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Jill Behrman reward fund raised to $100,000
May 23, 2001
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Friends of missing bicyclist and Indiana University student Jill Behrman announced today that the reward fund for information about her disappearance has been raised to $100,000.
A $50,000 reward for information leading to the individuals responsible for her disappearance has been pending since she was last seen May 31, 2000. The additional $50,000 in reward funds was donated by five Indiana University leaders.
The most recent $50,000 reward is for specific information leading to the location of Jill Behrman. The original $50,000 remains earmarked for specific information leading to the persons responsible for Jill's disappearance.
"We gratefully appreciate the wonderful generosity of the Indiana University family," said Eric Behrman, Jill's father. "It is our very deep desire and hope that these additional funds will help to bring Jill home."
At the request of the FBI and the Bloomington Police Department, friends of the Behrman family raised the additional $50,000 in recent weeks. Five IU senior administrators each donated $10,000 for the reward fund. They are: the office of IU President Myles Brand; IU Bloomington Chancellor Kenneth Gros Louis; IU Foundation President Curt Simic; IU Alumni Association President Jerry Tardy and IU Athletics Director Clarence Doninger.
FBI agent Gary Dunn issued the following statement:
"The Bloomington Police Department and the FBI continue to aggressively investigate Jill's disappearance. We continue to receive information on a daily basis and are confident that the investigation will result in bringing Jill home and determining who was responsible for her disappearance. The increase in the reward money from $50,000 to $100,000, by a very generous group of Indiana University administrators, enables us to inform the public that a $50,000 reward, in and of itself, will be provided to any individual who provides specific information as to Jill's current whereabouts. The remaining $50,000 will be provided to any individual providing specific information resulting in the arrest and conviction of those responsible for Jill's disappearance."
Jill, then an IU sophomore, was last seen on May 31, 2000, while on a bicycle ride in the Bloomington area. At the time of her disappearance, she was wearing a green bicycle helmet, red riding jersey with white side panels, and black riding shorts. Authorities believe she was abducted.
"The overwhelming response from Indiana University leaders to the reward fund underscores how deeply the Indiana University family feels about this horrible tragedy and the Behrman family," said Christopher Simpson, IU Vice President for Public Affairs and Government Relations and spokesman for the family. "All of our thoughts and prayers are with the Behrman family, and we all want to bring Jill home."
For more information on Jill Behrman go to http://www.indiana.edu/~alumni/iuaa/jillbehrman/.(Christopher Simpson, 812-855-0850, csimpson@indiana.edu or Richard Doty, 812-855-0084, rgdoty@indiana.edu)