ND has no new leads on Sharon's disappearance
By TERESA FRALISH
Assistant News Editor
Despite several University initiatives during winter break, freshman Chad Sharon still remains missing.
On Jan. 3, University officials announced a $25,000 reward at a press conference for credible information leading to Sharon's safe return or verified communication with him, said Bill Kirk, assistant vice president for Student Affairs. Notre Dame Security/Police also established a tip line at 631-8000 where callers can leave anonymous information about the disappearance of Sharon.
NDSP, in conjunction with state and local authorities and the FBI, conducted an extensive investigation during the winter break involving neighborhood searches with tracking dogs, interviews, helicopter searches and searches of the St. Joseph River. "Over break we've just been exhausting all the resources we have," said Rex Rakow, director of NDSP. "We've gotten tremendous support from other agencies."
Sharon disappeared Dec. 12 and Fisher Hall staff reported him missing when he did not return to the hall. The Fisher Hall freshman was last seen at an off-campus party on Corby Boulevard around 2 a.m. when he declined a ride back to campus and told his friends he would walk back to Notre Dame. Sharon missed all of his final exams and did not return home for Christmas or make contact with his family or friends since his Dec. 12 disappearance.
Notre Dame police said a security officer at Madison Center Hospital on Niles Avenue who reported talking to a young man closely matching Sharon's description at about 4 a.m. on Dec. 12.
Though Sharon told friends he would be heading back to campus, Madison Center is farther away from Notre Dame than the Corby Street party. The officer told police that Sharon asked for directions to the nearest convenience store and he directed Sharon to the 7-11 at the corner of Niles and LaSalle Avenues.
However, 7-11 employees do not recall seeing anyone matching Sharon's description and Sharon did not appear on the store's surveillance cameras, said Rakow.
Sharon's parents, Steve and Jane Sharon, who until now have remained in Pelican Lake, Wis., Sharon's hometown, plan to come to Notre Dame tonight to meet with investigators and students. Since Sharon's disappearance, University officials have been in daily contact with his parents.
"We've been contacting them each day," said Kirk. "I talk to the Sharons every night."
On Thursday, Sharon's parents will meet with NDSP detectives and investigators during the day and attend a special mass for their only son at 10 p.m., which is primarily intended for the Fisher Hall community and other close friends of Sharon's, said Kirk.
Before and after the mass, Sharon's parents want to meet with students who know Chad or may have any information regarding his disappearance. Though the Sharons are confident in NDSP's handling of the case and want students to talk to University officials, they are also willing to talk with students themselves.
"That's our main reason for coming," said Steve Sharon, Chad Sharon's father. "We would definitely like to talk to the kids to see if we can't make some sense out of this," he said.
In particular, Steve Sharon said he hopes that if students who think their information is insignificant will come forward it could possibly move the case forward.
"Someone out there knows something or has seen something that would be very important to this investigation," he said. "They can get a hold of me day or night [and] I will talk to anyone and everyone."
Though the investigation has turned up few important leads since speaking with the hospital employee, officials are hopeful that with students back on campus, new information regarding Sharon's disappearance will surface. While investigators were able to talk with over 100 people during break through phone calls and e-mail, NDSP hopes to talk to students that were unreachable over the semester break.
"There [are] some people that we haven't gotten a hold of," said Rakow. "We haven't found anyone who saw Chad leaving the party."
University officials are also trying to generate national attention about Sharon's case by contacting programs that report on missing persons, said University spokesman Matt Storin.
"We have had contact with `America's Most Wanted,' which does some things on missing persons," said Storin. "`Good Morning America' has shown interest in interviewing Mr. and Mrs. Sharon [and] we are actively working on that but we don't have confirmation."
All News Stories for Wednesday, January 15, 2003
