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| • Purdue Police flyer on Wade Steffey |
Police narrow search for missing Purdue student's cell phone
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Investigators were able to use the signal from Wade S. Steffey's cell phone to track its approximate location from Jan. 12 until Wednesday (Jan. 17), when the phone's signal was lost, said Purdue spokesperson Jeanne Norberg. Steffey, 19, a freshman from Bloomington, Ind., was last seen early Jan. 13.
Steffey's parents also requested that anyone who was in the Tower Acres area of campus from around midnight to 3 a.m. on late Jan. 12 to early Jan. 13 contact Purdue police if they have any information that could lead to clues about the whereabouts of their son. Steffey attended a party late on Jan. 12 at Phi Kappa Theta fraternity house, 900 David Ross Road, which is near Tower Acres.
According to police, Steffey's phone was transmitting from an area that includes the fraternity house during the time he was known to have been at the party. Sometime on Jan. 13 until the time the phone stopped transmitting, the signal shifted east to an area bounded by Russell Street, State Street and Northwestern Avenue. That area includes a large swath of the northeastern portion of the university's academic campus, comprising several buildings; the athletic complex, which includes Ross-Ade Stadium and Mackey Arena; a construction site; and Cary Quadrangle, the housing complex where Steffey is a resident.
"While this is a large area, this is still a significant piece of information because it gives investigators a place in which to focus their search efforts," Norberg said.
Purdue students organized a prayer vigil for Steffey that took place Saturday (Jan. 20) afternoon at the Purdue Bell Tower.
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"If anyone finds a cell phone in this area, the best course of action is to leave the phone exactly where it is," Norberg said. "Someone should stay with the phone while police are contacted and remain there until officers arrive."
Steffey's parents on Friday (Jan. 19) announced a reward is being offered for information leading to the whereabouts of their son, a National Merit Scholar majoring in aviation technology.
The reward fund, established by Steffey's family and friends, is being administered by Fifth Third Bank in Central Indiana. Donors should make their checks out to The Wade Steffey Reward Fund in Central Indiana, and donations can be made at any Fifth Third Bank branch. For information, call Fifth Third Bank in Lafayette at (765) 423-5557.
In addition to a flyer available online at http://news.uns.purdue.edu/html3month/2007/071019SteffeyFlyer.pdf, Purdue police also have requested that campus and Greater Lafayette residents search areas near their homes and workplaces for clues to Steffey's whereabouts.
Norberg said that, along with the cell phone, police are particularly interested in recovering any items of clothing, wallets and other personal effects, such as identification cards.
Police also have partnered with A Child Is Missing, a non-profit agency that helps police departments find missing people. The alert program will send out 2,000 to 3,000 phone calls to residents within a three- to five-mile radius of where Steffey was last seen. The calls will include a description of Steffey and his clothing, as well as a phone number people can call to report information on the case.
Police were alerted to Steffey's disappearance on Tuesday (Jan. 16) when classes resumed after a three-day holiday weekend and family and friends became concerned that he had not been seen.
Police received a tip that a person matching Steffey's description was seen at the northwest corner of Owen Hall around 12:30 a.m. Jan. 13, near the time when a call was placed from his cell phone to a female student who lives there. Steffey had reportedly left his coat in Owen Hall, Norberg said.
Steffey is white with short brown hair and brown eyes, is 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighs about 150 pounds. He was reported to be wearing a white long-sleeved shirt with light blue stripes and light-colored jeans.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Purdue Police Department at (765) 494-8221 or the anonymous tip line at (765) 496-3784.
Writer: Brian Zink, (765) 494-2080, bzink@purdue.edu
Source: Jeanne Norberg, (765) 491-1460, jnorberg@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
PHOTO CAPTION:
Purdue police Capt. Tim Potts, at left, gives search instructions to those attending a Saturday (Jan. 20) prayer vigil for missing student Wade Steffey. Following the vigil, which was led by Purdue students Sarah Kelzer and Brooke Anderson (at far right), police led volunteers in a search for Steffey's cell phone. (Purdue News Service photo/David Umberger)
A publication-quality photo is available at http://news.uns.purdue.edu/images/+2007/steffey-prayer.jpg
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