Search For Missing LSU Student Continues & Has Been Narrowed Down

The search for a Louisiana State University freshman continues and was recently narrowed down to only one part of the Mississippi River. 

Freshman, Kori Gauthier, was deemed missing on Tuesday after she did not show up for work, and her car was found unoccupied following an accident. 

According to the Louisiana Department of Transportation, reported by CNN, there was an accident early Wednesday morning on the I-10 bridge. However, when officers arrived at the scene, they found Kori’s car without her inside. Yet, the vehicle was running. 

“Once officers got to the scene, they found Gauthier’s personal belongings — including her phone — inside, and they had her car towed to a junkyard,” WAFB reported. But, interestingly enough, authorities neglected to inform the owner of the vehicle about the situation. 

Levar Gauthier, the victim’s father, had no idea his daughter was missing at first. 

“Her mom called me multiple times, and that’s highly unusual, and she sent me a text that my daughter wasn’t answering her phone… so I immediately started calling and trying to contact her and got nothing,” he said.

“Once he found out she was missing, he raced to Baton Rouge,” WAFB wrote. 

The search, which has been going on for days, was finally narrowed down on Saturday after “a K-9 cadaver dog alerted the same area of the [Missippi] river twice.”

Since the area was deemed unsafe, divers were not deployed, but on Sunday, “mounted patrol will search a levee along the river” and “the latest sonar technology will be used by law enforcement on boats.”

“I haven’t eaten since Wednesday at work for lunch,” Levar Gauthier told WAFB. He joined the search party on Friday. “I’ve maybe gotten four hours of sleep in the last couple of days, and her mom hadn’t gotten that much, I’m sure. I get a cat nap here and there, but I mean, we won’t stop until we know something about my daughter.”

According to law enforcement, fortunately, no foul play or criminal activity took place based on the evidence collected. 

Volunteers are being asked to help with water, air, and land search.