Posted on 11/13/2002 12:47:38 PM PST by Shermy
The search for a missing St. John's University student --one of four college-age Minnesotans who have disappeared in the last two weeks -- widened Wednesday as National Guard troops have been called in to aid the effort.
The Guard troops will help comb the woods, lakes and streams around the university searching for Josh Guimond (pictured, right), a 20-year-old junior political science major from Maple Lake who was last seen leaving a party Saturday night.
Stearns County Sheriff Jim Kostreba asked for the Guard's help Tuesday and the request was OK'd by Gov. Jesse Ventura Tuesday afternoon.
About 100 troops were expected in the area Wednesday morning.
The last time National Guard troops were called out at the request of the county's sheriff was 1989 to aid the search for Jacob Wetterling.
That search comes a day after more than 120 people gathered in Brainerd to search isolated areas for 21-year-old Erika Dahlquist (pictured, left), the Brainerd woman missing since the early morning of Oct. 30 when she was last seen leaving a bar in the city with a man described only as a white male with brown hair.
Authorities in Eau Claire, Wis., also plan to fan out in a search for a missing Minnesotan who attends college in the Wisconsin town.
Michael Noll, a junior biology education major from Rochester, Minn., was last seek leaving a downtown bar Nov. 6 after reportedly becoming intoxicated while celebrating his 22nd birthday. A woman called police later in the week to say a drunk man had entered her home and she talked him out of the house. A baseball cap was found outside her house, and police confirmed the hat was Noll's.
His family isn't giving up hope.
"If Mike was here he would be taking a look, and he would be analyzing and he would say 'Yup, dad, there is a chance.' And that''s what we're holding onto," Jeff Noll, Mike Noll's father, said.
Searchers are concentrating in the area around the woman's house.
Noll's disappearance came less than a week after Christopher Jenkins (pictured, right) was last seen leaving the Lone Tree Bar and Grill on Hennepin Avenue in downtown Minneapolis. The senior at the University of Minnesota's management school was wearing a costume while attending a Halloween party at the bar dressed in a American Indidan costume.
He hasn't been seen since.
His family and friends have organized searches for the 21-year-old from Eden Prairie along the Mississippi River, and have established a command post for their search, which is reportedly relocating onto campus.
His family has offered a $50,000 reward for information about his whereabouts, his mother saying that someone must have seen her son, and a Web site has been created seeking information about his disappearance.
"People love to hang around Chris. He's got a lot of energy, and you can't just help but smile when you're with him," Zach Gernes, Jenkins' friend, said.
Meanwhile, officials say they don't believe the disappearances are related, but the FBI's Minneapolis office is examining any possible link, according to the St. Cloud Times.
"The FBI is involved. We're keeping conversations open with all the different police departments and jurisdictions," said Paul McCabe, FBI special agent in the Minneapolis office, told the newspaper. "We're reviewing the cases, but I stress we're not the lead agency."
The one link between the four cases is that all those missing were last seen leaving a bar or party where alcohol was being served.
Previous Story:
November 13, 2002: 4 Minnesota College-Age Students Missing
Hope with media attention they will get more clues. . .
. . .seems another sicko has decided to make his mark.
It's not out of the question, but it would be very unusual.

Erika Dalquist
Then again, if his primary sexual dysfuntion is his sexual identity, he might be violently taking it out on both sexes. Drunken college students would make easy targets..
It would be unusual, but then again serial predators can be unpredictable at times.
An odd thing - I came upon this story tracking a different one about an AWOL sailor from Madison, Wisconsin, missing from his South Carolina base. He was last seen in the moring of October 28.
Local sailor reported missing since Oct. 28
He was found today, in a Madison apartment.
Missing Sailor Found In Madison Apartment
...The Sun Prairie native allegedly told police he had amnesia-like symptoms and did not know how he got to Madison. Police said he was not injured or ill..."
I'm not saying it's connected, but his times missing correlate with the disappearances...and he's into some kind of Dungeons and Dragons game. Interesting.
I wonder about a GHB alcohol mix possibility? Possible use by a killer/kidnapper in the other cases is also a consideration. Of course the sailor could have went AWOL and dosen't want to admit to that.
"...Just on the off chance that he might show up at a place he frequented on Friday nights, I sat in the parking lot for several hours, just waiting to see if he might show up," Todd Ames said. ..."
Yeh, but was he molested - like a date rape drug? All were leaving a bar or party. That date rape drug could have been put in their drinks.
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