Missing Northwestern Student's Jacket Found

Nov. 14, 2008 — -- The personal effects of a 20-year-old Northwestern University freshman who has been missing for more than a week were found Thursday on the rocky shores of Lake Michigan.

Trevor Boehm's jacket, which contained his student identification card, keys, cell phone and other personal property, was found by a university police officer Thursday morning, according to authorities.

In a press conference Thursday, Al Cubbage, the vice president for university relations, said the Coast Guard had conducted a sweep of the lake but had not located Boehm.

"There is no sign of foul play in this at all," said Cubbage.

Because of the crevice the belongings were found in, Cubbage said it is possible the items had been there since Boehm went missing. He also speculated that it would have been possible for the wind to blow the items down to the shore.

Asked by a reporter if he knew why Boehm may have disappeared, Cubbage said he did not know and added that he knew nothing about rumors that Boehm may have just been dumped by his girlfriend.

Discovered Missing When Parents' Visit

Boehm was reported missing Sunday after his parents came to visit him at the college, only to find he had vanished without a trace days earlier.

The student hasn't been in his residence hall, attended classes or used his student ID card in the dining halls since Nov. 5, according to Cubbage.

Boehm's green Schwinn bicycle is also missing, according to authorities.

Despite filing a missing person report with a national police database and the Evanston Police Department, officials said they had not turned up any leads.

A woman who answered the phone at the Boehm family's home in Monument, Colo., declined to comment about the student's disappearance.

But Boehm's grandmother, Laverna Boehm, told ABCNews.com in a telephone interview earlier this week that "everyone is praying" for the safe return of her grandson.

She said that Boehm had been busy with school and was a talented actor. According to the university, Boehm was enrolled in the School of Communication.

Sasha Puchalla, a Northwestern junior who has known Boehm since they attended the same private high school in Colorado, told the campus newspaper that her friend "really enjoyed being around people and has a lot of fun with life in general.

"He is just such a vibrant person," Puchalla told the Daily Northwestern. "He is very caring and compassionate."

Another one of Boehm's high school friends, Tyler Boschert, told ABCNews.com that it's not like Boehm to simply disappear.

"From everything I've heard, it seemed like he was doing fine," said Boschert. "He had friends and was enjoying things."

Boschert, 18, is a sophomore at the university but said that because he lives on the opposite side of campus from Boehm, the two didn't see each other very often. He said that Boehm did not have a roommate.

Boschert said that Boehm's Facebook page, which is closed to the public, had messages from friends asking why he hadn't returned phone calls or e-mails.

According to Boschert, Boehm had left Northwestern in the middle of last semester, but he did not know why.

As for his family, Boschert said that they seemed "tightknit" and "not at all dysfunctional.

"I'm pretty confident that he'll deal with anything thrown his way, and he'll turn up," said Boschert.

Boehm is described as a white male, 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighing approximately 145 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. He has a small birthmark on his right forearm.

Anyone with information about Boehm's whereabouts can call the Northwestern University Police at 847-491-3254.