Lauren Spierer has been missing since June 3, 2011. Nearly 15 years. That number alone is devastating. Someone out there knows what happened to her. Someone has the power to bring her home. And yet, all we hear is silence. There’s no good explanation for why she hasn’t been brought home, just that some college students failed to act when it mattered most, choosing convenience over conscience.

Shawn Cohen, the author of College Girl, Missing, isn’t just some detached reporter. He’s a seasoned journalist who’s worked high-profile cases like Gabby Petito and the Idaho 4, but this one is personal. He’s been following Lauren’s story from the start and has grown close to the Spierer family. That closeness comes through in every chapter. He’s not writing to entertain, or to make a quick buck on book sales, he’s writing to help bring closure. Through that relationship, he shares information that’s never been released to the public before, and it’s clear that he’s emotionally invested in getting answers.

What really disturbed me, though, was something he mentions through a family connection (a cousin of his attending the same school that Lauren disappeared from so long ago) that Indiana University (IU) used to send out alerts about the locations and descriptions of individuals involved in sexual assault crimes on campus – but stopped doing so because “it wasn’t fair to the frat guys.” If that’s true, it’s appalling. That is complicit behavior. This kind of silence and image-protection culture enables predators, silences survivors, and puts people’s lives in danger. I genuinely don’t know how any parent could send their child to a school where protecting reputations comes before protecting students.

Cohen’s work makes one thing painfully clear – Lauren didn’t just disappear. She was failed, and I don’t say that lightly. By the people around her, and by their silence. And maybe even by the very institution she trusted to keep her safe. No one just vanishes without a trace. She’s somewhere and someone (personally, I think more than one person) knows where she is. It’s time for them to speak.

If anyone reading this knows anything – no matter how long it’s been – I implore you to come forward. Give Lauren’s family the truth. Don’t let another year pass in silence. I also can’t imagine the kind of existential dread someone must be living with to hide this kind of secret for so long – if they’re sane, anyway. Give her family (and yourself) the peace that will come from finally telling the world what happened.

If you can handle the true crime genre, and you haven’t heard much about this case in particular before, I urge you to grab a copy and read it. Lauren’s story deserves to be heard and spread, and her family deserves the peace of mind they should’ve been given a decade and a half ago. This is an important read, and I’m going to be praying for Lauren until she’s finally found.