After startled cry, UND senior vanishes (Dru Sjodin)

Star Tribune ^ | November 25, 2003 | Chuck Haga and Richard Meryhew

[maggief]

GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- Dru Sjodin finished her shift at the Victoria's Secret store at 4 p.m. Saturday, then did a little shopping at another store in the Columbia Mall in Grand Forks.

As she walked to her car, the 22-year-old University of North Dakota senior from Pequot Lakes, Minn., used her cell phone to call her boyfriend in the Twin Cities. They talked for about 10 minutes, he later told authorities, until the call ended with a startled cry from Dru:

"Oh, my God! No!"

Nobody has heard from her since.

A few hours later, there was a second brief and voiceless call to her boyfriend, and the signal from her cell phone was tracked to a rural area near Fisher, Minn., 13 miles southeast of Grand Forks.

Throughout the city Monday, people took up her disbelieving cry: "Oh, my God, No!"

(snip)

[maggief]

North Dakota student Dru Sjodin is shown in this undated family photo released Sunday. was reported missing. She was last seen Saturday at the Columbia Mall Parking lot in Grand Forks, N.D. Grand Forks police are investigating to case as an abduction.

...She is 5 feet 5 and weighs 130 pounds. She has frosted blond hair and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing black slacks, black loafers, a pink and purple V-neck blouse, a black blazer-style jacket and carrying a small black handbag.

(snip)

[Catspaw]

This sounds very much like a stranger abduction. Her father was on the Today show this morning and he looked and sounded numb from the shock.

I hope all freepers in the area keep a good lookout for Dru, and prayers for her safe return.

[Ispy4u]

My hypothesis, the boyfriend killed her and made up the entire "oh my god, no!" story.

But I'm forever the cynic. I could be wrong.

[Catspaw]

Given that she was in Grand Forks ND and her boyfriend was in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis-St. Paul MN) when she called him and that cell phone records are easily accessible, I'd say you're wrong on your theory that the boyfriend did it.

[maggief]

Ping ...

[Ispy4u]

I'm often wrong, but I just can't help it when I read about something happening in real life that sounds like it came from a soap opera. Know what I mean?

[Catspaw]

You may want to read the story before you describe it as a "soap opera." Stranger abductions are rare, but they do happen.

Making allegations the boyfriend did it when they were a minimum of 300 miles apart just makes you sound silly.

[maggief]

November 25, 2003

Search for UND Student Continues

(AP) -- A former boyfriend of 22-year-old Dru Sjodin says it's unlike her to go off without telling anybody.

Twenty-three-year-old Adam Schutz says he'll be among the volunteers joining in the search for the University of North Dakota student tomorrow. Schutz says it's a very difficult time. (snip)

http://www.kxmc.com/news/local.asp?ID=2727

[freekitty]

I have heard recently of people in parking lots offering to let people smell samples of perfume they are supposedly selling at discount prices.

The samples they are using are really ether which render people unconscious almost immediately.

Everyone, please be careful out there.

[maggief]

...Harassing Phone Calls

In new information that could potentially shed some light on the case, authorities have learned that the store had been receiving harassing phone calls from an unknown man shortly before the disappearance. Most of the calls were directed at Sjodin.

Speaking on Good Morning America today, Sjodin's father, Allan Sjodin, said his daughter had not told the family about the phone calls at work.

"She hadn't mentioned the phone calls," said Allan. "She mentioned that another person, a different person, was putting some pressure on her."

According to Allan, the unidentified person had wanted "more out of the relationship than she was willing to give."

Who Was the Caller?

Speaking on Good Morning America today, Sgt. Michael Hedlund said the police department was assuming that the friend who had wanted "more out of" his relationship with Sjodin was not the person calling her workplace. He did, however, warn that it was not possible to make a definitive assumption as yet.
(snip)

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/GMA/US/missing_girl_sjodin031125-1.html

[woerm]

Keeping Her,

and her Family in our prayers
ping to keep this on top.

r

[Ispy4u]

I agree it sounds silly. I said I am often wrong.

But I can't help getting a feeling of some amount of BS in the story when the last words through the phone are "Oh my god, no!"

Could very well be it happened exactly as he states. I just don't trust anyone that uses soap opera dialogue.

[JennysCool]

I smell boyfriend involvement, too.

[beezdotcom]

I'm often wrong, but I just can't help it when I read about something happening in real life that sounds like it came from a soap opera. Know what I mean?

I've been that way ever an incident in the news when I was a child. A kid died from eating poisoned "Pixie Stix" Halloween candy, and it raised a big scare about strangers poisoning the treats. As it turns out, the father did it to collect the insurance money. Since then, I've always made the cynical assumption about any news stories I hear.

At least the Elizabeth Smart case didn't come out the way I predicted...

[Ispy4u]

I always seem to get a tingling sensation on the back of my neck when things are described like they happened in a soap opera.

[Catspaw]

Did you read the story? The boyfriend in question was in the Twin Cities area. She was in Grand Forks ND, a distance of 300+ miles. Please explain how he was able to transport himself to Grand Forks, abduct her and return to the Cities, all the while having cell phone contact with her while never leaving the Cities.

[Ispy4u]

I'm not a psychic, I just get the odd feeling that something isn't kosher with the story. I don't have any power to convict the guy, but I don't have to take what he says as absolute truth.

I can't explain why I distrust the story any further than saying that "Oh, my god!, No!" is a little too convinient for me.

[maggief]

How you might help


Published November 25, 2003 DRUBX

Anyone with information about Dru Sjodin's disappearance can contact the Grand Forks Police Department at 701-780-8213.

Her family has put up a $20,000 reward.

Volunteers who want to help search for her should report to Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks beginning at 7:30 a.m. today. Searchers should bring identification and will be transported to search areas by bus.

http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/4231910.html

[Catspaw]

You may want to read the story in post #10.

But you still haven't explained the logistics of getting the boyfriend from the Cities to Grand Forks and back to the Cities during a short phone call.

[Velveeta]

Thanks for posting the article Maggie. It gives you that sick feeling when things like this happen. From your article, this young woman's mother is asking for prayers.

Praying for Dru's family and the safe return of Dru.