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BOONE, NC – The search continues for a missing Appalachian State University freshman. No one has seen 18-year-old Anna Smith in a week.
Investigators now classify Smith missing and endangered.
University Police say they’ve put in countless hours in the search for Smith. The police chief says local and state agencies have searched the entire campus, wooded areas near campus, and some state parks. The department is still following multiple leads.
“They’ve searched the woods… That’s it? And it came up inconclusive,” said Austin King, a student at ASU.
“I definitely think they should keep looking cause the campus is huge and all of Boone is big when you think about where somebody could be,” said Liz Gifford, who lives in the same residence hall as Anna Smith.
Some students are frustrated by what they call a lackluster effort by authorities to find Smith.
“I think that they should do a lot more,” said Gifford.
Many students have stepped up to help by posting signs on campus and at local businesses.
Some students have written graffiti-style personal notes to Anna, saying “come home” and “we love you.”
“I don’t feel like it’s somebody who took her, I feel like she’s just kind of lost out there,” said King.
Smith’s roommate told police she last saw Smith in their on-campus dorm last Tuesday. The residence hall reported her missing last Wednesday and police later learned Smith was seen riding in a university van across campus Tuesday night.
Smith’s family says she has no phone, no food, and no money.
“The scary part is, we don’t know what’s going on. They said for a little while that it was voluntary, but now they’re saying her status is endangered,” said Catherine Pearce, an ASU student.
Pearce is a friend of Anna’s. She says she texted Anna the day she went missing to invite her to an event but never got a reply.
“She seemed a little bit upset, also like she was trying to fit in,” said Pearce.
Now, a week later, some students fear the worst.
“I’m afraid she’s going to be found dead or seriously hurt,” Gifford.
Anna Smith’s family says they believe someone knows something, but they aren’t coming forward.
The family says they have an army out searching for Anna, and they hope this nightmare ends soon.
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Anyone with information about Anna Smith’s whereabouts should contact Appalachian State University at 828-262-2150.
