Police Get Hundreds of Tips After Image of Truck Released in Missing Indiana Student Case

Police say they're investigating dozens of leads about a pickup truck that was spotted near where a missing Indiana University student was last seen.

Bloomington police Capt. Joe Qualters said Thursday that the department has received nearly 300 tips in the day since the release of security camera images of the white truck, with the vast majority of them regarding the vehicle.

Police said that truck drove around a city block in the area and about the time 20-year-old Lauren Spierer, of Greenburgh, N.Y., was walking toward her apartment about 4:30 a.m. June 3 after a night of partying with friends.

Qualters said investigators are hopeful that information from the tips will help find the truck and determine whether it was involved in Spierer's disappearance.

Spierer, a fashion merchandising major who had just completed her sophomore year at the school, was reported missing June 3. Her shoes and cell phone were found at a popular sports bar where she was partying in the early morning hours with friends. Her keys were reportedly found on a railing near her apartment in downtown Bloomington.

Police on Wednesday also released an image of Spierer leaving her Smallwood apartment complex in downtown Bloomington, wearing a white v-neck shirt and black leggings.

Authorities have described the truck as a mid-2000s shortbed four-door Chevrolet Silverado or Colorado. Qualters said the images show writing on the back doors and rear panels, but investigators haven't been able to read it. The truck is also described to have distinctive wheels and a short bed liner with possible equipment in the back.

Anyone with information on the vehicle or owner is urged to contact the Bloomington Police Department at (812) 339-4477 or by email at policetips@bloomington.in.gov.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.