By David Lohr
January 31, 2007
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (Crime Library) — Investigators are mystified by the disappearance of 19-year-old Wade Steffey, a freshman at Purdue University. On the evening of Jan. 12, Steffey went to a party at the Phi Kappa Theta fraternity house and was last seen talking on his cell phone around 12:30 a.m. on Jan. 13, in front of Owen Hall, an all freshmen co-ed dormitory. He was reported missing two days later.
"People are considering that maybe he went on a trip, but he's always been really responsible," Ben Buckner, Steffey's roommate said in an interview with the Lafayette Journal and Courier. "He would never miss class like this. He's never been one to just go off."
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| Wade Steffey |
Capt. John Cox of the Purdue University Police Department echoed Buckner's statements. "This is suspicious because it's completely out of character," Cox said. "Right now, time is of the essence. This has our full attention." Cox also said he does not believe alcohol was a factor in the disappearance. According to several eyewitness accounts, Steffey was not intoxicated when he left the fraternity party.
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| Wade Steffey |
The West Lafayette Police Department, the Purdue University Police Department, the Tippecanoe County Sheriff's Department and the FBI all are assisting in the search. Over a half dozen K9 units have searched campus properties, and the Tippecanoe County Sheriff's Department has used boats to search the nearby Wabash River. In addition to the river searches, the FBI has used sonar technology to search nearby ponds.
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