The two cases proceeded similarly in the beginning. In both events, a 20-year-old student disappeared, last seen on a surveillance video leaving a residence building. Each student departed without a wallet, purse or proper attire for the weather. Neither gave any indication of a planned destination.
Despite the parallel conditions of the disappearances, the subsequent investigations shared few similarities. In Audrey Seiler's case, an amber alert ricocheted through the news media, garnering 98 minutes of morning news coverage from NBC, ABC and CBS, as well as nationwide concern.
For Kenji Ohmi, the report moseyed through select newspapers. The story sank when police produced no leads.
Clearly, the Ohmi case is a casualty of the Seiler Who Cried Wolf\ effect. By duping the Madison Police Department and FBI to waste approximately $96,000 on search efforts for a staged abduction, it appears Seiler made MPD wary of launching future search efforts for missing person cases.
Naturally, MPD refutes this opinion. ""I think the manner in which we pursued missing person cases before that particular case is very similar to the way we actively pursue cases after that incidence,"" Police Officer Tony Fiore said. ""We continue to investigate missing persons cases with the same amount of dedication as we did before that case.""
In the Ohmi disappearance, the police do not suspect foul play—a key difference from the Seiler case. Furthermore, Ohmi's parents declined interviews with the press (not unusual in Japan), supposedly decreasing the case's notoriety.
However, this fails to explain the half-hearted search for Ohmi. Even if police conclusively rule out foul play, sufficient time has passed (62 days) to virtually dismiss the possibility that he vanished by personal choice. Because of Ohmi's vulnerabilities as an exchange student with minimal English proficiency, he deserves an investigation on par with Seiler's. The absence of foul play does not justify an investigation any less intensive.
Furthermore, the choice of Ohmi's parents to avoid the spotlight should not remove attention from the investigation itself. Ohmi's parents probably love him just as much as Keith and Stephanie Seiler love their little Audrey, but efforts to locate Ohmi should not rely on parental involvement.
In light of the Seiler scandal, it appears the sheepish Madison police simply don't want to endure another missing person debacle. MPD and Police Chief Noble Wray endured scrutiny and scorn for months following the Seiler case and would probably prefer a low-key, media-free Ohmi investigation.
Fiore said the Seiler disappearance ""was a situation that we feel we investigated appropriately"" and did not think any ""resonating effects"" resulted. Fiore added, ""We're proud of the work we did in that case.""
Yet, even if MPD blew the Seiler incident out of proportion, it seems they trivialized the Ohmi case. The inattention paid to the Ohmi investigation continues to undermine search efforts. MPD continued aggressive investigation efforts for Seiler even when it suspected she staged the entire event. Isn't it clear by this point that Ohmi is actually missing?
Two years ago today—three days after Seiler disappeared—100 volunteers searched wooded areas of Madison while the police conducted a door-to-door investigation. Today, more than two months after Ohmi disappeared, merely two official investigators continue to pursue the case.
Clearly, the Ohmi investigation deserves high profile attention from MPD. To bolster MPD's efforts, the public and media should ratchet up the case's notoriety. As the investigation continues, Fuhrey said, the public may ""participate by putting up fliers and keeping it in people's minds and continuing to provide us with information.""
Anyone with information about Ohmi's whereabouts should call MPD at (608) 266-4275.
Jill Klosterman is a sophomore majoring in journalism. Her column runs every Thursday. We value your feedback. Please send responses to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
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