The Unsolved Disappearance of Tricia Reitler
A 19-year-old woman was walking back to her dorm when she vanished, but her bloody clothes were left behind.
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Going off to college can be an exciting time for young adults. It’s a time for them to spread their wings and to spend some time on their own while learning the ways of the world. However, being on your own can present its own set of dangers.
Tricia Reitler
Tricia Reitler was a 19-year-old freshman at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Indiana. It was the first year she had been away from her parents, Garry and Donna, and her three younger siblings.
She was a good student who maintained a high-grade point average in school. She was studying psychology and had a desire to help broken families recover from their trauma.
March 29, 1993
On the night of March 29, 1993, Tricia had been working on a term paper when she decided to take a break. She left campus at approximately 8:00 p.m. and walked a half-mile away to Marsh Supermarket. She purchased a soda and a magazine before returning to her dormitory in Bowman Hall, but she never arrived.
Tricia’s parents, Gerry and Donna, received a phone call in the middle of the night. They instantly knew something was very wrong. The call was from detectives who needed to inform them their daughter was missing. Tricia’s parents were scared at first, but Garry had faith the police would find her.
The Investigation
Tricia’s bloodstained jeans, shirt, and shoes were found in a field by the halfway point between the supermarket and the university. The items were close to Seybold Pool and Center Elementary School. The police launched a massive search in hopes of finding Tricia, but they found no other signs of her.
Investigators discovered there were approximately seven unidentified people playing basketball at the school’s playground at roughly the same time Tricia disappeared. The police believe they may have witnessed something, but no one has come forward with information that could be helpful yet.
