University of Wisconsin sophomore Audrey Ruth
Seiler, who mysteriously disappeared four days ago, was found alive
Wednesday after being spotted by an employee taking a break on top
of the Department of Revenue building. The man who allegedly
abducted her at knifepoint is still at large.
The female employee spotted a woman behind the
Alliant Energy Center who appeared to need help around 12:50 p.m.
Wednesday. The employee immediately contacted police, who quickly
responded and confirmed the distressed woman was Seiler.
Seiler was rushed by ambulance to Saint
Mary’s Hospital, where she was treated and released at about
7 p.m. Wednesday.
Dr. Philip Schultz, of Saint Mary’s
Hospital, treated Seiler in the emergency room. He said when Seiler
was admitted to the hospital she was very cold, especially in her
extremities and was “not comfortable.” He said she was
dehydrated and “had muscle aches from being confined.”
However, he said she was in “good physical
condition.”
“She is smiling a lot,” Schultz
said.
Officer Shannon Blackamore confirmed Wednesday
Seiler was abducted at knifepoint and there was implication of a
gun; however, it was never seen. Police confirmed Seiler did not
know her abductor. Blackamore said Seiler received no injuries and
was not sexually assaulted in the four days she was missing.
According to acting police chief Noble Wray,
the man suspected of abducting Seiler was still at large as of
Wednesday night. Wray said police continued to search for the
suspect in Olin Park, which encompasses large marshy areas behind
the Sheraton Hotel, the area where Seiler was found. However, at
press time police had abandoned active containment of the perimeter
that was established earlier in the day.
The suspect in Seiler’s abduction is
being described as a white male in his late 20s or early 30s, about
5-foot-11 or 6 feet tall, who was last seen wearing a black
sweatshirt, jeans and a black knit cap. The man is said to be armed
with a knife and possibly a gun.
There have also been reports of a black Honda
bearing a sticker from The Regent, the apartment in which Seiler
resides, in the area where she was found.
Wray said due to the suspect’s at-large
status, few details regarding the case are available. The
department is attempting to identify all parties involved in order
to find the suspect, Wray said.
Madison Police Capt. Luis Yudice said it is
too early to release specifics of the case, and the main focus of
the investigation is now capturing the suspect. He said police are
“slowly and methodically” searching the scene.
Seiler’s family and friends found out at
about 1 p.m. Wednesday afternoon that Audrey had been found alive,
when a police officer came to where the family was staying and
asked for Seiler’s mother, Stephanie Seiler.
“The police officer said, ‘They
found her!’” Alison Olfert, a friend of Audrey’s,
said. “Everyone started screaming and just went
berserk,” she said, adding Seiler’s family was
“ecstatic” to find out Audrey was alive and safe.
“We are so grateful that Audrey is back
safe with us,” Keith Seiler, Audrey’s father, said at a
press conference Wednesday. He attributed her safe recovery to the
Madison Police Department, the media, friends, family and the
university. He said Audrey is doing well and happy to be back.
“She is thrilled to be home with her family and
friends,” he said, adding his daughter was
“surprised” at the amount of attention the case was
receiving.
The search for the missing UW student began
Saturday afternoon when Seiler failed to show up to friend’s
house when she was expected.
A security camera
recorded Seiler leaving her apartment building, The Regent, alone
around 2:30 a.m. Saturday. The door to Seiler’s apartment was
left open and her cell phone and purse were both left in her room.
There was also a book on her bed leading police to believe she had
been studying. Yudice said Tuesday it was strange no one saw her
after this since she exited onto a busy street where many students
were out and about, because the bars had just closed.
Because of an
attack on Seiler Feb. 1, there was “heightened concern”
about her whereabouts, and friends and family felt “a sense
of urgency” to find her.
Seiler was
attacked Feb. 1 while walking home from a party on the 10 block of
South Randall Street at about 12:45 a.m. Olfert said she walked
Seiler about a block and then went back to the party because Seiler
said she would be fine walking home alone. Olfert said Seiler told
her that about a minute after the two separated, she was grabbed by
the arm and struck in the head from behind, leaving her
unconscious. She later regained consciousness behind a building on
Bowen Court and called a friend who was still at the party, who
came out and took her to a local hospital. Seiler reported nothing
was stolen from her purse, and she received no other injuries
beyond the head injury, which left her with a black eye. Olfert
said it was hard to say if the attack and abduction were
related.
Seiler’s
uncle, Scott Seiler, said after the Feb. 1 incident Audrey was
concerned but felt she was ready to move forward. Her uncle
described her as “determined” and
“practical” and said she was more careful to walk with
friends after the attack. He said the incident was concluded to be
completely random. Police would not release any details about
Seiler’s interview with police after the first
attack.
Police and family
denied any possibility of a stalker and said there was no
information leading police to believe anyone was following Seiler.
“I
don’t know of anyone who was stalking her,” Olfert
said.
Police
interviewed many known local sex offenders over the past four days
who were “people of interest” regarding Seiler’s
disappearance. However, since there are “several
hundred” sex offenders throughout the city, they did not
interview them all, Yudice said Tuesday.
Monday, the FBI
was called to assist with the investigation. Yudice said they were
called to “offer a different perspective” and
“see things we may have missed.” Police said they used
airplanes, boats and dog teams, as well as people, to search
isolated areas of Madison, such as parks; however, they had not
searched the area where Seiler was eventually found.
Yudice said that
although Madison is a highly and densely populated city, it is
among the safest in the nation. The particular neighborhood where
Seiler resided is not considered to be unsafe by any means, he
said. As of Tuesday, police had not determined any suspects and
said it was still possible Seiler left of her own free will.
According to Yudice, most missing persons are usually located
within 48 hours, making Seiler’s case even more
unusual.
Throughout the search for Seiler, family and
friends remained confident she would be found safe.More than 100 family members and friends traveled
to Madison from Seiler’s hometown of Rockford, Minn., to post
flyers and search for the missing student.Olfert and friend
Josh Janos were among six or seven of Seiler’s close friends
who were searching day and night for their friend.
Janos, a freshman at UW, said he had been
missing class all week to search for his friend. He said he knew
everyone had to remain confident that Seiler was all right, if not
for personal reasons, for the family.
Olfert, who lived in The Regent with Seiler
and has known her since they went to high school together in
Rockford, said friends and family had a “good feeling”
about finding Seiler. She said one of her friends even had a dream
Seiler was found.
“We had to stay strong for Audrey, and
she had to stay strong for us,” Seiler’s mother,
Stephanie Seiler said Wednesday, adding she did not know if their
daughter had seen or heard any of their pleas for her safe return
on television.
“We are just all so happy she is
okay,” Janos said, adding that his friend and Seiler’s
boyfriend of three years, UW freshman Ryan Fisher, is “so
happy right now.”
UW provost Peter Spear also spoke at the press
conference Wednesday, expressing the university’s relief in
finding Seiler.
“On behalf of the University of
Wisconsin-Madison, we are relieved and thrilled that Audrey is
safe,” Spear said.
