Spring Break
Police release new details about Adeyooye investigation
Mick Swasko
Issue date: 10/24/05 Section: News
Normal Police released new information about the investigation and evidence in the case of missing ISU student Olamide Adeyooye.
"We have found personal articles belonging to Olamide," Normal Police Lieutenant Mark Kotte said in a press conference Friday. "These articles were documents with her name on it."
Kotte described the evidence, which was found in a dumpster in the vicinity of Adeyooye's Market Street apartment, as a "bag of documents."
The search continued to a Bloomington landfill where the dumpster was emptied and specially trained dogs were deployed to find her scent from the bag and papers. However, according to Kotte, this search turned up negative results.
Kotte said the investigation now includes 40 people specifically and actively working on the case from the FBI, ISU Police, the Normal Police Department and the McLean County Emergency Services Disaster Agency.
Currently, all of Illinois is being searched by plane and State Troopers are keeping an eye on the interstate for any sign of the missing Green 1996 Toyota Corolla. Because the vehicle has not been located, the search is considered nationwide, in which the Normal Police are using the FBI as a resource to search and investigate leads in other parts of the country.
The new evidence, along with interviews with persons of interest known and unknown to Adeyooye, led the police to consider the case a criminal matter.
"We only have persons of interests," Kotte said .
"Rising above that is a much different step. There is a big difference between persons of interest and suspects," he said.
Kotte confirmed there are about six to eight people that are persons of interest and not all of them have been spoken to yet.
"We are convinced that some sort of criminal activity has occurred," he said. "[We don't know] what it is and who is involved, that is why it is still open for us right now."
"We are pleased as a department [about] the way the case is progressing," Kotte said. "The investigation is fluid and dynamic."
Adeyooye has been missing since Oct. 13, when she was last seen at a Family Video store.
Those with information are asked to contact Normal Police at 309-454-9535.
"We have found personal articles belonging to Olamide," Normal Police Lieutenant Mark Kotte said in a press conference Friday. "These articles were documents with her name on it."
Kotte described the evidence, which was found in a dumpster in the vicinity of Adeyooye's Market Street apartment, as a "bag of documents."
The search continued to a Bloomington landfill where the dumpster was emptied and specially trained dogs were deployed to find her scent from the bag and papers. However, according to Kotte, this search turned up negative results.
Kotte said the investigation now includes 40 people specifically and actively working on the case from the FBI, ISU Police, the Normal Police Department and the McLean County Emergency Services Disaster Agency.
Currently, all of Illinois is being searched by plane and State Troopers are keeping an eye on the interstate for any sign of the missing Green 1996 Toyota Corolla. Because the vehicle has not been located, the search is considered nationwide, in which the Normal Police are using the FBI as a resource to search and investigate leads in other parts of the country.
The new evidence, along with interviews with persons of interest known and unknown to Adeyooye, led the police to consider the case a criminal matter.
"We only have persons of interests," Kotte said .
"Rising above that is a much different step. There is a big difference between persons of interest and suspects," he said.
Kotte confirmed there are about six to eight people that are persons of interest and not all of them have been spoken to yet.
"We are convinced that some sort of criminal activity has occurred," he said. "[We don't know] what it is and who is involved, that is why it is still open for us right now."
"We are pleased as a department [about] the way the case is progressing," Kotte said. "The investigation is fluid and dynamic."
Adeyooye has been missing since Oct. 13, when she was last seen at a Family Video store.
Those with information are asked to contact Normal Police at 309-454-9535.