Annie Le-Missing Yale student wrote article on staying safe

[samanthajane13]

By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN, Associated Press Writer John Christoffersen, Associated Press Writer – Fri Sep 11, 8:51 am ET

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – A Yale University graduate student who disappeared less than a week before her planned wedding wrote a magazine article earlier this year about how to stay safe around the Ivy League campus.

Annie Le's article, called "Crime and Safety in New Haven," was published in February in a magazine produced by Yale's medical school. It compares higher instances of robbery in New Haven to cities that house other Ivy League schools and includes an interview with Yale Police Chief James Perrotti, who offers advice such as "pay attention to where you are" and "avoid portraying yourself as a potential victim."

"In short, New Haven is a city and all cities have their perils," Le concludes. "But with a little street smarts, one can avoid becoming yet another statistic."

Le, a 24-year-old doctoral student in pharmacology originally from Placerville, Calif., was last seen Tuesday at her laboratory in the Yale Medical School complex, slightly less than a mile from the main campus.

Le's purse, cell phone, credit cards and money were found in her office. She planned to get married on Sunday, but has not contacted her family, co-workers or friends.

On Thursday, state police with bloodhounds searched the area where Le was last seen, and authorities were seen searching nearby trash bins. Perotti said the FBI was assisting, and investigators also were reviewing images from closed-circuit cameras. Le's fiance, professors, colleagues, friends and family also were helping, he said. FBI agents were spotted Thursday at her New Haven apartment but declined to comment.

Asked about the possibility of foul play, Yale spokesman Tom Conroy said Thursday, "There's no evidence of it at this time."

Le was excited about getting married and is energetic and conscientious, said Debbie Apuzzo, who works in the pharmacology department.

Le, 4-foot-11 and 90 pounds, is of Asian descent and has brown hair and brown eyes. She received her undergraduate degree in bioscience in 2007 from the University of Rochester in New York, said Sharon Dickman, a university spokeswoman.

While at the University of Rochester, she did a summer project at the National Institutes of Health on bone tissue engineering with a goal of regenerating tissue for people suffering from degenerative bone diseases. She said her career goal was to work as an NIH investigator or as a professor.

Her mentor, Rocky Tuan, described her as bright and hardworking, saying the NIH undergraduate scholars program was very selective.

"She's a very happy person," Tuan said. "Everybody got along with her. She's always smiling, laughing."


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090911/...g_yale_student

[samanthajane13]

Yale offers 10K reward in student's disappearance
By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN, Associated Press Writer John Christoffersen, Associated Press Writer – 56 mins ago

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Investigators searching for a Yale graduate student who disappeared days before her wedding reviewed security-camera footage and checked the blueprints of the building where she was last seen as the university offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to her whereabouts.

More than 100 local, state and federal law enforcement personnel were involved in the investigation into Tuesday's disappearance of Annie Le, said Yale spokesman Tom Conroy.

Investigators were examining footage from some 75 cameras on and around the building where Le was last spotted. They did not immediately find any footage of her leaving the building.

"They are going frame by frame, looking at every image," Conroy said.

They also examined blueprints of the building to make sure no places were missed in their search, and examined Le's e-mails and her computer, he said.

There continues to be no evidence of foul play, Conroy said.

Le, a 24-year-old doctoral student in pharmacology originally from Placerville, Calif., was last seen Tuesday at her laboratory in the Yale Medical School complex, slightly less than a mile from the main campus.

Her purse, cell phone, credit cards and money were found in her office. She planned to get married on Sunday, but has not contacted her family, co-workers or friends, authorities said.

Le's fiance has been fully cooperative with authorities, Conroy said.

On her Facebook page, Le wrote, "Lucky I'm in love with my best friend" and noted she was getting married on Sunday.

Lucille Mayer, a neighbor of fiance Jonathan Widawsky, said she was invited to the wedding by his parents. She described Widawsky as smart and easy to get along with.

Le, 4-foot-11 and 90 pounds, wrote a magazine article earlier this year about how to stay safe around the Ivy League campus.

The article, titled "Crime and Safety in New Haven," was published in February in a magazine produced by Yale's medical school. It compares higher instances of robbery in New Haven to cities that house other Ivy League schools and includes an interview with Yale Police Chief James Perrotti, who offers advice such as "pay attention to where you are" and "avoid portraying yourself as a potential victim."

"In short, New Haven is a city and all cities have their perils," Le concludes. "But with a little street smarts, one can avoid becoming yet another statistic."


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090911/...g_yale_student

[SaraSidle]

Originally Posted by samanthajane13

Yale offers 10K reward in student's disappearance
By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN, Associated Press Writer John Christoffersen, Associated Press Writer – 56 mins ago

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Investigators searching for a Yale graduate student who disappeared days before her wedding reviewed security-camera footage and checked the blueprints of the building where she was last seen as the university offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to her whereabouts.

More than 100 local, state and federal law enforcement personnel were involved in the investigation into Tuesday's disappearance of Annie Le, said Yale spokesman Tom Conroy.

Investigators were examining footage from some 75 cameras on and around the building where Le was last spotted. They did not immediately find any footage of her leaving the building.

"They are going frame by frame, looking at every image," Conroy said.

They also examined blueprints of the building to make sure no places were missed in their search, and examined Le's e-mails and her computer, he said.

There continues to be no evidence of foul play, Conroy said.

Le, a 24-year-old doctoral student in pharmacology originally from Placerville, Calif., was last seen Tuesday at her laboratory in the Yale Medical School complex, slightly less than a mile from the main campus.

Her purse, cell phone, credit cards and money were found in her office. She planned to get married on Sunday, but has not contacted her family, co-workers or friends, authorities said.

Le's fiance has been fully cooperative with authorities, Conroy said.

On her Facebook page, Le wrote, "Lucky I'm in love with my best friend" and noted she was getting married on Sunday.

Lucille Mayer, a neighbor of fiance Jonathan Widawsky, said she was invited to the wedding by his parents. She described Widawsky as smart and easy to get along with.

Le, 4-foot-11 and 90 pounds, wrote a magazine article earlier this year about how to stay safe around the Ivy League campus.

The article, titled "Crime and Safety in New Haven," was published in February in a magazine produced by Yale's medical school. It compares higher instances of robbery in New Haven to cities that house other Ivy League schools and includes an interview with Yale Police Chief James Perrotti, who offers advice such as "pay attention to where you are" and "avoid portraying yourself as a potential victim."

"In short, New Haven is a city and all cities have their perils," Le concludes. "But with a little street smarts, one can avoid becoming yet another statistic."


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090911/...g_yale_student

This is so strange. I heard on NG the fire alarm went off around the time she went missing. Coincidence??? I hope she is not in the building still.
Cold Feet???She is very small in size and probably could not put up much of a struggle. I sure hope she is found and can get married Sunday. IMO sara

[2-B]

For Annie's sake, I guess we can only hope she got cold feet about her wedding and needed some cooling off time. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite sound as if that's the case.

Still too early to know, but some things really bother me here. With 75 cameras in the building and apparently others on adjacent buildings, no footage of Annie leaving is worrisome. Reminds me of the recent case in NYC where the cleaning woman was ultimately found dead in the building where she worked.

I'm also curious about the fire alarm and about the article Annie wrote about campus safety. With the latter, could someone have been trying to get back at her, sort of saying, "You think you know how to stay safe on this campus? I'll show you that you don't."

I heard tonight that they brought in cadaver dogs, but no word yet on whether they found anything or not. Henry Lee (the scientist, not the reporter) did caution that in a research building like that, some hiding places like refrigeration units could be sealed enough to make work difficult for cadaver dogs.

[SaraSidle]

Originally Posted by 2-B

For Annie's sake, I guess we can only hope she got cold feet about her wedding and needed some cooling off time. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite sound as if that's the case.

Still too early to know, but some things really bother me here. With 75 cameras in the building and apparently others on adjacent buildings, no footage of Annie leaving is worrisome. Reminds me of the recent case in NYC where the cleaning woman was ultimately found dead in the building where she worked.

I'm also curious about the fire alarm and about the article Annie wrote about campus safety. With the latter, could someone have been trying to get back at her, sort of saying, "You think you know how to stay safe on this campus? I'll show you that you don't."

I heard tonight that they brought in cadaver dogs, but no word yet on whether they found anything or not. Henry Lee (the scientist, not the reporter) did caution that in a research building like that, some hiding places like refrigeration units could be sealed enough to make work difficult for cadaver dogs.

2-B wasn't the woman in NY found in an air vent or air conditioning ducts?

If she is a runaway she may have had someone else set off the alarm. IMO

[2-B]

Originally Posted by SaraSidle

2-B wasn't the woman in NY found in an air vent or air conditioning ducts?

If she is a runaway she may have had someone else set off the alarm. IMO

I think you're right about where the woman in NY was found. I didn't follow that one really closely, just know she was found "stuffed" somewhere in the building.

Heard an update on Annie this morning on the news indicating something about a professor who cancelled class abruptly about the time Annie went missing. No connection between that and her disappearance found at this time but investigators are looking into it.

Praying she is found alive and with "cold feet." She is so, so tiny that if foul play is involved, I fear the worst.

[samanthajane13]

Wedding canceled amid search for Yale student

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Family members have canceled the wedding of a Yale University graduate student who vanished days before her New York nuptials as more than 100 investigators scrambled for clues to her disappearance.

Annie Le, a 24-year-old doctoral student from Placerville, Calif., was set to get married Sunday at the North Ritz Club in Syosset, N.Y. Workers at the club say the wedding was canceled Friday.

Police say fiance Jonathan Widawsky, a Columbia University graduate student, is not a suspect and is assisting with the investigation.

Yale is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to Le's whereabouts. She was last seen Tuesday at her laboratory in the Yale Medical School complex. Her purse, cell phone, credit cards and money were found in her office.

Investigators were spotted Saturday questioning a man outside the lab where Le worked. When they finished talking, the man got in the front seat of the unmarked car and one of the FBI agents got in the back seat. The car then drove away.

Agent Bill Reiner said the FBI wouldn't answer any questions about the investigation while it's ongoing.

A spokesman for the Yale public information office didn't immediately return a phone call Saturday.

Investigators were examining security camera footage from some 75 cameras near the building where Le was last spotted. They had not yet found any footage of her leaving the building.

"They are going frame by frame, looking at every image," Yale spokesman Tom Conroy said Friday.

They also examined blueprints of the building to make sure nothing was missed in their search, and they searched Le's e-mails and her computer, he said.

Conroy said there's no evidence of foul play.

Le wrote about her upcoming wedding on her Facebook page, saying she's "lucky I'm in love with my best friend."

Lucille Mayer, Widawsky's neighbor, said she was invited to the wedding by his parents. She described Widawsky as smart and easy to get along with.

Le, 4 feet 11 inches tall and 90 pounds, wrote a magazine article earlier this year about how to stay safe around the Ivy League campus.

The article, titled "Crime and Safety in New Haven," was published in February in a magazine produced by Yale's medical school. It compares higher instances of robbery in New Haven to cities that house other Ivy League schools and includes an interview with Yale Police Chief James Perrotti, who offers advice such as "pay attention to where you are" and "avoid portraying yourself as a potential victim."

"In short, New Haven is a city and all cities have their perils," Le concludes. "But with a little street smarts, one can avoid becoming yet another statistic."


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090912/...g_yale_student

[SaraSidle]

Has anyone heard about when the fire alarm went off? Not a very clear timeline yet.. IMO sara

[2-B]

Just heard on Fox News:

a) LE reports bloody clothing was found in the ceiling tiles of the research building where Annie was working

b) a press conference is scheduled for 5:30 this afternoon.

Some reports, sadly, are saying that a body was found along with the clothing, but Fox said they could not confirm that report.

http://www.foxnews.com/

[SaraSidle]

Originally Posted by 2-B

Just heard on Fox News:

a) LE reports bloody clothing was found in the ceiling tiles of the research building where Annie was working

b) a press conference is scheduled for 5:30 this afternoon.

Some reports, sadly, are saying that a body was found along with the clothing, but Fox said they could not confirm that report.

http://www.foxnews.com/

they just mentioned it again. no mention of body

[wind149]

Oh God, I fear this is not going to come to go a good ending and I have to wonder about the professor that canceled his class about the same time this woman went missing? Wouldn't be the first time even a teacher went bad, a professor at Tufts University in the 80's was having an affair with a call girl and he was just obsessed with her to the point that he would follow her around at night trying to see who she was "dating" besides him, he spent thousands of dollars on this woman and then she comes up missing and he is presumed to be the suspect in her disappearance and then her body is discovered in a swampy area off the coast of Nantucket and he is charged with her murder and gets a 30 year prison sentence and this guy had the world by the ass. Came from one of Boston's blue blood families, married the queen of the debutantes and had three prefect kids, all going to Ivy League schools, he was well respected in all aspects and he and his wife were active in charities and she knew nothing about his "dark side" where at night, when she thought he was working, he was prowling the "Combat Zone" a seedy section of Boston known for hookers, and drug activity and many murders have occurred there and he was trolling for "dates" and then he met Robin Benard and was hooked on her and wanted to set her up, but she did not want that, she apparently liked hooking and did not want to give it up??

Now she came from a decent family, but she liked the darker side of life too and it got her killed by an older man whose wife no longer wanted the bedroom side of things and he did, they estimated he had spent close to a million dollars on hookers and call girls and now today, he sits in Walpole St prison with nothing. His wife got everything that was left, his kids and she were traumatized by this and of course the little woman had no idea what he was doing??? His kids really got the bad end of the stick, here they are in Yale and Harvard, and their daddy is on every Boston TV station in the back of a cruiser charged with murdering a hooker??? Now if they have indeed found bloody clothing, they can pretty much guess that it is her's as she is a tiny woman and a body probably is not far away and what a shame and who would do this to her? A real sick freak I am thinking, but what if it is one of her prof's???

[RayStar]

If this is a laboratory where she was working would the lab have an incinerator? She was so petite I think it would be easy to take her to the basement if the incinerator is located there. That fire alarm???

[2-B]

Originally Posted by SaraSidle

they just mentioned it again. no mention of body

I was able to see the news conference.

The FBI spokeswoman seemed shocked when reporters asked her about reports of a body being found. She categorically denied that any body had been found.

As for the alleged bloody clothing, when asked about that, she would only confirm that "evidence" had been found, but that evidence had not yet been connected to Annie.

She also made it clear that the FBI was still not ready to determine whether this was a missing person's case or a case of foul play.

All in all, the press conference seemed to pull back from the rumors going around, at least for the moment.

No mention of the professor that I can recall (but I didn't take notes).

No comment on any person of interest.

A spokeswoman for Yale said the school had been in close contact with the family and with the fiance and friends. General consensus: no feeling at all there was a reason for Annie to have taken off with "cold feet."

[SaraSidle]

Originally Posted by 2-B

I was able to see the news conference.

The FBI spokeswoman seemed shocked when reporters asked her about reports of a body being found. She categorically denied that any body had been found.

As for the alleged bloody clothing, when asked about that, she would only confirm that "evidence" had been found, but that evidence had not yet been connected to Annie.

She also made it clear that the FBI was still not ready to determine whether this was a missing person's case or a case of foul play.

All in all, the press conference seemed to pull back from the rumors going around, at least for the moment.

No mention of the professor that I can recall (but I didn't take notes).

No comment on any person of interest.

A spokeswoman for Yale said the school had been in close contact with the family and with the fiance and friends. General consensus: no feeling at all there was a reason for Annie to have taken off with "cold feet."

There just happened to be evidence (bloody clothes) in the ceiling at the lab and LE does not connect it with the missing girl??? okkkkaaay then. IMO
Thanks for watching and the info 2-B. I am glad you are posting on this. sara

[One2Snoop]

Items seized in Yale grad student's disappearance

2 hrs 21 mins ago

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Potential evidence has been seized from the building where a Yale University graduate student was last seen before she vanished days ahead of her wedding, authorities said Saturday.

Items that could be evidence are being analyzed but none has yet been associated with Annie Le, FBI spokeswoman Kim Mertz said at a news conference.

"I will categorically say a body has not been found," Mertz said. "Items that could potentially be evidence have been seized. None have yet been associated with Annie Le at this time."

Mertz would not confirm reports that the items found included bloody clothing.

Le was last seen Tuesday at a university laboratory. She swiped her identification card to enter the building Tuesday morning, but authorities have found no record of her leaving, despite some 75 surveillance cameras that cover the complex.

Authorities said they still have not determined whether Le's disappearance is a criminal case.

"We don't know where she is. We don't know what happened to her," Yale spokesman Tom Conroy said. "We don't know if a crime was committed or not."

Investigators, having already gone through the videos once, continued to review the surveillance tapes frame-by-frame Saturday to see if they overlooked Le, who could have changed into a laboratory coat or other clothes before leaving the building. Mertz said the review included video enhancement being conducted by state police.

"I do not know that it's definitive that she has left the building at this point," Mertz said.

On Saturday, investigators took what appeared to be blueprints to the building. FBI agents were also spotted questioning a man outside the lab. When they finished talking, the man got in the front seat of the unmarked car and an FBI agent got in the back seat. The car then drove away.

Yale is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to Le's whereabouts.

Le, who's of Asian descent, stands 4-foot-11 and weighs 90 pounds. Her purse, cell phone, credit cards and money were found in her office.

Officials say there's no evidence of foul play.

Le, originally from Placerville, Calif., was set to get married Sunday at the North Ritz Club in Syosset, N.Y., on the north shore of Long Island. Workers at the club say the wedding was canceled Friday.

Police say Le's fiance, Jonathan Widawsky, a Columbia University graduate student, is not a suspect and is assisting with the investigation.

At Le's apartment building across town, hopes for Le's safe return waned.

"I feel bad what happened to her," said Anna Beth Funk, who lives across the street from Le's apartment. "It broke my heart hearing she was about to get married because I love being married and it must be so hard for her fiance."

Wesleyan University professor Charles Lemert, who also lives across the street, said Le always took time to talk to his 11-year-old daughter.

"I wish more than anything this could be solved and turn into some kind of misunderstanding, but it seems bleak," he said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090912/...RlbXNzZWl6ZWRp

[samanthajane13]

Police Hunt for Clues on Missing Student

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (Sept. 12) - Police reportedly have questioned a professor who canceled a class about the same time Yale graduate student Annie Le disappeared on Tuesday.

A New Haven police source told New York Daily News on Friday that detectives became suspicious about the timing of the canceled class, which Le was supposed to attend.

University Vice President and Secretary Linda Lorimer told the Yale Daily News on Saturday that police are interviewing many people concerning Le and there is no reason to believe any professor is a suspect in the case.

Meanwhile, family members have canceled Le's wedding ceremony planned for the weekend as more than 100 investigators scrambled for clues to her disappearance.

Le, a 24-year-old doctoral student from Placerville, Calif., was set to get married Sunday at the North Ritz Club in Syosset, N.Y. Workers at the club say the wedding was canceled Friday.

Police say fiance Jonathan Widawsky, a Columbia University graduate student, is not a suspect and is assisting with the investigation.

Yale is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to Le's whereabouts.

She was last seen Tuesday at her laboratory in the Yale Medical School complex. Her purse, cell phone, credit cards and money were found in her office.

Investigators were examining security camera footage from some 75 cameras near the building where Le was last spotted. They had not yet found any footage of her leaving the building.

"They are going frame by frame, looking at every image," Yale spokesman Tom Conroy said.

They also examined blueprints of the building to make sure nothing was missed in their search, and they searched Le's e-mails and her computer, he said.

Conroy said there's no evidence of foul play.

Le wrote about her upcoming wedding on her Facebook page, saying she's "lucky I'm in love with my best friend."

Lucille Mayer, Widawsky's neighbor, said she was invited to the wedding by his parents. She described Widawsky as smart and easy to get along with.

Le, 4 feet 11 inches tall and 90 pounds, wrote a magazine article earlier this year about how to stay safe around the Ivy League campus.

The article, titled "Crime and Safety in New Haven," was published in February in a magazine produced by Yale's medical school. It compares higher instances of robbery in New Haven to cities that house other Ivy League schools and includes an interview with Yale Police Chief James Perrotti, who offers advice such as "pay attention to where you are" and "avoid portraying yourself as a potential victim."

"In short, New Haven is a city and all cities have their perils," Le concludes.

"But with a little street smarts, one can avoid becoming yet another statistic."


http://news.aol.com/article/annie-le...rance%2F665002

[samanthajane13]

Missing Yale student is UR grad
Yale University announces $10,000 reward

Updated: Friday, 11 Sep 2009, 6:17 PM EDT
Published : Friday, 11 Sep 2009, 6:16 PM EDT

NEW HAVEN, CT. - Yale University has announced a $10,000 reward for help finding a Yale graduate student who disappeared less than a week before her wedding.

More than 100 local, state and federal law enforcement personnel are involved in the investigation into the disappearance Tuesday of Annie Le.

While an undergraduate at the University of Rochester, Le did a summer project at the National Institutes of Health on bone tissue engineering with a goal of regenerating tissue for people suffering from degenerative bone diseases

Le, a 24-year-old doctoral student in pharmacology originally from Placerville, Calif., was last seen Tuesday at her laboratory in the Yale Medical School complex. Her purse, cell phone, credit cards and money were found in her office. She planned to get married on Sunday, but has not contacted her family, co-workers or friends.

Anyone with information is asked to call the FBI.


http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/crime/M..._grad_20090911

[samanthajane13]

Items seized in Yale grad student's disappearance



NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Potential evidence has been seized from the building where a Yale University graduate student was last seen before she vanished days ahead of her wedding, authorities said Saturday.

Items that could be evidence are being analyzed but none has yet been associated with Annie Le, FBI spokeswoman Kim Mertz said at a news conference.

"I will categorically say a body has not been found," Mertz said. "Items that could potentially be evidence have been seized. None have yet been associated with Annie Le at this time."

Mertz would not confirm reports that the items found included bloody clothing.

Le was last seen Tuesday at a university laboratory. She swiped her identification card to enter the building Tuesday morning, but authorities have found no record of her leaving, despite some 75 surveillance cameras that cover the complex.

Authorities said they still have not determined whether Le's disappearance is a criminal case.

"We don't know where she is. We don't know what happened to her," Yale spokesman Tom Conroy said. "We don't know if a crime was committed or not."

Investigators, having already gone through the videos once, continued to review the surveillance tapes frame-by-frame Saturday to see if they overlooked Le, who could have changed into a laboratory coat or other clothes before leaving the building. Mertz said the review included video enhancement being conducted by state police.

"I do not know that it's definitive that she has left the building at this point," Mertz said.

On Saturday, investigators took what appeared to be blueprints to the building. FBI agents were also spotted questioning a man outside the lab. When they finished talking, the man got in the front seat of the unmarked car and an FBI agent got in the back seat. The car then drove away.

Yale is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to Le's whereabouts.

Le, who's of Asian descent, stands 4-foot-11 and weighs 90 pounds. Her purse, cell phone, credit cards and money were found in her office.

Officials say there's no evidence of foul play.

Le, originally from Placerville, Calif., was set to get married Sunday at the North Ritz Club in Syosset, N.Y., on the north shore of Long Island. Workers at the club say the wedding was canceled Friday.

Police say Le's fiance, Jonathan Widawsky, a Columbia University graduate student, is not a suspect and is assisting with the investigation.

At Le's apartment building across town, hopes for Le's safe return waned.

"I feel bad what happened to her," said Anna Beth Funk, who lives across the street from Le's apartment. "It broke my heart hearing she was about to get married because I love being married and it must be so hard for her fiance."

Wesleyan University professor Charles Lemert, who also lives across the street, said Le always took time to talk to his 11-year-old daughter.

"I wish more than anything this could be solved and turn into some kind of misunderstanding, but it seems bleak," he said.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090913/...g_yale_student

[SaraSidle]

Originally Posted by wind149

Oh God, I fear this is not going to come to go a good ending and I have to wonder about the professor that canceled his class about the same time this woman went missing? Wouldn't be the first time even a teacher went bad, a professor at Tufts University in the 80's was having an affair with a call girl and he was just obsessed with her to the point that he would follow her around at night trying to see who she was "dating" besides him, he spent thousands of dollars on this woman and then she comes up missing and he is presumed to be the suspect in her disappearance and then her body is discovered in a swampy area off the coast of Nantucket and he is charged with her murder and gets a 30 year prison sentence and this guy had the world by the ass. Came from one of Boston's blue blood families, married the queen of the debutantes and had three prefect kids, all going to Ivy League schools, he was well respected in all aspects and he and his wife were active in charities and she knew nothing about his "dark side" where at night, when she thought he was working, he was prowling the "Combat Zone" a seedy section of Boston known for hookers, and drug activity and many murders have occurred there and he was trolling for "dates" and then he met Robin Benard and was hooked on her and wanted to set her up, but she did not want that, she apparently liked hooking and did not want to give it up??

Now she came from a decent family, but she liked the darker side of life too and it got her killed by an older man whose wife no longer wanted the bedroom side of things and he did, they estimated he had spent close to a million dollars on hookers and call girls and now today, he sits in Walpole St prison with nothing. His wife got everything that was left, his kids and she were traumatized by this and of course the little woman had no idea what he was doing??? His kids really got the bad end of the stick, here they are in Yale and Harvard, and their daddy is on every Boston TV station in the back of a cruiser charged with murdering a hooker??? Now if they have indeed found bloody clothing, they can pretty much guess that it is her's as she is a tiny woman and a body probably is not far away and what a shame and who would do this to her? A real sick freak I am thinking, but what if it is one of her prof's???

I cannot find anything on Robin Benard case Wind. Can you please give me a start to look? sara

[2-B]

Originally Posted by SaraSidle

There just happened to be evidence (bloody clothes) in the ceiling at the lab and LE does not connect it with the missing girl??? okkkkaaay then. IMO
Thanks for watching and the info 2-B. I am glad you are posting on this. sara

Thanks, Sara. This case has really caught my attention. I think it was Annie's facebook note that she was so lucky to be in love with her best friend that got to me. She looks so happy in the photos with her fiance, and when I think of all the dreams they had for the future being stolen from them, it tugs at my heart.

I caught Geraldo's segment on this tonight, and he interviewed a private detective whose name I know but can't remember right now! The detective was adamant that whole building could have been searched using FBI agents and available local and Yale police in a matter of hours despite its size. He was disappointed in the press conference, calling it "mostly fluff" for reporting so little.

Kimberly Guilfoyle was also on the panel, and she was asked if LE would withhold information about having found a body in a press conference. She said she'd never seen LE lie or withhold that kind of information during a press conference, only when interrogating suspects. Everyone seemed to agree that if Annie was killed, her body had been removed from the building.

I can understand to an extent the "not associated yet with Annie" comment regarding the evidence found at the scene. If they found bloody clothes, they probably need to run DNA tests to be certain there's a match with Annie's DNA before they can say with certainty that the blood matches Annie's. They probably suspect it's her blood but need to confirm it before releasing that information to the public. That's my guess, at any rate.

Thanks to Samantha Jane and Snoop for posting the articles. I'm just posting "hearsay" from watching TV.

[2-B]

Originally Posted by SaraSidle

I cannot find anything on Robin Benard case Wind. Can you please give me a start to look? sara

I'm not 100% sure, but I think this may be the case Wind is referring to. The name may be Robin Benedict and not Robin Benard. Hope Wind corrects me if I'm wrong:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?ni...g=4803,4268124

[samanthajane13]

Yale prays for return of missing graduate student


NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Yale University students are praying for missing graduate student Annie Le, who remains the subject of a massive police search the day that she was scheduled to marry in New York.

Le and her family were on the thoughts of students attending services Sunday at The University Church at Yale. Pastor Ian Buckner Oliver asked for a moment of silence and prayer "for Annie, and her family, who have arrived here in New Haven, for her fiance, on this, what would have been their wedding day."

Le, a 24-year-old doctoral student from Placerville, Calif., was last seen Tuesday at a laboratory where she worked. Police say surveillance video does not show her leaving the building.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090913/...g_yale_student

[wind149]

Sara, that is correct the name was Benedict not Benard, hell it has been years since this happened so forgive me if I was a little rusty on the last name. Now as for this woman, I do not believe for one second she got cold feet and decided to book like that one dumb broad did. From all accounts, this woman had her act together and you have to be a whiz kid to get into Yale so she was not taking her studies lightly, she was intent on getting her degree. I feel for her family and fiancee big time, today they should be walking down the aisle into wedded bliss. If they found bloody clothes can we assume that they are hers or not??

[SaraSidle]

Originally Posted by wind149

Sara, that is correct the name was Benedict not Benard, hell it has been years since this happened so forgive me if I was a little rusty on the last name. Now as for this woman, I do not believe for one second she got cold feet and decided to book like that one dumb broad did. From all accounts, this woman had her act together and you have to be a whiz kid to get into Yale so she was not taking her studies lightly, she was intent on getting her degree. I feel for her family and fiancee big time, today they should be walking down the aisle into wedded bliss. If they found bloody clothes can we assume that they are hers or not??

I am feeling that the bloody clothes are hers. I also think this is such a tragedy right before the wedding. Thanks for the name Wind. It sounded like an intersting case as most of yours are. I forget things all the time now.I probably would not even remember the first name also. I guess that is what happens with us..........

[Gatordog]

I read that the detectives are checking the trash area.

This is very sad. Such a promising young woman with so much to look foward to. Who knows what medical miracles she may have discovered. I pray that she is still alive but I don't have hope for it.

[Tonita]

There was a Yale Student murdered back in '99 I think and the killer was never caught. I wonder if there is any relationship between the two cases? It has not been mentioned in any of the reporting on Annie Le.

The last report I heard today is that they were searching an incinerator in Hartford, CT. Not much information forthcoming on this case so far. There was bloody clothing found in the ceiling but not the clothes she was wearing when she was last seen.

I'm praying for her safe return but this sounds grim.

[lorettalockhorn]

Police: Body found inside Yale lab building

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Police in Connecticut on Sunday said they found what they believe is the body of a Yale University graduate student and bride-to-be hidden inside the wall of a university building where she was last seen five days before.

New Haven Assistant Police Chief Peter Reichard said officials presumed the body was that of doctoral student Annie Le, although they had not yet positively identified it. Le has been the focus of a massive police search since Tuesday.

Le, 24, of Placerville, Calif., was to be married Sunday in Syosset, N.Y., on Long Island's north shore. New Haven police said they have contacted her family and have assumed control of the investigation, which is now being treated as a homicide.

State police found the body at around 5 p.m. Sunday in an area of the building that houses utility cables that run between floors.

Le was last seen Tuesday morning in the building. Surveillance video shows her arriving around 10 a.m., but police had been baffled since the investigation began because there was no video of Le leaving, despite some 75 surveillance cameras operating around the complex. Her ID, money, credit cards and purse were found in her office.

More than 100 local, state and federal police had been searching the building for days, using blueprints to uncover any place where evidence or Le's body could be hidden.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090914/...g_yale_student

[lorettalockhorn]

Police: Missing student case now a homicide investigation

(CNN) -- Investigators probing the disappearance of Yale graduate student Annie Le have declared the case a homicide, police said Sunday.

New Haven, Connecticut, police said they found the remains of a person inside the Amistad Building of Yale University and they assume it is Le.

Le was last seen on a Yale security camera entering a medical research building at about 10 a.m. on Tuesday. Authorities have not found images of her leaving the building.

The 24-year-old was to be married Sunday in Long Island, New York.

Investigators were testing bloody clothes Sunday and searching a landfill.

The clothes were found hidden in ceiling tiles in the Yale medical research building where Le was last seen Tuesday, a law enforcement source close to the investigation told CNN.

The FBI said only that it is examining materials that have been discovered and may be linked to the case.

"All I can say is items that could potentially be evidence have been seized. None have yet been associated with Annie Le," FBI Agent in Charge Kim Mertz said Saturday at a news conference in New Haven, Connecticut .

The law enforcement source told CNN bloody clothes are among the potential evidence being tested to see whether the blood is Le's.

Mertz said the items found are being tested in more than one laboratory, but declined to say where. It is not uncommon for the FBI to help local police departments by using its laboratory in Quantico, Virginia. The Connecticut State Police also has a forensics lab in Meriden.

William Reiner of the FBI's New Haven office said Sunday that investigators are searching a waste facility that normally handles garbage from the Yale lab. He described it as a routine step.

"In a situation like this, it's common for us to follow the trash," Reiner said.

The search was taking place at the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority landfill in Hartford.

Yale officials said at least 100 investigators, including agents with the FBI, New Haven police and Connecticut State Police, are assisting in the probe.

Le's fiance, Jonathan Widawsky, is a graduate student at Columbia University in New York.

Yale Vice President and Secretary Linda Lorimer said Saturday there is "no reason to believe" that Le may have run away.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/09/13/....yale.student/

[samanthajane13]

For Annie...Dead or Alive
My prayers are with Annie, her fiance, friends, and family.

[BeastofBears]

There are just too many creepy lonely research locations when you are a grad student. Universities need to do more! She was such a little thing. She didn't have a chance. Body found the day she was to be married! argh

for Annie Le.

[SaraSidle]

Originally Posted by BeastofBears

There are just too many creepy lonely research locations when you are a grad student. Universities need to do more! She was such a little thing. She didn't have a chance. Body found the day she was to be married! argh

for Annie Le.

yes this is true. I am also surprised that there is no video camera in a drug lab at that university or any other university with a pharmaceutical lab.
That may in fact be the motive. or the wedding supposed to be today and someone did not want it to happen. This poor family. They had been planning it for one year. Such a lovely girl too. IMO sara

[samanthajane13]

Police: Found body is likely missing Yale student
By PATRICK SANDERS, Associated Press Writer Patrick Sanders, Associated Press Writer – 7 mins ago

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Police on Sunday said they found what they believe is the body of a Yale University graduate student and bride-to-be hidden inside the wall of a university building where she was last seen five days before.

New Haven Assistant Police Chief Peter Reichard said officials are presuming the body was that of doctoral student Annie Le, who has been the focus of a massive police search since Tuesday.

"It hasn't been positively identified as of this time," Reichard told reporters Sunday night. "However, we are assuming it is her ... so we are treating it as a homicide."

State police found the body at around 5 p.m. Sunday in an area of the building that houses utility cables that run between floors. The building is in the Ivy League school's medical complex, about a mile from the main campus.

Reichard said police also recovered "a large amount" of physical evidence, but he would not discuss what that included.

Yale President Richard Levin offered support to Le's family and her fiance, Columbia University graduate student Jonathan Widawsky. The couple was to marry Sunday in Syosset, N.Y., on Long Island's north shore.

"The family and fiance and friends now must suffer the additional ordeal of waiting for the body to be positively identified," Levin said. "I met earlier this evening with Annie's family, with her fiance and his family and I conveyed to them all the deeply felt support of the entire university community."

Police on Sunday would not say if they have any suspects. They previously have said Widawsky is not a suspect and is assisting with the investigation.

Le, 24, was last seen Tuesday morning in the five-story building that housed the laboratory where she worked. Surveillance video shows her arriving around 10 a.m., but police had been baffled since the investigation began because there was no video of Le leaving, despite some 75 surveillance cameras operating around the complex. Her ID, money, credit cards and purse were found in her office.

More than 100 local, state and federal police had been searching the building for days, using blueprints to uncover any place where evidence or Le's body could be hidden.

Investigators on Saturday said they recovered evidence from the building, but would not confirm media reports that the items included bloody clothing.

On Sunday morning, a state police van drove down a ramp into the basement area of the building where the lab is located. Authorities also sifted through garbage at a Hartford incinerator Sunday, looking through trash that was taken from the building in the days since Le went missing.

Le, a a pharmacology student from Placerville, Calif., wrote a magazine article earlier this year about how to stay safe around the Ivy League campus.

The article, titled "Crime and Safety in New Haven," was published in February in a magazine produced by Yale's medical school. It compares higher instances of robbery in New Haven with cities that house other Ivy League schools and includes an interview with Yale Police Chief James Perrotti, who offers advice such as "pay attention to where you are" and "avoid portraying yourself as a potential victim."

"In short, New Haven is a city and all cities have their perils," Le concludes. "But with a little street smarts, one can avoid becoming yet another statistic."

Le's disappearance weighed heavily on Yale students, who prayed for her safe return Sunday at The University Church on Yale's campus.

"It has been a week that has tested many people in many different ways," the Rev. Ian Buckner Oliver said just before he gave the Sunday morning sermon. "It has brought up a lot of fears for people. It has brought up a lot of worry and concern for her and for all our safety."

The student-dominated congregation offered a moment of silence and prayer, "for Annie, and her family, who have arrived here in New Haven, for her fiance, on this, what would have been their wedding day. Let's lift them up in our prayers," Oliver said.

___

Associated Press reporter David Collins in Hartford and freelance reporter Katie Nelson in New Haven contributed to this report.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090914/...g_yale_student

[BeastofBears]

Originally Posted by SaraSidle

yes this is true. I am also surprised that there is no video camera in a drug lab at that university or any other university with a pharmaceutical lab.
That may in fact be the motive. or the wedding supposed to be today and someone did not want it to happen. This poor family. They had been planning it for one year. Such a lovely girl too. IMO sara

I hope they at least figure out what happened, and WHO did it. When I was at Cal, a girl, Grace Ruala Asuncion, was viciously killed in a building, and they never solved it. They put in security desks and ID cards...at only that one building. Oh, yeah, we felt safer. I hope Yale does more.

Seems to me that if the police needed building blueprints to find her, it had to be someone who knew the building well, huh? And I still wonder about that supposedly "unrelated" fire alarm around the time she disappeared. Seems like someone knew evacuation procedures.

imo, moo.

[2-B]

A beautiful photo of Annie and Jonathan:

http://www.newhavenindependent.org/a...615990_547.jpg

Ugh. This morning they should have awakened in each other's arms, their bright and happy futures spreading out in front of them.

I can't imagine how Jonathan or Annie's family made it through last night.

[SaraSidle]

Originally Posted by BeastofBears

I hope they at least figure out what happened, and WHO did it. When I was at Cal, a girl, Grace Ruala Asuncion, was viciously killed in a building, and they never solved it. They put in security desks and ID cards...at only that one building. Oh, yeah, we felt safer. I hope Yale does more.

Seems to me that if the police needed building blueprints to find her, it had to be someone who knew the building well, huh? And I still wonder about that supposedly "unrelated" fire alarm around the time she disappeared. Seems like someone knew evacuation procedures.

imo, moo.

I was thinking that it was someone who knew the building and some planning had taken place before it happened. I still wonder if it was someone after drugs or someone who did not want her to get married. Maybe more than one perp if drugs. this is so tragic for the family and fiance. I cannot imagine what they are going through. IMO

[2-B]

Originally Posted by SaraSidle

I was thinking that it was someone who knew the building and some planning had taken place before it happened.

According to what I just heard on Fox, LE is saying this morning that Annie's murder was targeted, not random.

Sounds as if they have a suspect in mind and perhaps even a motive to make a statement along those lines.

I saw a link on another board to a NY Post article about a student failing a polygraph test, but I'd like to see that story in a more mainstream source before I bring it here. According to that article, this was supposedly mentioned at last night's brief presser. I watched the presser and do not remember anything about a failed polygraph being mentioned (though I could have missed it).

[2-B]

^^^Scratch the Post rumors.

New Haven Police deny reports of a failed polygraph:

Today brought another such report: The New York Post and the New York Daily News suggested in their stories that a student may have failed a polygraph regarding Le's disappearance — a report that police officials quickly shot down.

“It’s absolutely not true,” New Haven Police Department Assistant Chief Stephanie Redding said by telephone late last night.

http://www.yaledailynews.com/crossca...out-polygraph/

[2-B]

Fox just now reporting that authorities have a suspect in Annie's murder--someone who may have had defensive wounds, someone they have been talking to, and someone who (sigh) may have failed a lie detector test.

Stay tuned.

[samanthajane13]

Police: Killing at Yale University not random act
By PATRICK SANDERS, Associated Press Writer Patrick Sanders, Associated Press Writer – 28 mins ago

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Police in New Haven, Conn., say the killing of a person whose body was found stuffed behind a wall in a high-security laboratory building at Yale University is not a random act.

New Haven police spokesman Joe Avery told The Associated Press on Monday that police don't believe that anyone else on the Ivy League campus is in danger. He would not say if police have a suspect, but says nobody is in custody.

Police believe the body found Sunday in the Yale Medical School building is that of Annie Le, a 24-year-old native of Placerville, Calif. She was last seen in the building on Tuesday.

An autopsy is being performed to verify that the body is Le's.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — Police are hunting for the killer who stuffed a body believed to be that of a Yale University graduate student behind a wall in the high-security laboratory building where she worked.

Police found the body around 5 p.m. Sunday, on what was to have been 24-year-old Annie Le's wedding day.

The building where the body was found is part of the university medical school complex about a mile from Yale's main campus and is accessible to Yale personnel with identification cards. A network of some 75 video surveillance cameras are trained on every door.

"It's a frightening idea that there's a murderer walking around on campus," said 20-year-old Muneeb Sultan, a chemistry student. "I'm shocked that it happened in a Yale building that had key-card access. It's really sad."

A friend said Monday the doctoral student never showed signs of worry about her own personal safety at work, although she did express concerns about crime in New Haven in an article she wrote last year.

"If she was concerned about (it) she would have said something to someone and they would have known," Jennifer Simpson told CBS' "The Early Show." "And Jon (her fiance) would have known, her family would have known, friends would have known."

Simpson called Le, a pharmacology student from Placerville, Calif., friendly and affable to everyone.

"She was a people person," Simpson said. "She loved people. She loved life. We just can't imagine anybody wanting to harm Annie."

Another friend, Laurel Griffeath, echoed those thoughts on NBC's "Today" show.

"I can't even imagine someone mad at Annie, much less wanting to hurt her," Griffeath said.

Police are analyzing what they're calling "a large amount" of physical evidence.

They will not discuss suspects, other than to say Le's fiance is not a suspect and has assisted in the investigation. It was unknown Monday morning when an autopsy would be performed.

Campus officials have said that the security network recorded Le entering the building by swiping her ID card about 10 a.m. on Sept. 8, and have been baffled before Sunday's gruesome discovery that she was never seen leaving.

The university planned a candlelight vigil at 8 p.m. Monday at the Ivy League university. The Yale Daily News says an e-mail to the Yale community invites participants to "bring a candle and join us in solidarity."

Yale President Richard Levin offered support to Le's family and her fiance, Columbia University graduate student Jonathan Widawsky. The couple was to marry Sunday in Syosset, N.Y., on Long Island's north shore.

"The family and fiance and friends now must suffer the additional ordeal of waiting for the body to be positively identified," Levin said.

Le wrote an article that was published in February in the medical school's magazine. The piece, titled "Crime and Safety in New Haven," compared higher instances of robbery in New Haven with cities that house other Ivy League schools. It also included an interview with Yale Police Chief James Perrotti, who offered advice such as "pay attention to where you are" and "avoid portraying yourself as a potential victim."

"In short, New Haven is a city and all cities have their perils," Le concludes. "But with a little street smarts, one can avoid becoming yet another statistic."

Le, who worked in a laboratory in the five-story building's basement, was reported missing Sept. 8. Her ID, money, credit cards and purse were found in her third-floor office.

More than 100 local, state and federal police had been searching the building for days, using blueprints to uncover any place where evidence or Le's body could be hidden.

Investigators on Saturday said they recovered evidence from the building, but would not confirm media reports that the items included bloody clothing.

On Sunday morning, a state police van drove down a ramp into the building's basement area. Authorities also sifted through garbage at a Hartford incinerator Sunday, looking through trash that was taken from the building in the days since Le went missing.

Yale students on Monday called the finding sad, but some said the discovery doesn't make them feel less safe at Yale.

"Obviously it's a city and there are safety concerns," said 18-year-old Peter Spaulding, a student from Maryland. "It can happen anywhere. You have to go on with life."

Law student Lindsay Nash of West Chester, Pa., said she doesn't sense a heightened level of fear on campus.

"There's always an attention to safety here," she said. "I think there's perception that you need to be careful regardless."

___

Associated Press reporter David Collins and freelance reporter Katie Nelson in New Haven contributed to this report.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090914/...g_yale_student


I wonder if she had some whack-job stalker that she didn't know about...someone who didn't want the wedding to happen.

[Marian Paroo]

When I was a girl growing up in NY in the 50s and 60s the NYPost was reputable, and a heck of a lot easier to read while standing on the subway than the New York Times.

By the mid-70s it plunged to the level of fish wrapping.