Monday April 17th 2pm - Body believed to be that of Wade Lurk
A body found in a car removed from an eastern Missouri lake Monday is believed to be that of a teenager missing for more than two weeks after a party near the lake, authorities said.
"We did locate an individual in the car, who we believe was Wade," Ste. Genevieve County Sheriff Gary Stolzer said.
The car was pulled from Goose Creek Lake near Ste. Genevieve. It is the same model and color as Wade Lurk's white 1990 Nissan Stanza, said Cpl. Al Nothum of the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The license plate numbers also matched.
Stolzer confirmed that the body was found inside the car.
He said he had been called to the lake about noon by fishermen who had spotted the vehicle.
He said the lake had been searched many times and doesn't know how the car was missed.
But he said the water in the lake is clearer now than a week ago because of rain.
He said his office was not ruling out foul play in the incident and would wait for the Missouri Highway Patrol to complete its investigation.
The 17-year-old senior honor student and athlete at Ste. Genevieve Valle High School was last seen in the pre-dawn hours of April 1, asleep in his car, following a party at the lake. Authorities said some of the 40 or so teenagers at the party were drinking.
Lurk was reported missing when he failed to show up for lawn-cutting jobs later that day.
Hundreds of volunteers searched several square miles of woods and fields in the days after Lurk's disappearance. Stolzer estimated that more than 1,000 people joined in the search, including pilots and those on horseback and all-terrain vehicles. The FBI was also involved.
Lurk's family had offered a $25,000 reward for information on his whereabouts. The case was the subject of a report Saturday on the FOX television show "America's Most Wanted."
Ste. Genevieve is about 50 miles south of St. Louis.
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April 17, 2006
Car in lake may be that of missing teen
A car discovered at the bottom of an eastern Missouri lake matched the description of one belonging to a teenager missing for more than two weeks after a party near the lake, authorities said Monday.
The car is the same model and color as Wade Lurk's white 1990 Nissan Stanza, said Cpl. Al Nothum of the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The license plate numbers also appeared to match.
The car was being pulled from Goose Creek Lake near Ste. Genevieve Monday afternoon. Officials weren't immediately sure if any remains were inside. KTVI-TV reported the car was about 15 feet from a boat ramp descending into the lake.
The 17-year-old senior honor student and athlete at Ste. Genevieve Valle High School was last seen in the pre-dawn hours of April 1, asleep in his car, following a party at the lake. Authorities said some of the 40 or so teenagers at the party were drinking.
Lurk was reported missing when he failed to show up for lawn-cutting jobs later that day.
Hundreds of volunteers searched several square miles of woods and fields in the days after Lurk's disappearance. Ste. Genevieve County Sheriff Gary Stolzer estimated that more than 1,000 people joined in the search, including pilots and those on horseback and all-terrain vehicles. The FBI was also involved.
Stolzer did not return phone calls Monday.
Lurk's family had offered a $25,000 reward for information on his whereabouts. The case was the subject of a report Saturday on the FOX television show "America's Most Wanted."
Ste. Genevieve is about 50 miles south of St. Louis.
April 14, 2006
Parish concerned for missing youth
by Barbara Watkins, Review Staff Writer
The Catholic community in Ste. Genevieve and Perryville is rallying around the family of Wade Lurk, the Valle Catholic High School senior who has been missing since April 1.
"We’ve had prayer services, we’ve had people praying the rosary, we’ve had the students from the grade school and high school come over to church for holy hours," said Father Daniel
Mosely, pastor of Ste. Genevieve Parish.
"It’s a terrible tragedy that cuts to the heart of the community," Father Mosely said.
Click
here for the rest of this article from The St. Louis Review
4/12/06 - 11am
Search for missing teen baffles authorities
Chris Campbell - link
Of the Suburban Journals
News Democrat Journal
04/12/2006
The search for a missing Ste. Genevieve County youth has spilled into Jefferson County.
Wade Lurk, 17, an honors student at Valle School in Ste. Genevieve, was reported missing after falling asleep in his car at about 4 a.m. Saturday, following a party at a home near Goose Creek Lake.
No one has seen Lurk, or his 1990 Nissan Stanza, since.
Witnesses at the scene told investigators Lurk left the lakeside home early Saturday morning to rest in his vehicle. A security guard working overnight at the entrance to Goose Creek Lake reported seeing a car similar to Lurk's leaving at 6 a.m.
Police have been unable to verify if that car belonged to Lurk.
Ste. Genevieve County Sheriff Gary Stolzer said the state water patrol is using sonar to check Goose Creek and Goose Creek Lake for the vehicle. Those searches have been unsuccessful.
Lurk's disappearance ignited a large-scale missing persons search focusing on roads leading in and out of Ste. Genevieve County.
Law enforcement officials, business owners and friends and family of Lurk volunteered to comb areas of Ste. Genevieve County.
The sheer effort expended in the search could be heard in Stolzer's voice, as the fatigued sheriff described the Herculean effort made by Ste. Genevieve searchers to find one of their own.
Most puzzling to investigators is the near-total absence of evidence in the disappearance.
"We're really grasping at straws -- anything is possible," Stolzer said. "It's possible somebody did something to him at the house. It's possible there was a wreck. We can't rule anything out. We've got three million theories but nothing substantial."
Stolzer estimated as many as 1,000 people had joined in the search effort, which has now expanded into Jefferson and St. Francois counties.
Along with help from searchers beating a path on foot, pilots have donated their time, scouring the search area from above. Fire departments have donated resources, and 12 investigators remain on the case.
"They are working tirelessly," Stolzer said.
One possibility police are willing to dismiss is that Lurk left on his own.
"He didn't run off," Stolzer said. "He deposited money in his savings account Friday and he was getting ready to take a Caribbean cruise with his family. He's a straight A student."
Lurk's mother Tina echoed Stolzer's belief.
"He didn't run away and I can back that up with evidence," she said. "He was a happy go lucky kid. His brother was going to take him to Spain. He left with no money, no clothes."
Despite the fruitless nature of the search, Stolzer said he was overwhelmed by the response of county residents.
"I can't begin to tell you how moving it has been," Stolzer said. "It gives me chills to think about it. It really gives you faith in mankind when you see this kind of support."
Though the investigation has yet to yield much of significance, Stolzer promised to search as long and as hard as necessary.
"I ain't quittin'," he said. "We've got to find this boy."
The Lurk family has offered a $25,000 reward for information about Lurk's whereabouts.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the dispatch center for Ste. Genevieve County and city at (573) 883-5215, or the detective handling the case at (573) 883-5820, Ext. 18506.
4/11/06 -
Wade Lurk added to national missing children's lists
Police continue to seek clues to missing teen's location
By CHRIS CLINE\Daily Journal Staff Writer - link
STE. GENEVIEVE - It's been more than a week since anyone has seen or heard from Wade Michael Lurk, 17, of Ste. Genevieve. Officials with the Ste. Genevieve County Sheriff's Department said today that after intense search efforts they still have no new developments or leads in the case.
There is no truth to anything in reference to any kind of closure to this case, said Capt. Mark Maples, of the Ste. Genevieve County Sheriff's Department. We are still following up on every lead that we get.
Ste. Genevieve County Sheriff Gary Stolzer denounced speculation that someone had confessed to killing Lurk and burying his body in a field.
That rumor is false, Stolzer said. We have heard the rumor and have fielded calls from several news affiliates, but it is not true. No one has confessed to anything.
Lurk has been added to most national lists for missing children including the National Center For Missing and Exploited Children's Web site. The young man has been missing since April 1 when he attended a party at Goose Creek the night before.
A search of the Goose Creek lake development on Saturday by hundreds of volunteers didn't turn up any clues to Lurk's whereabouts.
Maples said the Missouri State Water Patrol searched the Goose Creek Lake and the river access points in Ste. Genevieve County on Thursday and on Friday.
They were looking for Wade's car, but they also did not find anything, Maples said.
Maples said there were approximately 20 kids who attended the party Lurk was at.
They were mostly from Ste. Genevieve, Maples said. At approximately 4 a.m. Wade (Lurk) went out to his vehicle to sleep. Accounts from the kids who attended the party become very vague after that point.
Authorities have said that a gate guard at Goose Creek said he saw a vehicle similar to Lurk's leave the Goose Creek front gate early on the morning of April 1.
The missing teen-ager is described as a white male with brown hair and eyes, weighing 160 pounds and standing 5 foot 8 inches tall. The vehicle he was driving was a 1990 Nissan Stanza, Missouri license plate number 720WCC.
Lurk's family has offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to the 17-year-old's safe return. Crimestoppers of St. Louis has offered $1,000 for information leading to the youth's whereabouts. Contact 866-371-TIPS (8477).
If anyone has any information about Lurk they are asked to contact the Ste. Genevieve County Sheriff's Department at (573) 883-5820.
4/09/06 -
Wade's Mother Pleads For Public's Help
By Alex Fees
The mother of Wade Lurk, Tina is asking rural St. Genevieve County residents and property-owners to search their property for any clues as to what happened to her son.
Tina Lurk said, "Looking for any kind of evidence, possible. Could be as a shoe, a shirt, his car, him... anything."
Also investigators would like to talk to anyone who traveled on Missouri Highway Y in St. Genevieve County, late Friday night March 30 or early Saturday, April 1. Even if you don't think you saw anything they ask that you call St. Genevieve County investigators.
Seventeen-year-old Wade Lurk disappeared a week ago after attending an overnight party at Goose Creek Lake.
Tina Lurk also offered this regarding what happened to her son. "I still wonder if the car left Goose Creek. I'm leaning more towards abduction."
Meanwhile, about 200 volunteers turned out, Saturday to search the area around Goose Creek Lake. No similar organized search is planned for Sunday.
Two rewards are being offered for information in the disappearance. You can call Crimestoppers toll free at 866-371-8477.
4/08/06 -
Search effort for missing teen widens
Saturday, April 8, 2006
KYLE W. MORRISON ~ Southeast Missourian
STE. GENEVIEVE, Mo. -- A search for a missing Ste. Genevieve teen spread to the Mississippi River Friday.
Wade Lurk, 17, was last seen sleeping in his car early April 1 at Goose Creek, a campsite near the border of Ste. Genevieve and St. Francois counties.
Authorities have searched rural areas throughout Ste. Genevieve County, and on Friday began searching the Mississippi River's Little Rock Landing, also known as the Modoc Ferry Landing, said Ste. Genevieve County Sheriff's Department Maj. Howard
Dohack.
The Missouri State Water Patrol was at the landing, using a boat equipped with sonar to search for the boy's missing vehicle, a 1990 Nissan Stanza.
"It seemed like a logical place if someone were looking to ditch a car," Dohack said.
While there was no evidence to suggest the vehicle may have been brought to the landing, nor evidence to suggest foul play, Dohack said investigators were "just trying to cover all our bases."
Before going missing, the teen had been attending a party with about 40 others at Goose Greek.
His car had Missouri license plates 720WWC.
The sheriff's department has received numerous tips, and on Thursday the department's Web site about the missing teen saw 38,800 hits, Dohack said.
Anyone with information should call the Ste. Genevieve County Sheriff's Department at (573) 883-5820.
4/07/06 -
Missing Ste. Genevieve Teen
Friday, April 7, 2006
JENNIFER FREEZE ~ Southeast Missourian
STE GENEVIEVE, Mo. -- Police continued Thursday searching for a missing Ste. Genevieve teenager but had no new leads in the investigation.
Wade M. Lurk, 17, was last seen sleeping in his car around 4:30 a.m. Saturday at Goose Creek, a campsite near the border of Ste. Genevieve and St. Francois counties, where he had been attending a party, according to Ste. Genevieve County Sheriff Gary Stolzer.
A campsite gate guard told police he saw Lurk's car drive out of the area at approximately 5:30 a.m., Stolzer said. But the guard wasn't certain if it was Lurk's car or if he was inside.
Investigators continued to search rural areas in Ste. Genevieve County but had not been able to find any sign of the missing teen, said Ste. Genevieve County Sgt. Mike Stacey. "We're still following up leads and this is an active investigation," Stacey said.
Messages from Lurk's friends and classmates clutter his MySpace.com Web site. A majority of the messages plead for the teen to return home safely.
One such message reads: "Wade come on buddy u have to pull through this. Plz come back. I can't deal with this anymore. I miss you so much. Find the strength to get through this, you're in mine as well as hundreds of other people's prayers."
Cathy Peirick, co-director of the Vincentian Marian Youth Association in Perryville, Mo., said Lurk has been a member of the group since it began more than two years ago.
"He's been on a couple of mission trips with us," Peirick said. "It's so sad, and it's really hard for us to believe."
The Vincentian Marian Youth Association is holding a prayer mass for Lurk at 6 p.m. Sunday at the Shrine Church in Perryville. The mass is open to the public.
Lurk is described as 5-feet-8 inches tall, 150 to 160 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. His vehicle, a 1990 Nissan Stanza with Missouri license plates 720-WWC, was also missing as of Thursday evening.
Anyone with information should call the Ste. Genevieve County Sheriff's Department at (573) 883-5820.
4/06/06 -
Searchers believe that Lurk's vehicle left Goose Creek
By CHRIS CLINE\Daily Journal Staff Writer - link
Editor's Note: Mike Boyd, Ste. Genevieve Herald Staff Writer, contributed to this story.
GOOSE CREEK - Searchers still haven't found any signs of a Ste. Genevieve boy who vanished early Saturday morning at Goose Creek. Wade Michael Lurk, 17, attended a party at the lake development Friday night and has not been seen or heard from since.
Craig Akers of the Shawn Hornbeck Foundation confirmed on Wednesday that his group had been participating in the search for Lurk.
We brought two of our K-9's down to Goose Creek Monday afternoon, Akers said. The dogs appeared to have picked up the boy's (Lurks) scent at the last location where he was seen. The dogs followed the scent out of the Goose Creek complex. We are inclined to believe that Lurk's vehicle left Goose Creek. However, with that said, nothing is for sure. With the weather conditions we have had since Friday, picking up Lurk's scent is extremely difficult.
Lurk's parents, Mike and Tina Lurk, along with law enforcement conducted a press conference on Wednesday.
The only encouraging news is that they haven't found a wrecked car or a body, Mike Lurk said. There's still a lot of hope that he's still OK. All the searches by foot and ATV were based on the assumption that there was a wreck, so you look for him 50-60 yards from the highway. But around here, there are a lot of rural areas and hundreds of barns and sheds.
Mike Lurk said there isn't any evidence that his son was upset at the time of his disappearance.
There are no leads to indicate anything, that he would have left on his own, Mike Lurk said. In fact, there is a lot of evidence contrary to that. His report card just came out and his grades were good. He made the honor roll. We were leaving for family vacation (this coming) Friday. He was enrolled at Missouri State, so he was looking forward to graduation and college. There's really nothing to run away from.
Lurk said the party his son attended was supposed to be just a couple of high school guys playing cards, bit it became 20-25 kids.
All the kids have been interviewed and re-interviewed over and over, Lurk said. All of their stories stop at 3 to 4 a.m. The trail goes cold from there. We've called Cingular and they say there has been no activity whatsoever. That was a huge red flag for us. He always has his cell phone on, but when we call it now, it goes directly to voicemail. It could have been turned off or it's broken or he's in an area that doesn't have service.
Tina Lurk said prior to his disappearance, her son went through his regular Friday routine.
From what we've have seen, he went about his regular Friday thing, Tina Lurk said. He took no money with him. He even made a deposit at the bank, so if he had any money it wasn't much. He didn't have very much gas. It was running pretty low to empty. None of his belongings are missing, no clothes missing. Everything is where it's supposed to be. Wade just doesn't do those things like running away.
Tina Lurk said her son's teammates carry him with them in every game they have played since he disappeared. Lurk is the starting left fielder for the Valle Warriors varsity baseball team.
Valle's win meant an awful lot to the players, Tina Lurk said. They feel that Wade was there and Wade helped to win the game. I asked them when they were down if they felt it was over and they said ‘oh no, we knew we were going to win this ballgame.
Tina Lurk said the Warriors had not beaten the West County Bulldogs in nearly 10 years.
Authorities have said that a gate guard at Goose Creek allegedly saw a vehicle matching Lurk's vehicle description leave the Goose Creek front gate early Saturday morning.
The information though, is a bit conflicting, said Capt. Mark Maples of the Ste. Genevieve County Sheriff's Department. We are not positive that the person the guard saw was actually him. We are hopeful that the guard's description is accurate. We have treated this case like he (Lurk) did leave the establishment. We have retraced what his route would have been back to Ste. Genevieve, but we haven't found anything.
Maples said there has been no trace of Lurk or the vehicle he was driving.
We are getting assistance from the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Maples said. We are using all state and federal resources that are available.
A flyer has been circulated throughout the area by Lurk's friends and family. The flyer suggests that foul play is suspected in Lurk's disappearance.
Authorities have said other than the fact Lurk's disappearance is suspicious they have no reason to suspect foul play at this time.
Lurk is described as a 5 foot 8 inches, 160 pound, white male with brown hair and brown eyes. The vehicle he was driving was a 1990 Nissan Stanza, Missouri license plate number: 720WCC.
Lurk's family has offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to the return of Wade Lurk. Crimestoppers of St. Louis has offered $1,000 for information leading to Lurk's whereabouts, contact 866-371-TIPS (8477).
If anyone has any information about Lurk they are asked to contact the Ste. Genevieve County Sheriff's Department at (573) 883-5820.
Case of missing teen has relatives,
authorities perplexed
JIM SALTER
Associated Press
Four days of searching have turned up virtually no clues in the
disappearance of a "happy, goofy" teenager missing since a
party near an eastern Missouri lake early Saturday, relatives and
authorities said Tuesday.
Relatives of Wade Lurk, 17, of Ste. Genevieve, believe he may have
been kidnapped, his aunt, Dena Lurk Mullen, said.
Hundreds of volunteers have joined the Missouri Highway Patrol and
Ste. Genevieve County sheriff's deputies in searching for Lurk, a senior
at Valle High School. The FBI is also assisting.
"He's vanished," Mullen said. "He's just such a
conscientious kid. For him not to call his mother ... We have reason to
think somebody's got him and has possibly left the area."
Even more perplexing is the fact that Lurk's car, a white 1990 Nissan
Stanza, has also vanished.
"I've never been involved in anything like this," Sheriff
Gary Stolzer said. "We have no clues. We need help. It's a
nightmare."
Lurk was last seen early Saturday with about 40 other teenagers at
the Goose Creek lake development, about 50 miles south of St. Louis.
A guard at the development thought he saw Lurk's car leave around
5:30 a.m. Saturday, but wasn't certain if it was the right car or if
Lurk was driving, the sheriff's department said. Friends and relatives
became worried later Saturday when he failed to show up to help some
friends move, then didn't show up for lawn-mowing jobs.
There was drinking at the party. Stolzer said it was possible Lurk
could have been involved in an accident in the rural area. But repeated
searches, including those assisted by helicopters, have turned up
nothing.
Suicide is unlikely, Mullen said. No note was found, Lurk was not
depressed and had not been acting strangely.
"He's just a happy, goofy teenager," she said.
Authorities also are all but certain Lurk did not run away.
"He's got a savings account with money in it - it's all
there," Stolzer said. "He didn't pack any clothes. It's your
Leave-it-to-Beaver, perfect, family."
Lurk is scheduled to graduate in May. He played football and
basketball at Valle, was an A-student, even went to Boy's State.
The family - Lurk, his parents and two younger brothers - was
planning to leave for a cruise Friday, Mullen said. That's now on hold.
"I don't think his dad has slept yet," Mullen said.
"He just searches and searches, even after they call off the search
party for the night."
---
The missing Nissan has a license plate number 720WCC. Anyone with
information on Wade Lurk is asked to call the Ste. Genevieve County
Sheriff's Department, 573-883-5820. article
link
Police Still Need Help Finding Missing
Teen
By: CJ Cassidy - link
