The parents of a missing Grinnell College student have called off their Iowa search. Nineteen-year-old Paul Shuman-Moore was last seen in Grinnell more than two months ago. His parents, Steve Moore and Betsy Shuman-Moore, who live near Chicago, met with Grinnell Police Chief Jody Matherly last week. Chief Matherly says the teen’s whereabouts are still a mystery. Chief Matherly says he brought the parents up to speed on the investigation and says “No news is good news. We haven’t found Shuman-Moore in this area. It does lead one to believe that maybe he has left the area.” The sophomore at Grinnell College was last seen September 25 on campus. His roommate found what he called a suicide note. Matherly says the disappearance brought an extensive search — which turned up nothing. He says the investigation has shifted gears after heavy searches of ponds, fields and forests in the area revealed no clues. Matherly says the family is convinced the young man is still alive and has left Iowa. He says they’re leaning that way but he’s more conservative and won’t lean one way or the other as he’s not sure. “We haven’t found him locally so it does lend one to believe that he’s probably outside this area now. And if that’s the case then that would be a good thing because that tells me he’s alive.” The family has also ruled out the Chicago area, where friends and family members have posted thousands of fliers without any response.
