6/4/12

Dear Friends of Laura Vogel,

Hello everyone, I am Greg Vogel, Laura’s older brother and I wanted to let people know what has taken place since Laura’s disappearance over two years ago. First, I want to thank everyone for the incredible support that you have shown the Vogel family. Your generosity, assistance, and prayers are greatly appreciated!  It was quite astounding to see how many people were touched by Laura during her lifetime. Of course, the family has been through a very difficult time since we lost Laura. This type of unresolved loss creates a wound which I fear will never heal. We have struggled to find answers and any information that might help us come to terms with Laura’s loss. We have taken numerous actions to try and find answers and closure. Many of you know about the time we spent on Maui looking for Laura and organizing searches by air, land and water.  We have offered a reward, asked Senators and Governors for assistance, posted fliers, appeared on television, radio and in newspapers. We tried everything that we could think of to find out what happened to Laura.  In this process, we have hired multiple private detectives. The first detective was hired right after Laura disappeared and another about one year later. The information we gained from this whole process has not given us any clear answers but has led me to conclude that the following scenario is the most likely.

Laura was camping in the Pauwela lighthouse area of Maui on the evening of February 21, 2010 when she sent out the text telling her friend that she was “meeting all of the locals.” The transient community in that area has steadfastly denied ever seeing Laura.  I believe that very shortly after that text she was attacked and killed. In the struggle the attacker(s) lost their phone and used Laura’s phone to find it by calling it several times and quickly hanging up. I believe that the transient in the camp next to her was involved because the number her phone called was his. No explanation of these calls was ever given by the police or the transient. I suspect that at some point her body was thrown in the ocean. No trace of her was ever found. The Police Detective and Lieutenant immediately assumed that this was an accident or suicide and told the family as much.

While you can imagine how difficult this scenario is to convey, it explains all of the evidence. Since all roads lead to the Maui Police I started a correspondence with an individual on the Maui Police Commission as well as the Police Chief and Attorney General. This is a link to one of the letters that I have received back from the Maui Police Chief addressing specific questions from me about the case. I feel that the phone calls and other evidence points to the transient that was living near Laura’s camp site. However, without physical evidence or a confession the Police feel that they have no case. In addition, it appears to me that they are determined to avoid finding any evidence or building a case. I have specifically asked the police to reassign the case to a new detective who might actually perform a thorough investigation but have received no reply to my request. The last private investigator we hired found the transients alibi to be shoddy and the transient to be severely mentally unstable and violent. However, at this point we are basically out of options and are relying on the Police to follow-up with a new investigator and charges.

I understand that this explanation does not help anyone, including me, deal with this loss, but I felt that Laura’s friends and supporters deserved to know what I know after over two years of effort. As you can imagine, we are heartbroken and astounded by the Police Department’s behavior. However, at this point we are basically out of options and are attempting to move on with our lives. Laura is gone, but we all still love her and miss her terribly.

Sincerely,
Greg Vogel