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Video images released of missing Vt. student

The investigation into the disappearance of a University of Vermont senior entered its sixth day on Thursday, with police  releasing still video images of the woman and the man she was last seen with.
/ Source: msnbc.com

As the investigation into the disappearance of a University of Vermont senior entered its sixth day, police on Thursday released still video images of the woman and the man she was last seen walking with, saying he is a “significant focus” of the investigation.

Michelle Gardner-Quinn, 21, of Arlington, Va., was last seen Saturday shortly after 2:30 a.m. walking back to campus after a night out at downtown bars with friends. Police said she was walking with a man whose cell phone she had borrowed.

Police Chief Thomas Tremblay said investigators had questioned the man and searched a home near Richmond. He declined to identify him and would not say whether he was a suspect.

Police asked anyone with any information about the case to call investigators at (802) 658-2700.

“He still is a significant focus because we are not satisfied,” Tremblay said. “We have no evidence at this time that suggests a criminal offense. We’re not close to an arrest.”

Police on Thursday requested information from anyone who may have seen them together. The images were from a camera on the building of a nearby jewelry store.

Gardner-Quinn was reported missing Saturday night when she didn’t show up for dinner with her parents, who were visiting.

Police searched elsewhere but would not disclose the locations.

Federal, state officials involved
Federal agents and National Guard pilots met with local police, state police detectives and sex crimes investigators about the search.

University of Vermont President Daniel Fogel said in a campus-wide e-mail that police and security patrols had been increased on campus and in dormitories and all “campus life safety systems” had been tested and found to be operating.

“As this very serious situation continues to unfold, I write to express both the University’s distress about an apparent threat to one of our own, and our firm resolve to do all we can to assist the ongoing investigation, support the family, and keep our community fully informed,” Fogel wrote.

About 150 people turned out for a candlelight vigil at the university Tuesday. One sign read, “I Am Scared,” and another one read, “Somebody saw something. Spread the word. We want Michelle Back.”