Missing North Dakota Student Likely Is Dead, Sheriff Says

Missing college student Dru Sjodin is probably dead, the sheriff said Tuesday in confirming that DNA tests found Sjodin’s blood in the car of the man suspected of kidnapping her.

“I certainly hate to be discouraging to the family or anyone, but it looks to me now that it’s more of a recovery mission than a rescue,” Grand Forks County Sheriff Dan Hill said.

Hill also said that searchers found a shoe belonging to the University of North Dakota student near the Red Lake River after she disappeared. Divers have searched the river thoroughly, and don’t believe the body is there, he said.

The shoe, identified by a college roommate of the 22-year-old Sjodin, is the only piece of clothing recovered so far, Hill said.

Sjodin’s mother, Linda Walker, said family members were “outraged” by Hill’s assessment. “Our family remains confident that Dru will be found,” she said. “She is waiting for us.”

Sjodin (pronounced sha-DEEN) was last heard from Nov. 22, calling her boyfriend on a cellphone from the parking lot of a Grand Forks mall where she worked at a Victoria’s Secret.

An affidavit unsealed later Tuesday had one new piece of information: Suspect Alfonso Rodriguez’s Jr.’s account of his whereabouts at the time Sjodin disappeared. According to the affidavit, Rodriguez told police he had been at the mall watching “Once Upon a Time in Mexico” about 7 p.m.. Police said the movie wasn’t being shown at any theater near the mall that day.

The DNA match would be the most significant break yet in the attempt by authorities to tie Rodriguez, a convicted rapist, to Sjodin’s disappearance. Hill said investigators tested blood from Rodriguez’s car against DNA taken from Sjodin’s toothbrush. Hill described the blood in the car as a small amount.

Hill also confirmed a media report that the trunk of Rodriguez’s car had been extensively cleaned before his arrest.

Rodriguez, 50, has been charged with Sjodin’s kidnapping. He has said through his attorney that he is innocent.