jan. 17.
Eric Michael Peterson, 24, was last seen in Lakeville, Min., on Jan. 19.
Investigators said it is too early to say whether there may be any connection between the cases, but investigators are looking into them and not ruling out any possibilities.
Police continue to look into cell phone and bank records to see if Lacina may have had other accounts they were not originally aware of. Investigators have also searched his car that was still parked on campus after he was reported missing, but that from what we know has only ruled out that he did not leave in his car.
How To Help
ISU said Tuesday that students can participate in the search to find Lacina in a variety of ways.
More flyers need to be distributed off campus, said officials in a news release issued on Tuesday.
Flyers are available to be picked up in the Dean of Students Office in the Student Services Building on the ISU campus on Tuesday afternoon.
The flyer can be downloaded at
http://www.news.iastate.edu/images/2010/jan/lacina.pdf
