ZUZU RENEE VERK, 21 ALPINE TX MISSING 10-12-16 Remains Found

[texasmom]

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=713255025472329&set=ecnf.100003635138114&type=3&theater

Zuzu Verk
January 12

Bring Zuzu Home!

 

[texasmom]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srWK4HcJkWc

Zuzu Verk Memorial March
KMID Local 2 News

Published on Nov 21, 2016
Sunday Alpine residents gathered to remember missing Sul Ross student Zuzu Verk in a memorial march. After five weeks since the 22-year-old woman has gone missing the Verk family and friends say they're not losing hope that she will be found alive.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/srWK4HcJkWc" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/v/srWK4HcJkWc</a>

[texasmom]

http://www.cbs7.com/content/news/Finding-Zuzu-Crime-Stoppers-working-with-Alpine-police-on-tip-line-402540225.html

VIDEO: Finding Zuzu Telecast broadcast to solicit tips for missing student


Posted: Tue 5:44 PM, Nov 22, 2016  |  Updated: Wed 9:59 PM, Nov 23, 2016
         
While it has been more than a month since Sul Ross University student Zuzu Verk was last seen, the hope of finding her is still strong.


CBS 7 News hosted “Finding Zuzu” on Wednesday, November 23rd at 6 and 10 p.m.

We are also asking for your help with any information you might have on the case. You’re asked to please call the Odessa Crime Stoppers at 432-333-TIPS. According to Susan Rogers with Odessa Crime Stoppers, tips have already rolled in since coverage began.

Crime Stoppers is working with the Alpine Police Department to take any tips at their anonymous tip line.

[texasmom]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-1ZaH4c8pg

SPECIAL REPORT: Piecing together Zuzu Verk's disappearance
DeAnn Lopez

Published on Nov 24, 2016
It’s been over a month since Zuzu Verk went missing in Alpine.

How does an intelligent, successful, 21-year-old college student vanish from one day to the next?

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/M-1ZaH4c8pg" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/v/M-1ZaH4c8pg</a>

[texasmom]

http://www.cbs7.com/content/news/SpECIAL-REPORT-Gone-but-not-forgotten----402900286.html

SPECIAL REPORT: Piecing together Zuzu Verk's disappearance

By DeAnn Lopez | Posted: Thu 2:27 PM, Nov 24, 2016  |  Updated: Thu 3:43 PM, Nov 24, 2016
         
ALPINE -- **Video at the bottom**

It’s been over a month since Zuzu Verk went missing in Alpine.

How does an intelligent, successful, 21-year-old college student vanish from one day to the next?

It’s a puzzle police are still trying to piece together.

April 22, 1995, the day Zuzu made her first mark on the world.

“You know those t-shirts that say, I’m the first and I make the rules, and I’m the middle, I’m the reason the rules are made, and the third says, well the rules don’t apply to me – that’s Zuzu exactly,” chuckled Zuzu’s mom, Lori Verk.

“Zuzu is wacky, and fun, and kind of crazy and bit of a rebel,” says Zuzu’s father, Glenn Verk.

Born and raised in Keller, about 30 miles west of Dallas, Zuzu is the youngest of three.

Lori and Glenn knew early on she was gifted and destined to make a difference.

From photography to painting and singing - Zuzu did it all.

But it was the outdoors that stole her heart.

Zuzu was a junior in high school when two of her friends took her camping for the first time at the Davis Mountains State Park -- that’s when her love and passion for wildlife began.

“She wants to help save the earth, she realizes that we’re not putting a good foot print on the earth, and she wants to change that for future generations and that’s exactly what she’s doing,” Lori said.

That love pushed Zuzu to an internship at the state park.

She and her dog Ponyo then moved to Fort Davis the summer after graduating from high school.

It was that internship that led Zuzu to major in Conservation Biology at Sul Ross State University.

“She cares about the environment, she loves people, she wants to be a voice to defend those who can’t defend themselves,” expressed Zuzu’s fellow classmate and friend, Charlie Barrett.

Charlie, Mark Black, and Phillip Boyd got to know Zuzu over the past year - the four of them shared many classes together.

“I have to study for weeks to get through an exam, Zuzu is one of those people who can just show up you know, five minutes before an exam, and ace it and she’s just, it seems like a real natural process for her,” said Charlie.

“She was fearless, confident, and didn’t need her hand held or anything, she was a go getter,” said Mark.

Mark was with Zuzu nearly every day. The two of them had just finished an award winning three-month long research project on protecting pronghorns in the area.

“After they were captured and collared and released, she was in charge of tracking them on a daily basis,” explained Mark.

Zuzu’s smiling face gave Mark no indication of what was to come.

“I feel like she has a lot of, a lot of good work left to do in conservation,” said an emotional Mark.

On Wednesday October 12, Zuzu had a mid-term. When she didn’t show up her classmates knew something wasn’t right.

Little did they know hundreds of miles away Zuzu’s parents were concerned as well.

“I knew something was up by Wednesday, because I hadn’t heard from her, she wasn’t returning texts,” said Lori.

Lori says her mother’s instinct kicked in after she missed a call from Zuzu the night before.

“She had called Tuesday evening at five something and I had missed the call. I returned her phone call at 6 p.m. and it went straight to voicemail.”

At first Lori thought Zuzu may have been busy with midterms, but by Friday afternoon she couldn’t keep quiet anymore.

Five hundred miles away from Alpine, Lori reached out to the only person she had contact with in town - Zuzu’s on-again, off-again boyfriend Robert Fabian.

The first thing Lori texted Robert was if he had seen or spoken with Zuzu.

“He (Robert) thought she needed her space, so I don’t know what that meant, but I said I haven’t heard from her and I’m getting worried now, because by now she would answer and [I asked] could you run by and check on her for me?” Lori explained.

Robert told Lori he and his sister drove to Zuzu’s house and banged on her door, but got no answer.

“He said that the dog was in the backyard, which we all knew was suspicious in itself, because Zuzu doesn’t just leave her dog in the backyard,” said Lori. “You know, if she’s going to leave the house she’s going to put the dog in a crate inside, so it was all very curious.”

It was at that moment that Lori says she and Robert realized Zuzu was missing.

“He said this is not good, I think it’s time we call the police, so I said would you do that, because he’s in Alpine,” said Lori. “He called the police and that’s when we discovered that she was not at home, and she hadn’t shown up for work on Wednesday, and she had missed midterms, which is something she would never do.”

With Zuzu nowhere to be found, investigators turned to Robert for answers.

“He was the last person to see her, and that’s what he told me also, that she left his apartment at 3 a.m., so I can only assume that he was the last person with her,” said Glenn.

That Friday and Saturday Lori and Robert stayed in touch to try and figure out where Zuzu could be, but on Sunday Lori got an unexpected phone call - on the other line attorney Liz Rogers.

“Liz said, I am Robert Fabian’s lawyer, and Robert wants to get a message to you, but I will not allow him to speak, so I told him I would call you to give you a message,” recalled Lori. “Liz said, Robert is very distraught, she said just know he’s very distraught.”

That’s the last time Robert spoke to the Verks or the police.

But according to search warrants, investigators think Robert may know where Zuzu is and so does his downstairs neighbor John Franco.

He and his girlfriend were home the night Zuzu was last seen.

“You could hear him moving their stuff around, playing music, and then she (zuzu) shows up…they make dinner like at 9 p.m. or 10 p.m., you could smell their food, and you can hear their conversation and then laugh a little bit. Then, it got quiet like after 11 p.m.," said Franco.

But that silence didn't last long.

"We just heard one, like you know, shut the ‘f’ up and that was it," Franco recalled.

Franco says the couple argued often, but that night stood out.

He says Robert kept pacing back and forth across the apartment, and then, his girlfriend heard a loud thump just before three that morning.

But Franco did not call police.

"She wanted me to go check, so I went to go check, and it was just Robert,” said Franco.

Franco says he saw Robert get into his car and take off without Zuzu. Her car remained parked outside his apartment, but it was gone by Friday.

Take a look at this timeline; outlining what happened after Robert left his apartment that morning.

When questioned by police, he said the last time he saw Zuzu was around three or four Wednesday morning.

Court documents show at 3:15 a.m. he attempts to call his friend Chris Estrada twice, and also sent him Snapchats.

But two hours before Robert sent those messages, Chris shows up at a young woman’s house.

Court documents say she described Chris “as very distraught, pacing back and forth and acting nervous.”

She asked him if he was ok and Chris said, “I’m fine, I did not do anything, if they interview me I have nothing to say.”

He then asked the young woman if Robert could come over, so they could speak privately.

Another key part of the timeline, in the early morning hours Robert’s sister Jocelin Carrillo wakes up her husband and asks for the keys to his truck so Robert could borrow it.

And then at 6:30a.m. Zuzu’s phone shuts off.

The phone company was unable to track its exact location, but Zuzu’s parent’s say it was pinged near Robert’s apartment -- the opposite direction from Zuzu’s home.

"I think you can tell from the search warrants why we are headed in a certain direction, and why we are focused on our suspect,” said Alpine Police Chief Russell Scown. “He's probably the only one that can change which direction we start looking, everything right now points to him as a suspect."

Robert’s mom and sister disagree. They both have been named persons of interests along with Robert’s friend Chris Estrada.
This is what Robert’s mom had to say in her first and only on camera interview.

“Me, my daughter, my son, [we] love Zuzu,” Robert’s mom Leticia Fabian said. “This situation is hard.”

CBS 7: So your son didn’t have anything to do with Zuzu’s disappearance?

“No, my son is innocent, ok, he is innocent my son,” Leticia said with tears in her eyes.

CBS 7 attempted to ask Robert’s sister why he borrowed her husband’s car the same morning Zuzu disappeared, but her mom interrupted us and said:

“Go talk with the lawyer, ok, ok, please.”

Jocelin said Rogers maybe the better person to answer our questions.

But when we spoke with Rogers all she had to say was, “no comment, go ahead and quote on me that.”

We tried reaching out to Robert. For several weeks we knocked on his door, but he’s done a very good job of dodging the media.

“I can’t describe how he’s feeling, because his main concern is where is Zuzu? A lot of people may think he knows, but he doesn’t know, he’s asking the same question that everybody is asking themselves, where is Zuzu? And like my mother said, he loves her,” said Jocelin.

Unlike Robert, Chris Estrada has been cooperative with investigators.

Our partners at Crime Watch Daily spoke exclusively with Chris, who claims he has nothing to do with Zuzu’s disappearance.

“No one is, you know, vocally standing up for my side or Robert,” said Chris. “It's just been one sided. Even in the news it's been one sided and people believe the news even though it's incorrect. So we can set some of the record straight.”

When asked if he thinks Robert is capable of hurting Zuzu Chris said no.

“I've never even seen him get mad. Other people have said they have, [but] I never have. You know the sheriff's department was telling me there's mounds of evidence that suggests he did something, and I don’t really know if I believe them. In my opinion they will say anything.”

We asked Chris why Robert has refused to cooperate with the investigation? Here’s his response:

“If the sheriff's department was telling me the truth, they said they went in and questioned him and poked a couple holes in his story. Whatever those were, I don't know, and he just stopped cooperating and asked for a lawyer. Maybe if he felt attacked, maybe he did want someone to back him up. I understand that, so I think he's just looking for someone to stand up for him.”

Despite what Chris and Robert’s family say, those closest to Zuzu believe Robert is involved some how.

“About two weeks before she went missing, we spoke after class and she had mention to me she was interested in transferring to A&M University,” said Charlie. “She had mention she wanted to leave, she wanted to go to another school. She did also mention that she didn’t feel safe, that her tires had recently been slashed, and she had said I don’t think that Robert had slashed my tires, but he may have done it.”

Zuzu’s friends we spoke with say it was no secret that Robert had a reputation around town for being overly jealous and aggressive.

“She didn’t ever come to me directly and say, hey, I’m, I’m afraid of this guy or something, nothing like that, but I certainly heard that indirectly through other people,” Mark said.

Zuzu’s mom and dad don’t feel like they really got to know Robert, but confirm things got rocky six months in to their yearlong relationship.

“It was becoming like a three week interval kind of thing,” said Lori.

“So you can make your own judgment from that, I mean are relationships that are constantly coming back together and breaking up, are those good?” Glenn expressed.

At this point, Robert remains the sole suspect in Zuzu’s disappearance, but no arrests have been made.

In the meantime, family and friends remain hopeful that their spunky, energetic, and beautiful Zuzu will be found and brought back home.

Her friends ask that the next time you’re in Alpine, climb the mountain behind Sul Ross in her honor.

Not only is hiking Zuzu’s favorite thing to do, but you’ll find a special surprise at the very top.

“She (Zuzu) woke me up early, and was like, ‘hey, we’re going to go hike this mountain and we’re going to go paint on this desk, because somebody wrote some stupid stuff on it and we’re going to fix it,” Zuzu’s friend Andrea shared with us.

That’s what Zuzu did; she made the world a better place one small act at a time.

Police tell CBS 7 News, Zuzu’s cellphone and lanyard that had her ID and credit cards have still not been found.

If you have any tips that may help police lead them to Zuzu please contact Odessa Crime Stoppers. They guarantee your tips will remain anonymous.

[texasmom]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBzO0FTKDiQ

Person of Interest in Zuzu Verk Disappearance Speaks Out (Part 1) - Crime Watch Daily
Crime Watch Daily

Published on Dec 5, 2016
A mystery in West Texas, where the search continues for 22-year-old college student Zuzu Verk, who went missing on Oct. 12.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/zBzO0FTKDiQ" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/v/zBzO0FTKDiQ</a>

[texasmom]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NTmasGR0Wk

Person of Interest in Zuzu Verk Disappearance Speaks Out (Part 2) - Crime Watch Daily
Crime Watch Daily

Published on Dec 5, 2016
A mystery in West Texas, where the search continues for 22-year-old college student Zuzu Verk, who went missing on Oct. 12.

Check your local listings at CrimeWatchDaily.com.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/1NTmasGR0Wk" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/v/1NTmasGR0Wk</a>

[texasmom]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbK7rlRkx8s

Person of Interest in Zuzu Verk Disappearance Speaks Out (Part 3) - Crime Watch Daily
Crime Watch Daily

Published on Dec 5, 2016
A mystery in West Texas, where the search continues for 22-year-old college student Zuzu Verk, who went missing on Oct. 12.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/BbK7rlRkx8s" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/v/BbK7rlRkx8s</a>

[texasmom]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzDjwhaG4MM

Person of Interest in Zuzu Verk Disappearance Speaks Out (Part 4) - Crime Watch Daily
Crime Watch Daily

Published on Dec 5, 2016
A mystery in West Texas, where the search continues for 22-year-old college student Zuzu Verk, who went missing on Oct. 12.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/jzDjwhaG4MM" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/v/jzDjwhaG4MM</a>

[texasmom]

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/%E2%80%98we-can-only-hope-she%E2%80%99s-been-abducted%E2%80%99-the-mysterious-disappearance-of-zuzu-verk/ar-AAldLaE?li=BBnb7Kz

‘We can only hope she’s been abducted’: The mysterious disappearance of Zuzu Verk
The Washington Post
Peter Holley
4 hrs ago

It’s been nearly two months since Glenn and Lori Verk’s daughter disappeared before sunrise on a chilly morning in mid-October.

But when the heartbroken parents walk through the busy streets of downtown Alpine, Tex., they sometimes feel like their daughter Zuzu is all around them.

She’s in the hugs from mournful strangers who approach the couple on the street and in the playful anecdotes shared by shopkeepers who were accustomed to seeing pixie-like 21-year-old drop by their stores with a few girlfriends in tow. She’s in the meals that are paid for anonymously at local cafes and in the missing posters showing the college student’s smiling face and blonde hair that are plastered across the rustic ranching town.

At times, it can seem like everyone in the tightknit community of 6,000 — located in the sprawling heart of the west Texas frontier — knew their daughter. As much comfort as that thought brings, her parents say, it’s equally unsettling considering their little girl is nowhere to be found.

In her absence, they are left with an endless supply of speculative scenarios — some far-fetched but hopeful, others troubling and painful — that seem to grow more or less depending on how they’re coping that day. Whether Zuzu is dead or alive, they say, they just want the truth.

“It seems obvious to us that Zuzu did not leave on her own volition and whoever is responsible has hidden her from view,” Glenn Verk said when asked how police, specialized search teams and drones could’ve scoured thousands of square miles looking for his daughter and come back empty-handed. “If you look at this region, you can hide somebody pretty easily if you put a little bit of effort into it.”

“We can only hope she’s been abducted,” Lori said. “We don’t think there’s any way that she would’ve run away.”

“She would have to be hidden in a building that there’s no access to legally,” Glenn continued.

“No matter what happened, she would’ve fought,” Lori added. “She’s fearless.”

“We try to come up with scenarios where she can come home safe and sound, but each one drags you emotionally along with it,” Glenn concluded.

Police have reviewed hundreds of hours of surveillance video that have been acquired from business and local residents, according to the Dallas *******. They’ve also interviewed more than 100 people, asked anyone with a security camera on their property to come forward,  and told local ranchers to watch out for unusual items found on their land, the ******* reported.

Police have pointed out that the expansive, thinly-populated search area is about the size of Connecticut.

 

Verk’s boyfriend, Robert Fabian, 25, would later tell police that his girlfriend left his home around 3 a.m. the next morning. Neighbors told police that the couple could be heard arguing that same night, but Fabian denied that any arguments took place when he spoke to his girlfriend’s mother days later, the family said.

 

“I spoke with Robert and he assured me that Zuzu left his apartment at 3:30 a.m. Wednesday morning to come home,” Lori Verk said. “But her car was spotted at his house as late as 10:30 a.m. the next morning.”

Police performing a welfare check discovered Verk’s car parked in front of her house, her parents said. They said many of her belongings were still in the vehicle, but her phone and a lanyard attached to her car keys, identification and a credit card were missing. Verk’s bicycle was inside her home and her dog was in the back yard, but the college student had vanished, her parents said.

“She was not the type of person to leave without telling people or to leave her dog behind,” Lori Verk said. “We believe her car was moved in front of her home.”

Two weeks after Verk’s disappearance, Alpine police officially upgraded Verk’s boyfriend from a person of interest to a suspect in her disappearance, according a news release posted on Facebook. The release indicated that Fabian’s family and his close friend, Chris Estrada, were also considered persons of interest in Verk’s disappearance.

 

Alpine police didn’t respond to phone calls seeking comment, and no one has been charged in the case.

 

Reached by phone, Fabian’s lawyer, Liz Rogers, declined to comment on the case directly, but contradicted Scown and said that her client has cooperated with police and has an upstanding reputation among residents in his hometown of Alpine.

Verk’s parents said they have only spoken to Rogers on one occasion at the Alpine Police Department and the conversation wasn’t productive. They said Rogers told them she’d advised her client to stop speaking to police, but she refused to tell them why.

“She came only after weeks of being hounded,” Lori Verk said. “She came and met with us. We had many questions and when we asked her for answers, she said, ‘I’m not here to answer your questions.’ We were very angry.”

“She did repeat that Robert [Fabian] was distraught,” her husband added.

 

A reward for information leading to the whereabouts or safe return of Verk has reached $200,000. The reward was doubled after Glenn Verk’s employer — the H-E-B/Central Market grocery chain — decided to pitch in. Verk said his bosses have implored him to take time off to focus on the search for his daughter, allowing the Verks to relocate to Alpine full-time.

Lori Verk said the couple “reverberate with the community,” using the town as a source of strength. Many locals met Verk through her conservation work, but others got to know her from her time working at the local Dollar General store.

“She reflects who this community is,” she said. “She’s kinda quirky and artsy and a lover of the outdoors. She’s become an unofficial daughter to this community and this university.”

After relocating to Alpine to continue searching, the couple moved into their daughter’s home. Verk’s father said the home offers them a feeling of closeness to their daughter, but the constant reminder of her presence can be overwhelming at times.

They said they have no plans to move back home.

“I find it comforting some of the time, but it can also be hard,” Glenn Verk said. “You think the special things — a piece of jewelry or a photograph — will set you off, but it’s even things like her shampoo; things that you know she touched that remind you of how quickly your world can change.”

Photo courtesy of Verk Family Zuzu Verk loved the outdoors and was studying conservation biology before she vanished, according to her family.

[texasmom]

http://www.newswest9.com/story/34087569/grand-jury-reconvenes-in-zuzu-verk-case

Grand jury reconvenes in Zuzu Verk case
Monday, December 19th 2016, 8:38 am CST
Monday, December 19th 2016, 8:41 am CST
By Zora Asberry, AnchorCONNECT
 

The grand jury met in Brewster County at 8:00 Monday morning regarding the Zuzu Verk Case.

In November, the same jury met, but no indictments or any other paperwork came as a result of that meeting.

According to Brewster county officials, it is unusual for a Grand Jury in Brewster County to meet multiple times.

The main suspect in the case is still Zuzu's on and off boyfriend, Robert Fabian.

According to Alpine Police, Robert Fabian has not been helpful during the investigation.

After the initial grand jury proceedings Zuzu's parents told NewsWest 9 they were hopeful Fabian would be obligated to cooperate with law enforcement.

More evidence in the case is expected to be presented Monday, but these proceedings are closed to the public.

(Robert Fabian and his attorney)

http://kwes.images.worldnow.com/images/12756941_G.jpg

[texasmom]

http://www.newswest9.com/story/34093828/grand-jury-for-verk-case-wraps-up-parents-hopeful-for-answers

Grand jury for Verk case wraps up, parents hopeful for answers
Monday, December 19th 2016, 10:31 pm CST
Monday, December 19th 2016, 10:31 pm CST
By Roxana Rubio, ReporterCONNECT


Robert Fabian and attorney, Liz Rogers (Source: KWES)

ALPINE, TX (KWES) -
Tense moments Monday in Alpine, the grand jury for missing Sul Ross State University student, Zuzu Verk, met for the second time.

Zuzu's family gathered at the courthouse and hoped for answers from the sole suspect in the case, Zuzu's boyfriend, Robert Fabian but got nothing.

"No comment,” said Fabian’s attorney, Liz Rogers, as we asked what happened to Zuzu. “He Has no comment.”

Zuzu's on again, off again boyfriend remains the sole suspect in her disappearance.

He kept to himself, didn't say a word to the cameras and avoided eye contact with a family he once sat down with to eat dinner.

"It's the first time I've seen him at all,” said Lori Verk, Zuzu’s mother. “As much as I wanted him to look at me and make eye contact, he wouldn't. He avoided us.”

"He wouldn't acknowledge us at all, just stared straight ahead,” said Glenn Verk, Zuzu’s father.

Fabian's friend, Chris Estrada, is a person of interest in the case. Estrada also faced a grand jury, he said he only met Zuzu once but describes a relationship on the rocks.

"September, October when I started hanging out in Alpine more, me and other friends were more on board of them splitting up,” said Estrada. “You know at some point you gotta call it quits, but she would go back, he would go back. It was just back and forth."

Estrada believes in Fabian's innocence but Zuzu's parents aren't so convinced.

"No, no. The police have assured us that he knows a lot and may be responsible for a lot," said Glenn Verk.

The Verk family expected to be away from Zuzu when she moved for college, but not under these circumstances.

"At this point, I don't care why or what or how, I just want to know where she is,” said Lori Verk. “I have to hang on to that thread of hope that she is still alive out there and someone has to know where she is."

 

[klaasend]

Thanks for the updates TM. This is such a sad case. 

[texasmom]

Thanks for the updates TM. This is such a sad case. 

You're welcome, Klaas! 

Yes, very sad.   

[texasmom]

Video at link:

http://www.cbs7.com/content/news/Zuzu-Verks-mother-extends-emotional-plea-to-lone-suspect-408725255.html

Zuzu Verk's mother extends emotional plea to lone suspect

By DeAnn Lopez | Posted: Fri 12:46 AM, Dec 30, 2016
         
ALPINE -- In a candid interview Zuzu Verk’s mom makes an emotional plea to the one man who police believe knows where she might be.

“How can he do this to us? How could he put us through this? Why can’t he just help?” questioned Lori Verk.

Seventy-eight, that’s how many days Lori has gone without being able to see, touch, or speak with her youngest daughter Zuzu.

“A young woman just doesn’t disappear off the face of the earth,” said Lori.

Hopeful is a word Lori holds close to her heart, but also nestled inside there is pain and anger that seems to be growing with each second that passes by.

“All of this hiding, all of this not speaking, I don’t care what your lawyer tells you, it’s not helping you in the long run, it is not helping anyone,” Lori said when asked what she would say to Robert if given the chance.

The sight of Robert moving his belongings out his home, and officers turning the city landfill upside down the last two days, reawakens the anxiety that seems to be living inside of Lori now.

“At this point right now, I can only guess that Robert had everything to do with it,” said Lori.

Lori has every bit of faith that investigators will find her daughter, but her patience with Zuzu’s boyfriend Robert is what’s wearing thin.

She can only hope Zuzu is alive, but if not Lori says “then have the decency to let her family know.”

Until then, she and the rest of her family say they will remain strong and have faith that one day soon they’ll be reunited with their spunky and beautiful Zuzu.

[texasmom]

http://www.cbs7.com/content/news/EXCLUSIVE-Chris-Estrada-says-he-is-now-being-considered-a-suspect-in-Zuzu-Verks-disapperance-409612595.html



EXCLUSIVE: Chris Estrada says he is now being considered a suspect in Zuzu Verk's disappearance

By DeAnn Lopez | Posted: Tue 11:06 PM, Jan 03, 2017  |  Updated: Wed 12:47 AM, Jan 04, 2017
         
ALPINE -- It’s been almost three months since Sul Ross State University student Zuzu Verk went missing and now we’re learning there may be a second suspect in the case.

In an exclusive interview with Chris Estrada, he explains why he believes he's no longer a person of interest, but instead a suspect.

Before Robert Fabian stepped foot inside a Brewster County courtroom last month, his longtime friend Chris was brought in to be questioned before the grand jury.

Robert was Zuzu’s on-again, off-again boyfriend and has been the sole suspect in the case.

Confident that he has nothing to hide, Chris waived his rights to an attorney and chose to answer questions for over three hours.

But what he didn't see coming was the news that he was allegedly no longer being looked as just a person of interest in Zuzu’s disappearance.

"Just said that I am a suspect for concealing and tampering with evidence," Chris said.

CBS 7 News: Do you have any fear that you might be arrested for this?
"I wouldn't say fear, if they do I would be disappointed,” Chris replied. “You know, them wanting to blame me or not, I still don't know what happened to Zuzu."


But Alpine Police Chief Russell Scown can't confirm or deny Chris' claim of now being considered a suspect along with Robert.

However, it's a claim that Zuzu's mom says she wouldn't doubt is true.

"Chris Estrada has cooperated with the police. Has he given them any information worth anything? No. None whatsoever," said Zuzu’s mom Lori Verk.

Despite what investigators, the community, and Zuzu's family believe, Chris is steadfast in his claims that both he and Robert are innocent.

"In the end, whether people want to believe me or not, we're all on the same team,” Chris said. “And we have all been, not just us, a lot of people have been affected by this tragedy and I’m not going to hide from it -- I'd rather answer everyone's questions. I still have faith that there won't need to be any arrests, at least on my end."

As for Zuzu's parents, they say investigators are getting closer to finding out what really happened to their daughter.

"A young woman cannot just disappear into thin air, so there has to be evidence somewhere, and we will find it, they will find it," Lori said with determination.

Sources tell us the grand jury will be reconvening once again in the near future.

[texasmom]

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10211623183078799&set=pcb.204550496677261&type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10211623182838793&set=pcb.204550496677261&type=3&theater

[texasmom]

http://www.yourbasin.com/news/sheriff-dodson-one-area-left-to-search/642809755

Sheriff Dodson: One Area Left to Search
Posted: Jan 19, 2017 05:08 PM CST
Updated: Jan 19, 2017 05:08 PM CST

BREWSTER COUNTY, Texas (Local 2/Fox 24) - The search for missing Alpine woman Zuzu Verk continued on Wednesday.

Brewster County Sheriff Ronny Dodson said Thursday that investigators combed a large area of land however, nothing was found.

Now, Dodson says that leaves investigators with only one more area to search.

He wouldn't release where investigators searched Wednesday or what area was left to be searched in order to protect the integrity of the investigation.

Verk has now been missing since October.

Her boyfriend, Robert Fabian, remains the only suspect in the investigation.

[cw618]

are there other missing persons in or near alpine


West Texas deputies dig up body in shallow grave near where Zuzu Verk vanished
FILED UNDERCRIME  AT 4 HRS AGO SHARE
Liz Farmer, Breaking News producer

Human remains were found Friday in West Texas near where Zuzu Renee Verk, a 22-year-old North Texas woman, disappeared four months ago.
A U.S. Border Patrol agent stumbled upon a shallow grave while servicing equipment and called the Brewster County Sheriff's Office about 10 a.m. Friday, the Sheriff's Office said.
 
The remains were found just off Wagon Road in the Sunny Glen area just northwest of Alpine, which is the town where Verk was last seen in October, Alpine police said Friday.
http://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/2017/02/03/human-remains-found-west-texas-near-dallas-area-woman-went-missing

[texasmom]

http://www.wfaa.com/news/crime/human-remains-found-near-alpine-as-search-for-zuzu-verk-continues/396773765

Human remains found near Alpine as search for Zuzu Verk continues
WFAA 4:56 PM. CST February 03, 2017
 
ALPINE -- The Brewster County Sheriff's Office and Alpine Police Department are investigating after human remains were found near Alpine, the West Texas town where 21-year-old college student Zuzu Verk was last seen in October of 2016.

Police say the unidentified remains were found in a shallow grave in the Sunny Glen area, northwest of the city, Friday morning by a border patrol agent.

The remains, which are described as skeletal, are being sent to the medical examiner's office for identification.

Verk's family has been notified, although police aren't sure if the remains belong to her.

No arrests have been made and no charges have been filed, but police say Verk's boyfriend, Robert Fabian, is their primary suspect in her disappearance.