Social media outlets were alive Monday with prayers for Emilee Irsik, a 20-year-old Emporia State junior, who did not return from fall break.
Irsik’s family created a Facebook group to help gather missing person information.
According to the page, Irsik flew on an American Airlines flight from Wichita to Dallas on Oct. 19. She then took a flight to London Heathrow Airport and flew on British Airways to Hamburg, Germany, arriving Oct. 20.
http://liarcatchers.com/missing_persons_investigations.html
Her return was expected in Wichita on Oct. 26; however, she did not board her scheduled return flight, and the flight was not rebooked.
Her family reported that her cell phone has been off since she departed from Dallas, and they have not been able to contact her.
Her family also reported that it is possible she visited Trier University, University of Hanover or Bielefeld University in Germany.
Law-enforcement and other officials are working to locate Irsik, whose roommates notified the Residential Life staff at ESU when her absence became worrisome.
After learning that Irsik had never returned, the university’s missing student protocol was activated and Emporia State Police and Safety was contacted.
ESU’s missing student protocol states that anybody who is concerned that a resident of on-campus housing may be missing should contact the Department of Residential Life.
On-campus residents register a confidential emergency contact who is contacted within 24 hours of the person’s absence.
“Basically, what happens is, if somebody is concerned that a student is missing from the residential hall, they notify residential life,” said Gwen Larson, assistant director of marketing and media relations. “Residential life, then, has the ability to go check the resident’s room and see if the student is there. If they can’t make contact with the student within 24 hours, then Residential Life notifies Police and Safety. At that point, Police and Safety completes an official missing person report.”
Irsik has been listed as a missing person with the National Crime Information Center registry, and the American Citizen’s Service Unit of the U.S. Embassy in Berlin has notified the police in Hamburg that she is missing.
The family asks that if anyone has information, they call local law enforcement or the U.S. Department of State (202) 647-4000 and ask to be transferred to the duty officer in Berlin.
“We want to make sure that Emilee is fine,” said Lynn Hobson, associate vice-president of student life, who oversees Residential Life. “Our hopes and prayers are with Emilee’s family and her friends as they deal with the uncertainties right now.”
