News & Politics - Missing Wisconsin student accused of faking her own abduction

**Mio** · 04-02-2004, 07:44 PM

Quote:

Cops Accuse Student of Faking Abduction
By TODD RICHMOND, Associated Press Writer

MADISON, Wis. - Police accused a college student of faking her own disappearance Friday, saying she planted a knife in the marsh where she was found to make it appear she had been kidnapped.

"We don't think an abduction occurred at all," Madison police spokesman Larry Kamholz said.

University of Wisconsin sophomore Audrey Seiler, 20, was found cold and dehydrated but otherwise unharmed Wednesday in a marsh, four days after she disappeared. She told police she had been abducted from outside her apartment about two miles away, but surveillance video showed her walking out of the apartment wearing only sweats.

Investigators also obtained a videotape from weeks earlier showing Seiler buying the knife, duct tape, rope and cold medicine that she claimed her abductor used to restrain her.

Assistant Police Chief Noble Wray said Seiler used her computer to search Web sites for information about Madison parks and the extended weather forecast. In addition, he said, evidence indicated someone had used the computer during the four days she was missing, and at least two witnesses said they had seen her walking freely in the city during that time.

Wray declined to speculate on Seiler's motivation or her mental state; he said it was too soon to say whether she could face charges. Authorities are trying to construct a timeline of her movements, he said. Dane County District Attorney Brian Blanchard declined to comment.

Seiler also reported an unexplained attack in early February, telling police someone struck her from behind and knocked her unconscious.

Police estimated costs for the intensive manhunt would exceed $70,000, said Melanie Conklin, a spokeswoman for Mayor David Cieslewicz.

Earlier Friday, Wray disclosed that Seiler changed her story about what happened. She said she left her apartment building because she wanted to be alone and was kidnapped by a man with a knife elsewhere in Madison.

Detectives continued to pick apart Seiler's story, and two hours later, Wray held another press conference to say police didn't believe her.

Police said Seiler and her family were in an undisclosed location in Madison.

Kamholz, the police spokesman, said he spoke with Keith Seiler for about an hour Friday after Wray's announcement. He said Keith Seiler feels badly about what police and everybody else went through, but was happy to have his daughter back.

On Thursday, Wray had acknowledged to reporters that "there may be inconsistencies" in the case. But he said then that the hunt was still on for a suspected abductor, and police issued a composite sketch based on Seiler's account.

Ryan Fisher, Seiler's boyfriend, had not noticed any signs that Seiler was unhappy or having problems, his brother David said.

"He didn't see this coming. But he says he loves her and wants to be there for her," David Fisher said.

Around Seiler's hometown of Rockford, Minn., stores still displayed signs saying "Welcome Home Audrey." Yellow ribbons were tied to nearly every mailbox and fence post along her street, and pink ribbons decorated the nearby bridge across the Crow River.

Rockwell's Family Cafe owner Sue Elsen watched Madison police lay out Seiler's lies on live television � but didn't feel betrayed. She said she felt sorry for Seiler's family, even for Seiler.

"She's a lost little soul," Elsen said.

No one answered the door at the Seiler home. Next-door neighbor Ken Kraft said all that mattered is that Audrey Seiler is safe. "We can deal with everything else later," he said.

Now this is just really sad. The police focused on someone who pulled a stupid prank and wanted to be alone.

[ 04-02-2004: Message edited Mrs. George Eads ]

~*Johanna*~ · 04-02-2004, 09:00 PM

Oh weird. [img]smilies/eek.gif[/img] That is pretty sad they had to do that. [img]smilies/frown.gif[/img]

Katis · 04-02-2004, 11:10 PM

It's messed up that she did it. I mean I live like 3 blocks from where this girl was "abducted". People were really freaked out, campus at my school was upped a lot, girls were kind of freaked to walk alone at night because we all thought there was a kidnapper out. My mom called me like five times to tell me to be careful and not go out alone, worrying.

She put the whole city on edge and out looking for her and worrying about her.

under the table and dreaming · 04-03-2004, 12:38 AM

Katis - Weird! I live IN the building she lives in. She lives two floors below me. I don't know her at all, never heard of her until this past weekend. I have A LOT of thoughts on this case as it hits soo close to home, as I'm sure you do.

Really, I can't even express what I'm feeling right now. Just knowing that the city, the state, the entire country was so worried about Audrey's state and whereabouts makes me sick.

I've been so afraid to walk ouside my aparment door seeing as how she claimed it happened right outside the door, I thought this entire time "gee, that could've been me." It's a shame, I can't imagine what people who have been abducted are feeling... someone staging something so awful like that. Just think about what she put her family through, friends, this entire city... and all the money that was wasted on something faked that could've been used to catch real criminals. I'm so angry.

Lots of Love!
Heathyr

SuperDeluxe · 04-03-2004, 04:50 AM

I want to kick her in the ass...then throw her in jail.

She wasted hours and hours of people trying to look for her...and then her captor...

this pisses me off.

SweetLisaLisa · 04-03-2004, 08:35 AM

When I read the article that she was found I had a funny feeling about this story. It was just too fishy. Now, I know.

**Mio** · 04-03-2004, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by under the table and dreaming:
Katis - Weird! I live IN the building she lives in. She lives two floors below me. I don't know her at all, never heard of her until this past weekend. I have A LOT of thoughts on this case as it hits soo close to home, as I'm sure you do.

Really, I can't even express what I'm feeling right now. Just knowing that the city, the state, the entire country was so worried about Audrey's state and whereabouts makes me sick.

I've been so afraid to walk ouside my aparment door seeing as how she claimed it happened right outside the door, I thought this entire time "gee, that could've been me." It's a shame, I can't imagine what people who have been abducted are feeling... someone staging something so awful like that. Just think about what she put her family through, friends, this entire city... and all the money that was wasted on something faked that could've been used to catch real criminals. I'm so angry.

Lots of Love!
Heathyr

Yeah. She had the entire female population scared out of their minds because there could be this vicious "kidnapper" lurking around. My best friend goes to the school! It makes me worry! I still can't believe she'd fake it. I mean, police will find out. I wonder if she's seen CSI? [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img]

Besides that, I mean really. If her story changes, like um, yeah, something is up. If she wanted to be alone, why would she have just said, "I'm going away for a week leave me alone!" Don't say that you we're kidnapped. You waste thousands of tax payers money.

Katis · 04-03-2004, 02:25 PM

Under - that is really weird. I've never run into anyone from around here on the boards until you [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

It just makes me mad that she couldn't even let one person know she was doing this. I mean she didn't take anything with her, her purse, wallet, ids, nothing. People would not just assume that she took off for a couple days. Ugh.

Mootrix · 04-03-2004, 03:40 PM

I dont see why anyone would want to fake their own kidnapping. It doesnt make sense.

SuperDeluxe · 04-03-2004, 09:28 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Mootrix:
I dont see why anyone would want to fake their own kidnapping. It doesnt make sense.

Sure it does...Attention.

last beautiful girl · 04-03-2004, 09:37 PM

Can you go to jail for that?

Katis · 04-03-2004, 10:03 PM

I think they should stick her in some kind of psychiatric ward. Because there is something wrong with you if you would put your family, friends, classmates, entire city through that just for attention.

AuburnGrad · 04-03-2004, 10:22 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by last beautiful girl:
Can you go to jail for that?

I think you can depending on what type of crime one falsely reported.

I heard last night she is in a psychiatric hospital.

Her claim to "want to be alone" doesn't make sense to me. Why buy those items? (knife, tape, rope, etc.) Why hide out in the woods? Why not lock your apartment door and unplug your phone?

It seems to me to be a cry for attention and could very well be related to a psychological problem. But, I'm not a doctor so I suppose I shouldn't make those assumptions.

ursa major · 04-04-2004, 09:29 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by AuburnGrad:

It seems to me to be a cry for attention and could very well be related to a psychological problem. But, I'm not a doctor so I suppose I shouldn't make those assumptions.

Well there have been known cases in the past where people have done similiar things for attention. I know that it was found at a local Children's Hospital that some parents (a very small percentage) were actually making their children sick, so that they could receive sympathy etc., There's a name for this mental illness (can't remember what it is). But if this girl is dealing with a similiar problem I think a psychiatric hospital will be the best place for her right now.

Katis · 04-04-2004, 11:46 AM

Yeah, it's called Munchhausen by Proxy. It's messed up.