A College of Liberal Arts sophomore with a history of mental illness and previous disappearances is missing.
The last person to see 34-year-old Kelly Murray was a caretaker at the Seward Towers near the West Bank, where she lives alone. She was last seen Saturday apparently heading to the Mall of America, said Nancy Crawford, Murray’s mother.
Murray suffers from schizophrenia and has disappeared about five times in the past. But Crawford said Murray is on medication and has been stable for the last two years.
“She saw her therapist Friday and he said she was all right,” Crawford said. She added that it is possible that after two years Murray could have relapsed again.
Minneapolis Police Sgt. Tom Schuveiller, who is investigating the disappearance, said there is no evidence of foul play.
Crawford said Murray frequently takes Metro Transit buses to the Mall of America. Fliers are being distributed to mall security and to Metro Transit officials. Crawford said Murray usually goes to Nordstrom or Bloomingdale’s department stores.
Crawford said that in the past Murray has been found by people who noticed her wandering around or in a catatonic state.
“If she becomes catatonic, that’s not a problem,” University Police Sgt. Joe May said. “People are going to find her and that will help authorities the most.”
Schuveiller said in these cases, police usually have to wait for someone to identify the missing person.
In other police news:
ù A University of St. Thomas student allegedly harassed and threatened two University students in Frontier Hall on Sunday morning.
According to police reports, Jason Daeffler, 19, was drinking with some friends when he met students Erika Marsch and Rashanas Patal. He asked if he could come into Marsch’s room.
“We didn’t know him and he wanted to hang out,” Marsch said. “Around here that’s pretty normal.”
After 10 minutes, Daeffler became abusive, putting his arm across Patal’s chest and attempting to hit Marsch over the head with a vodka bottle, Marsch said.
But Daeffler claims he doesn’t remember trying to hit Marsch with the bottle. The two then asked him to leave. Marsch also alleges that Daeffler threatened to kill her neighbor, which he also denied.
Marsch said after he left and the door was closed, Daeffler kicked and pounded on the door for more than an hour, damaging the lock.
Marsch said she called Frontier’s night manager and then police, but officers weren’t able to get in to the building right away because the night manager wasn’t there to let them in.
That’s a constant problem, May said. He added that students in residence halls should call the police first, not the night manager.
Daeffler was booked at Hennepin County Jail and charged for disorderly conduct and minor consumption. He is due in court Friday.
“I was very intoxicated,” Daeffler said. “I feel horrible about it.”
ù A thief broke into the West Bank Skyway Service Center Sunday and made off with $8,500 in Metro Transit bus passes.
But University Police have a suspect who was recently released from prison and has committed crimes at the University before.
The thief apparently threw a fire extinguisher through a window to get into the store. Manager Kris Ketterer said the passes were in a drawer that was left unlocked.
Transit Police Liaison Officer Paul Costello said the suspect will probably try to hock the stolen passes near bus stops. Bus drivers do not check serial numbers on bus passes.