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October 21, 2005
Olamide Adeyooye, Missing student attracts media
National attention turns to ISU case.
The search for a missing 21-year-old Illinois State University student is attracting national media attention that could yield new leads for a criminal investigation into the weeklong disappearance, authorities said Thursday.
Police have fielded a flood of calls, including from ABC's "Good Morning America" and MSNBC, about their search for Olamide Adeyooye, a missing senior from Berkeley in suburban Chicago.
"It is helpful because we don't know the whereabouts of the car, we don't know the whereabouts of the individual. It could be very far away, so getting the word out is a great thing," said Normal police Lt. Mark Kotte.
Thursday night, hundreds of people, many friends of Adeyooye and others complete strangers, joined outside ISU's Milner Library in a candlelight vigil organized by the Black Student Union as a symbol of support for her family and to pray for her safe return.
Her father, Adiodua Adeyooye, said his family was overwhelmed the outpouring of support.
"We still believe," he said. "We still believe that she'll be alive."
Adeyooye was last seen Oct. 13 renting a movie at a Normal video store. Her family reported her missing two days later after she missed classes and her weekend job as a waitress. Police say her green 1996 Toyota Corolla also is missing.
The disappearance was labeled a missing-person case until Wednesday, when police launched a criminal investigation after finding personal items belonging to Adeyooye near her off-campus apartment. Police have declined to elaborate but say evidence collected at her apartment and interviews led authorities to suspect foul play.
"We suspect criminal activity, we just don't know what we have. There are all sorts of options, but you don't want to have tunnel vision," Kotte said.
Foot, canine and air searches continued Thursday for Adeyooye, who was to graduate in December with a degree in criminal laboratory sciences. The FBI and Illinois State Police are aiding the investigation.
Friends say Adeyooye showed no signs of problems recently and planned to return to the Chicago area and work at a hospital lab after graduation.
Kotte said police are seeking interviews with six to eight "persons of interest," including friends and people who may have seen Adeyooye before she disappeared. Friends have sent out messages on Web sites and blogs seeking help finding her.
Police and ISU officials say that so far, the disappearance has not caused widespread worry about safety among parents and students at the 20,000-student campus.
"We've had a few calls, but we're not hearing anything in large numbers or even small numbers, to be honest," said ISU spokesman Jay Groves.
At Thursday night's vigil, ISU President Al Bowman encouraged students to pull together and "remain resilient in the face of adversity."
Clarence Evans, a friend and classmate of Adeyooye, told the crowd to stay strong and have faith. "I know I'm going to physically see her another day," he said.
"It's kind of scary, because you don't even know what's happening," said Black Student Union President Shemika Perkins, who helped organize the vigil.
Perkins said safety awareness has been heightened on campus.
Megan Covington, a sophomore from Taylorville, said there is an overall feeling of uneasiness on campus.
Covington does not know Adeyooye but stopped studying in the library to attend the vigil.
"If this happened to any one of my friends, I would hope people would show support," she said.
Tags: Olamide Adeyooye, Illinois State University
Posted by Nealus at October 21, 2005 08:33 AM
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