Posted on 10/26/2005 6:15:19 AM PDT by WKB
NORMAL, Ill. – The search for a missing college student may have reached a critical point, as officials in Mississippi waited Tuesday for medical and dental records to determine whether a body found in a burnt-out chicken house could be that of 21-year-old Olamide Adeyooye.
Elsewhere, investigators continued to interview several "persons of interest" in a case that gained attention through an Internet campaign launched by Adeyooye's friends.
The popular senior at Illinois State University had been studying laboratory sciences and biology, and was due to graduate in December. She was last seen nearly two weeks ago at a video store near her apartment in Normal, a college town in central Illinois.
A native of Nigeria who moved to suburban Chicago when she was 8, Adeyooye had planned to return to the Chicago area to complete her clinical training at a hospital.
Friends call her "Ola" or "Ollie" and have described her as studious, quick with a smile and hardworking – an alternative rock fan who loved to shop and waitressed on weekends to help with her school expenses.
"I am my own hero, i am my own motivation, and let's not forget the people that are closest to me, my friends are those that get me through life," Adeyooye wrote in her online blog – www.myspace.com/olamide1 – which her friends have publicized, hoping the photos posted on it might lead to a break in the case. They're also circulating links to the video for the song "Hello" by local indie band Bottle of Justus, in which Adeyooye makes a brief appearance.
Some have wondered whether Adeyooye's blog, which contains information about her school and where she worked, might have contributed to her disappearance.
"I often speak to students and tell them not to share so much information online. You don't even know who's reading it," Normal Police Lt. Mark Kotte said. But so far, he said, investigators have no indication that the blog is a factor, though they are checking Adeyooye's recent e-mails.
Mississippi authorities notified Normal investigators about an unidentified woman's body Monday in response to a nationwide alert seeking Adeyooye and her car, Kotte said. The car, a green 1996 Toyota Corolla with Illinois license LBG927, remains missing.
The body was found Friday morning near Interstate 20 in the central part of the state, Delores Lewis, a Mississippi Department of Public Safety spokeswoman said in a statement. Firefighters put out a blaze in the chicken house four days earlier, and workers found the body as they were cleaning up the site, the statement said.
Since her disappearance on Oct. 13, Adeyooye's family also has been a constant presence in Normal, helping police search for Adeyooye there.
There have been vigils at Illinois State, at Olamide's former high school in suburban Chicago and at a site near her boarded-up apartment and train tracks, where investigators found personal items belonging to her.
Notes and posters also have sprung up on campus and online. "Hope you're safe 'cause we missed you in class. – Chem. 140, Sec. 6," said one handwritten note from students in her chemistry class.
Samantha Troha, one of her best friends, said that Adeyooye had been worried and crying on the phone about that class in the days before her disappearance. She characterized it as the usual stress of a student, which had prompted Adeyooye to study at the library until midnight the night before she disappeared.
"She's just honestly ... ," said Troha, a 21-year-old computer programmer who grew up with Adeyooye in the Chicago suburb of Berkeley. "You can't help but fall in love with her when you meet her. We kind of complete one another."
At a vigil on campus, fellow senior Clarence Evans remembered Adeyooye as "a sister who walked this campus strong." He says she would be pleased that the gathering of hundreds of students and campus officials brought people from so many different backgrounds together.
"With her friends, there were no deep color lines at all," said Evans, who encouraged people at the vigil to maintain the closeness in her honor.
"This is family. Illinois State – we're family," Evans told the crowd.
"Family," they repeated in unison, as many of them cried and hugged.
Does Greta know about this ping.
This is a really sad story. I hope her killer(s) can be brought to justice.
"Does Greta know about this ping."
Please don't tell her bump!
Seriously, that is a very tragic story.
I hope they find the perp.
We live in Bloomington-Normal and our 20 year old daughter attends school here. This is such a tragedy and we are continuing to pray for her family and also the ISU family.
Please keep us posted re: any developments in this case. I take it this story is getting massive news coverage in your area of the country, right?
It is a big story. My daughter has always relied on a buddy system around campus anyway. You just can't be too careful. We still hold out hope they will find the girl alive.
Thanks for the links!
Greta has been covering this.
Greta has been covering this.
I don't watch Greta so I wouldn't know
All I see and want to see of Greta the Great is the promos. :>)
I don't have a television at home but there is one where I work that is always on FoxNews. It is hard to actually watch Greta for more than a minute at a time for aesthetic reasons. She talks out of the side of her mouth and sêms to not move her jaws when she speaks. When you study it a bit, yes she is actually moving her jaws.
According to the Normal Police Dept, the body in Mississippi is Olamide. There didn't seem to many details yet that they could divulge.
Somebody on this forum once said that he/she thought that Greta has Bell's Palsy, but I don't know if that is true or not.
Your story on your FR homepage is great. (I'm a convert too.)
By any chance, is your parish involved in helping the many Vietnamese Catholics in the Gulf Coast regionwho were devastated by Katrina?
Bad news. See post #15.
Oh, no!
I am so very sorry to hear this!
My heart goes out to all of her family and friends.
Thanks for the update.
October 26, 2005 (NORMAL, Ill.) - The body of a missing Illinois State University student was found in Mississippi. Olamide Adeyooye, who grew up in suburban Berkley, disappeared almost two weeks ago.
Related Links
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=local&id=3576751
Dental records helped police identify the badly burned body, which was found by people cleaning out a chicken coop in Mississippi after a fire. It's believed she was killed and her body was dumped in the chicken coop, which was set on fire.
"Currently that's under investigation as to how her body arrive there had or how she got to Mississippi," said Lt. Mark Kotte, Normal Police Dept.
Officials said her body was found four days after she disappeared from her Normal, Illinois, apartment. The 21-year-old was last seen at a video store on October 13. Her car has not been found.
"We continue to investigation individuals that may be involved or have information regarding the case. We are still actively searching for her car," said Chief Kent Crutcher, Normal Police Dept.
Police said they are talking to persons of interest. While they would not release details in the case, officials said the crime does not appear random.
"If it was someone she knew, it could be someone that goes here or someone that i might know. It's really scary," said Jenna Gatses, student.
"It still makes you wonder what happened and who did this and whether it was someone she knew or someone in the community that did this," said Margeaux McReynolds, student.
ISU officials are assuring parents and students that the campus is safe.
"This incident has shown us that even in a safe community, students have to be careful. They have to take normal precautions," said Al Bowman, ISU presiden
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