Eastern Michigan University Stays Quiet About Student's Rape and Murder for Weeks

ABC NEWS ^ | June 20, 2007 | staff

[kellynla]

Laura Dickinson was always close to her family members, working beside them in their coffee shop in Hastings, Mich. Even when she was away at college at Eastern Michigan University, she spoke to her parents and boyfriend every day.

So when Laura didn't return a couple of calls in December, her parents, Bob and Deb Dickinson, thought it was strange but chalked it up to the hectic end of the semester.

"I called her on Wednesday and there was no answer," Bob said.

But after a few days, when she still hadn't called, they began to worry and called university officials, asking them to check on their daughter.

Then Bob and Deb received the worst possible news: A dorm custodian had discovered Laura's body in her room after several of her neighbors complained about an odor.

"It was pretty devastating," Bob said. "I don't know if there's a gentle way to say that."

The official word from Eastern Michigan University was that Laura had died of natural causes, that somehow the healthy 22-year-old had been killed by a freak accident.

"They said there was no evidence of foul play," Laura's mother, Deb, said.

Murder Investigation Kept Under Wraps For 10 weeks, Laura's family and friends mourned her death and believed that it was indeed a horrible accident.

The student body was assured by school officials that the campus was safe.

But in February, the Dickinsons and campus received shocking news: Orange Amir Taylor, also a student at Eastern Michigan, had been arrested and charged with raping and murdering Laura.

"This was not a freak event, but a tragedy, a murder on our campus," said Tom Sidlik, chairman of the Michigan Board of Regents, which oversees the school.

It turns out that police and school officials had been quietly investigating Laura's death for weeks, but had never told the student body that they suspected a murder had been committed on campus and that the murderer was still at large.

"They're absolutely incorrect. The university got it wrong. It's unacceptable behavior of the university administration," Sidlik said.

By keeping the investigation secret, Eastern Michigan University violated a federal law, known as the Jean Clery Act, which is named for a student killed on another college campus. The law says that colleges must inform the campus community about crimes that are considered to be a threat to students and employees.

Travis Scott, Laura's boyfriend, questioned why the campus community wasn't informed about the threat.

It's a haunting reminder of the massacre at Virginia Tech, where parents and students weren't informed of the mental troubles of student Seung-Hui Cho because of state privacy laws. Cho fatally shot 32 people at the school before killing himself.

Taylor currently is being held without bail and is scheduled to be tried in the fall in Ann Arbor.

The Michigan Board of Regents commissioned an independent investigation into Laura's death. The almost-600-page report states, "The facts show that the University failed to timely and properly warn the campus community about Ms. Dickinson's death, which was unquestionably a possible homicide."

The school did not discuss the matter with ABC News and referred reporters to the Board of Regents. But said John Fallon, president of Eastern Michigan University apologized to his board of regents Tuesday for the university's handling of the case.

"I apologized to you and say ... never again will such a confounding series of mistakes be made on my watch," Fallon said.

Sidlik has apologized for the school's failure to be more forthright, but he denied the school had engaged in a cover-up and insisted mistakes were made because of ignorance of the Clery Act.

But these revelations come all too late for a family that has lost its only daughter.

"It's still hard for me to believe that she's gone. How could this have happened?" Laura's mother, Deb, said.

[ViLaLuz]

Syracuse University hushed up incidents like this during the 80s. Wouldn’t want bad news to upset the parents.

[wmileo]

“order to facilitate quicker, more accurate investigation.”

I don’t believe that this story wasn't covered to death by the MSM because of their concern for a more accurate investigation. Remember the coverage the Duke Lacrosse Players’ case (which was not a case as it turns out)received? You could not find a single station on TV or radio which did not cover it. PC rules the day while justice takes a back seat because that is the way the MSM operates.

[Fester Chugabrew]

Have to agree with you on the mendacious nature of the MSM. My point is that I do not consider it their duty to publish and broadcast rapes and murders, at least not with their current agenda. Let professionals take care of it, and liberal university types do not count as professionals.

[PGalt]

Thanks for posting.

Condolences to Bob and Deb Dickinson, the remaining members of Laura’s family and all of her friends.

Thanks to FReeper Cindy for the link on the threat matrix thread.

[Cindy]

You’re very welcome P. Galt.

[Eagles6]

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=73396

If you thought that, then you would be wrong.

[Eagles6]

You would bw right.

[Eagles6]

You got it.

[cynwoody]

take this for example:

http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/fugitives/vc/murders/vc_murders.htm

whoops

Interesting. I counted 72 pictures, of which only 13 are white, including two chicks wanted for wasting the old man. There are four guys named Martinez, wanted for four separate crimes.