{ "id": "2026-01-24-university-of-maine-missing-student-chance-lauer", "slug": "university-of-maine-missing-student-chance-lauer-2026-01-24", "institution": { "name": "University of Maine", "shortName": "UMaine", "state": "ME", "type": "public-r1", "alertSystemName": "UMaine Emergency Notification" }, "incident": { "date": "2026-01-24", "type": "missing-person", "cleryCategory": "missing-student", "headline": "Missing person, January 24, 2026", "summary": "On Saturday, January 24, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. EST, [the University of Maine Police Department (UMPD) issued an Emergency Notification](https://umaine.edu/police/wp-content/uploads/sites/695/2026/01/01.24.26-Emergency-Notification.pdf) under the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, alerting the UMaine community that UMPD was assisting the Orono Police Department in an active search for missing UMaine student Chance Lauer, last seen Monday, January 19, 2026 in the Orono area. [Lauer's wallet had been recovered in his room, he did not have a vehicle, and his cell phone was turned off](https://mainecampus.com/category/news/2026/02/search-for-missing-umaine-student-chance-lauer-paused-until-spring-orono-pd-and-family-comment-on-investigation-search-for-missing-umaine-student-chance-lauer-paused-until-spring-orono-pd-and-family/).", "outcome": "Active search continued through January and into early February 2026. The search was paused in mid-February until spring due to winter conditions in the Orono area. No confirmed sighting after January 19, 2026.", "resolution": "under-investigation", "casualties": { "killed": 0, "injured": 0 } }, "alerts": [ { "sequence": 1, "type": "initial", "timestamp": "2026-01-24T08:30:00-05:00", "channel": "email", "verbatimText": "EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION\nIncident Date: January 24, 2026\nTime of Incident: 8:30 AM\nLocation: Orono near the campus\nAffected Campus: University of Maine - Orono\n\nIncident Description:\n\nOn Saturday, January 24, 2026, the University of Maine Police Department (UMPD) is issuing this Emergency Notification in accordance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act.\n\nUMPD is assisting the Orono Police Department in an active search for a missing person last seen in the Orono area near the University of Maine campus.\n\nMissing Person: Chance Lauer\n\nLast Seen: Monday, January 19, 2026, in the Orono area\n\nKey Information Provided by Law Enforcement:\n• The individual does not have a vehicle\n• His wallet was recovered in his room\n• His cell phone is currently turned off\n\nAt this time, no information has been received indicating that this individual poses a threat to members of the UMaine community or the public. This Emergency Notification is required under the Jeanne Clery Act and is being issued to raise awareness and assist law enforcement in locating the missing person.\n\nCommunity members may notice an increased law enforcement presence on and around campus during search efforts. As part of the ongoing search, walking trails on and near campus will be temporarily closed. Community members are asked to stay clear of active search areas and to follow all posted signage and instructions from law enforcement.\n\nUMPD reminds our Black Bear community of the following safety guidance:\n• Continue normal activities while remaining aware of your surroundings\n• Avoid closed trails and stay clear of designated search areas\n• If you believe you have information about this person's whereabouts, do not approach\n• If you are afraid for your safety or the safety of others, call 911 immediately\n• Do not hesitate to contact UMPD to report any information related to this search\n\nContact Us:\n\nYou may contact UMPD at any of the following means 24 hours a day:\n\n• Non-Emergency Phone: 207.581.4040\n• Email: um.policedepartment@maine.edu\n• Black Bear Safe App: Download it from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. You can file a report, activate a panic button (mobile blue light), use the Social Escape feature, or text with a dispatcher plus more.\n\nAdditional Resources:\nUniversity of Maine Counseling Center provides individual counseling services for students. You may contact the Counseling Center at https://umaine.edu/counseling/ or by calling 207.581.1392.\n\nUMPD's Black Bear Safe App provides a free service to students and staff as a safe alternative to walking alone at night.\n\nYou may also view the Maine Warden Service Facebook post here:\n\nhttps://www.facebook.com/share/p/17QRWrx6s6/", "isVerbatimConfirmed": true, "sourceUrl": "https://umaine.edu/police/wp-content/uploads/sites/695/2026/01/01.24.26-Emergency-Notification.pdf", "sourceDescription": "UMaine Police Emergency Notification PDF (01.24.26)", "annotations": [ "Issued at 8:30 a.m. EST on Saturday, January 24, 2026, five days after Lauer was last seen on Monday, January 19, 2026 in the Orono area", "The five-day gap between last sighting and emergency notification reflects the federal Higher Education Opportunity Act's missing-student notification framework: UMaine first ran exigent-circumstance investigation procedures before activating community-wide notice", "The 'wallet recovered in his room' + 'cell phone turned off' detail set is exactly the kind of inversion-of-routine-behavior evidence that triggers a missing-student notice under HEOA 2008 § 488" ], "characterCount": 2748 } ], "context": "[The University of Maine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Maine) is the flagship public R1 land/sea/space-grant university in Orono, Maine. Its athletic program is a member of the [America East Conference](https://americaeast.com/) (and Hockey East for ice hockey). On Saturday, January 24, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. EST, the [University of Maine Police Department](https://umaine.edu/police/) (UMPD) issued an [Emergency Notification](https://umaine.edu/police/wp-content/uploads/sites/695/2026/01/01.24.26-Emergency-Notification.pdf) regarding missing UMaine student Chance Lauer, last seen Monday, January 19, 2026 in the Orono area. The notification was issued in accordance with the [Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clery_Act) and the missing-student-notification framework of the [2008 Higher Education Opportunity Act](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Higher_Education_Opportunity_Act). Distinctive inversion-of-routine details (Lauer's wallet recovered in his room, no vehicle, cell phone turned off) moved the case from a routine welfare check to a coordinated UMPD-Orono PD search and an Emergency Notification to the UMaine community. The search continued through the rest of January and into early February 2026 before being [paused until spring due to winter conditions](https://mainecampus.com/category/news/2026/02/search-for-missing-umaine-student-chance-lauer-paused-until-spring-orono-pd-and-family-comment-on-investigation-search-for-missing-umaine-student-chance-lauer-paused-until-spring-orono-pd-and-family/). The case is significant for the campus alert archive because (1) it documents a missing-student emergency notification, a less common Clery category than emergency-notification or timely-warning, (2) it shows the 5-day gap between disappearance and public notification that is characteristic of the HEOA missing-student-notice framework, and (3) it captures the operational pattern of campus PD assisting municipal PD in a winter-conditions search.", "keyFindings": [ "UMaine Police issued an Emergency Notification on Saturday, January 24, 2026 at 8:30 a.m. EST for missing student Chance Lauer", "Lauer was last seen Monday, January 19, 2026 in the Orono area, a 5-day gap between disappearance and community-wide notification reflects HEOA missing-student notice procedures", "Inversion-of-routine evidence (wallet recovered in his room, no vehicle, cell phone turned off) drove the escalation from welfare check to coordinated UMPD-Orono PD search", "Search continued through January and into early February before being paused until spring due to winter conditions in the Orono area", "Documents a missing-student-notification (Clery category 'missing-student'), a rarer category than emergency-notification or timely-warning, governed by HEOA 2008 § 488 rather than Clery Act § 668.46" ], "responseTimeMinutes": 7200, "sources": [ { "title": "UMaine Police Emergency Notification - January 24, 2026", "url": "https://umaine.edu/police/wp-content/uploads/sites/695/2026/01/01.24.26-Emergency-Notification.pdf", "type": "official-archive" }, { "title": "Search for missing UMaine student Chance Lauer paused until spring - The Maine Campus", "url": "https://mainecampus.com/category/news/2026/02/search-for-missing-umaine-student-chance-lauer-paused-until-spring-orono-pd-and-family-comment-on-investigation-search-for-missing-umaine-student-chance-lauer-paused-until-spring-orono-pd-and-family/", "type": "student-newspaper" }, { "title": "Emergency Information - University of Maine", "url": "https://umaine.edu/emergency/", "type": "official-archive" }, { "title": "UMaine Police Department", "url": "https://umaine.edu/police/", "type": "official-archive" }, { "title": "University of Maine - Wikipedia", "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Maine", "type": "other" } ], "confidence": "high", "tags": [ "missing-student", "missing-person", "clery-missing-student-notification", "heoa-2008", "orono", "america-east-conference", "umaine", "winter-search", "public-r1", "umpd" ], "dateAdded": "2026-05-14", "lastUpdated": "2026-07-17", "addedBy": "ingestion" }