Search for Ind. Student Gets Virtual Push

Indiana University sophomore Lauren Spierer hasn't been seen since Friday, and family and friends are showing how social media has transformed missing persons' cases, reports the Washington Post. They've launched Facebook groups and Twitter posters and even gotten celebs such as Alyssa Milano and Ryan Seacrest to tweet her photo. Unfortunately, no leads have emerged, and Bloomington police suspect foul play, reports the South Bend Tribune.

The 20-year-old was last seen by friends walking back to her apartment about 4:30am, and she had neither shoes nor a phone with her. The search has consumed the campus and community, echoing one from more than a decade ago, notes the AP. The father of that missing girl, whose remains were eventually found and her killer imprisoned, is now helping in the search for Spierer. "After a period of time—after you've searched, you've exhausted the contacts—that's when a real feeling of fear creeps in," he says. "You realize no one knows where your child is." (More Lauren Spierer stories.)