After four days of searching by police, friends and family, an office worker discovered UW-Madison sophomore Audrey Seiler, who had been missing since early Saturday morning, alive near the Alliant Energy Center, 1919 Alliant Energy Center Way, Wednesday afternoon. However, Seiler did not know her abductor, who remains at large after a massive but unsuccessful police manhunt.
According to the Madison Police Department, at 12:50 p.m., someone working in the Madison Department of Revenue Building, 2135 Rimrock Rd., spotted a female in need of help in the nearby marsh and called police. Madison Police arrived and confirmed the woman was the missing student. An ambulance transported Seiler to St. Marys Hospital, 707 S. Mills St., where doctors treated and released her Wednesday evening.
Seiler was last seen leaving her apartment at The Regent Apartments, 1402 Regent St., at 2:30 a.m. Saturday without a coat or purse. Since then, friends, family and other volunteers searched for Seiler in Madison and surrounding areas, despite the lack of clues or leads on her disappearance.
Dr. Philip Shultz of St. Marys Emergency Service said although Seiler was suffering from cold extremities, dehydration and muscle aches from confinement, she appeared to be very comfortable and happy.
\She has gotten through her ordeal remarkably well,"" he said.
In a statement issued later Wednesday night, the Madison Police Department confirmed Seiler was abducted at knifepoint. Seiler reported she was not injured, but said she was not free to leave her abductor.
Keith and Stephanie Seiler, Audrey's parents, thanked the city of Madison, the university and the Police Department for their efforts in helping find their daughter.
""First of all, we are so grateful that Audrey is back safe to us,"" said Keith Seiler. ""We were confident Audrey would return, and that was due in large part to the efforts of the Madison Police Department, the media, her family and friends and the university.""
He added Seiler was in good spirits despite her experience.
""Audrey was overjoyed to return back to us,"" he said. ""She was relieved and glad to be warm, to see her friends and family, and a bit surprised at the big hullabaloo.""
For five hours Wednesday afternoon, 150 police officers from six different departments aided by two helicopters combed through a three square mile area just south of the Alliant Energy Center. Police squad cars lined the Beltline, John Nolen Drive and Rimrock Road, shutting off traffic and creating a secure perimeter around the marsh in hopes of pinning down the suspect near the area where Seiler was found.
Assistant Madison Police Chief Noble Wray described the suspect as a white male in his late 20s to early 30s, five feet 11 inches to six feet tall, wearing a black sweatshirt, a black cap and blue jeans. He cautioned that the suspect was believed to be armed with a gun and a knife.
Madison Police Department Officer Shannon Blackamore said although Seiler had been found, the case remained an active investigation.
""We are confident through our intensive investigative strategies and information provided by the community we will come to a successful conclusion in this case,"" Blackamore said. ""Audrey did not know her assailant.""
With Seiler's rescue completed, the mission turned from a search-and-rescue operation to a tactical manhunt to find the suspect. A news helicopter from Milwaukee's WTMJ television station, an NBC affiliate, assisted the search for the suspect with the use of its thermal imaging system, probing the secured perimeter.
At 3:15 p.m., the Madison Police canine unit was called to an area behind Southern Wisconsin Radiotherapy Center, 1102 John Nolen Dr., where police were investigating a pipe that ran from the marsh to Lake Monona. Police officers with assault rifles followed the dog along the railroad tracks that followed the shoreline, while two police officers searched underneath the cars in area parking lots.
Approximately a half an hour later, two armed police officers from the Columbia County Sheriff's Emergency Response Team were sent in to search the culvert. Minutes later, police reported the suspected abductor was not within the immediate area.
Police then turned their focus to the main marsh section, west of John Nolen Drive. The police seemed to take a careful approach to the search, believing the suspect was somewhere in the marsh.
The police helicopter was sent in the air with two police officers in combat fatigues and equipped with assault rifles. Meanwhile, approximately 20 officers with bulletproof vests and high-powered guns combed the swamp from the ground.
By 6:30 p.m., Madison Police called the search off. Police department officials said they had searched through the perimeter thoroughly and concluded that no one was present.
Madison Assistant Fire Chief Carl Saxe said he did not know what course the search will take.
""They have a description of the suspect from Audrey and they know the suspect is not within their perimeter,"" he said. ""It has turned into an investigation now. ...the tactical portion is complete.""
He added the police officers did not feel Madison residents are in danger of an attack.
But UW-Madison students have mixed feelings about the incident's effect on their personal safety.
""I'm kind of nervous that the person that took her is going to find somebody else to take, but I'm pretty confident that he'll be caught eventually,"" UW-Madison freshman Christen Stevens said.
-Sam-Omar Hall contributed to this report.
