News and Headlines

Actions

Police won't reveal tip in Lauren Spierer case

Posted
and last updated

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Bloomington Police have received more than 2,500 tips since Lauren Spierer disappeared more than four years ago. But, they still won't identify the tip that led them to the home of Justin Wagers Thursday. 

Bloomington Police would only confirm that they received assistance from the FBI and that the search for Lauren remains active and ongoing. 

"The ultimate goal is to come to a resolution in this case and it's something we want to do now in this case and in any investigation we take on," Lt. John Kovach with the Bloomington Police Department said. 

The investigation took on a high profile Thursday when police and FBI agents raided the rural Martinsville home of registered sex offender Justin Wagers. 

Cadaver dogs searched the home, outbuildings and a nearby wooded area. Investigators also dug exploratory holes in a barn presumably looking for skeletal remains. 

RELATED | No remains found during FBI search in Martinsville in connection to Lauren Spierer case

Jack Macer, a next door neighbor, knows Wagers all too well. 

"I go to my back door and I seen him at my bedroom window," Macer said. 

Friday, Wagers' family declined an on-camera interview, but his step-father said they have been through hell. He said he feels sorry for the Spierer family because he knows they've been put through more hell. He added that he didn't think Justin had anything to do with Spierer's disappearance. 

Spierer disappeared from Bloomington in June 2011, prompting massive searches and pleas for her return on national television. And even though she's been gone four and a half years, she remains very much in the public conscience. 

Police still won't say what they were looking for in Martinsville. But Thursday's search is proof that no one has given up hope of finding Lauren Spierer. 

Bloomington Police would neither confirm nor deny whether a second home in Trafalgar was searched as part of the investigation.

PREVIOUS | Mystery of Lauren Spierer nets national attention | BPD investigating possible links between suspect in Hannah Wilson, Lauren Spierer cases | 'Promising' leads developing in Lauren Spierer case

---

Download the new and improved RTV6 app to get the latest news on the go and receive alerts to your phone

Sign up to have the latest news headlines delivered straight to your email inbox