Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Lauren Spierer’s mother says TikTok claiming to have found missing daughter ‘forwarded to authorities’

‘I forward all ‘leads’ to the police department handling my daughter’s case,’ Charlene Spierer says

Louise Hall
Wednesday 11 August 2021 18:38 BST
Comments
Lauren Spierer (left) vanished on 3 June 2011 after a night out with friends. Her mother has ‘forwarded’ a video from conspiracy theory TikToker @tythecrazyguy to the authorities
Lauren Spierer (left) vanished on 3 June 2011 after a night out with friends. Her mother has ‘forwarded’ a video from conspiracy theory TikToker @tythecrazyguy to the authorities (Facebook/ TikTok)
Leer en Español

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The mother of an Indiana University student who disappeared 10 years ago has “forwarded” a TikTok conspiracy theory surrounding her daughter to the authorities.

Charlene Spierer, the mother of Lauren Spierer, a 20-year-old who vanished on 3 June 2011 after a night out with friends, explained that she was aware of the video in a post on Facebook.

A clip from conspiracy theorist @tythecrazyguy recently went viral alleging that women, including Spierer, may be being held and forced to work for an online casino.

The TikToker, who has 3.4 million followers, puts a disclaimer that he is “not claiming” the woman is Spierer while putting up images of the two women to compare their appearances.

“We have seen the TikTok video,” the girl’s mother said on the official page for updates regarding her daughter’s disappearance.

“We do not believe it has anything to do with Lauren,” the family member explains, noting that it has been “forwarded to the authorities who were aware as well”.

“We appreciate everyone’s help in following up on all possibilities. Thank you. Our efforts to find out what happened to Lauren continue,” the post concludes.

It is not exactly clear what video Ms Spierer is referring to. A number of commenters refer back to @tythecrazyguy’s video underneath in the comments.

In response to questions regarding which video, Ms Spierer said that they “received a message from someone who had seen a video on Tik Tok and forwarded to us”.

She added: “I forward all ‘leads’ to the police department handling my daughter’s case.”

The TikToker frequently creates conspiracy theory videos with titles including “why people think birds aren’t real” and “there might be a sea monster the government is hiding from us”.

The interest surrounding the Spierer case comes not long after the 10 year anniversary of the disappearance of the young woman. The investigation into the case is ongoing. No arrests have been made.

In a post commemorating the anniversary, Ms Spierer opened up about her daughter’s disappearance, saying that those “searching for a missing loved one” will try everything humanly possible to get answers.

“You open your door to the worst of humanity. (sic) desperate to believe their convincing lies,” she wrote.

Ms Spierer continued: “But I think the worst offence comes from those who hold the answers and refuse to share them. You are gullible. You are exposed to things you’ve never known about and wish you had never learned about.”

On 2 June, the Bloomington Police Department put out a fresh appeal for information regarding the young woman.

“Today we are asking the community and our partners in the media to help us find Lauren by sharing her story. Someone, somewhere, knows something,” they wrote.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in