Kori Gauthier Missing, Car Abandoned On Bridge
Kori Gauthier's car was found abandoned on the Mississippi River Bridge Wednesday after another vehicle crashed into it, but the college freshman is still missing. KATC spoke with the motorist who struck Kori's vehicle and learned that he had been driving on the outside lane of the bridge when he spotted her parked car. He stated that he had attempted to swerve out of the way but was forced to strike her vehicle when traffic conditions did not permit him to move out of the lane. "The car in front of me swerved over and cut lanes, all I saw was a parked car," Devin Jones said. "I locked up my brakes. Hit the white car. It was either the car or an 18-wheeler." After hitting Kori's car, Jones realized that the vehicle was empty. However, after it was taken to a Baton Rouge junkyard, police discovered Kori's phone and wallet inside the cabin. Kori's family reported that law enforcement had not contacted them about her vehicle being abandoned on the bridge, but her employer did express concern to Kori's family when she didn't show up to work and didn't answer her phone. Kori's father tracked his daughter's phone using a GPS locator and led the police to her car in the junkyard. Spencer Gauthier, Kori's uncle, spoke with KATC about the lack of communication between his family and the authorities. "My brother, her father, or her mother were not notified that car was in an accident or anything," he said. "Went to her dorm room, wasn't there. Looked for her car, couldn't find her car. We started trying to turn over every stone we could." One of those stones ended up being Kori's boyfriend, who was the last person to see her. Gauthier revealed that the couple had gotten into an argument before she disappeared, but he was not sure of the time-frame between the argument and the wreck. The Baton Rouge Police and LSU Police are currently working on finding Kori and solving the mystery of why her car had been abandoned on the bridge in the first place. Kori's family is offering a $10,000 reward for her safe return. The LSU student's uncle also posted on Facebook, pleading for help in locating Kori. "Everyone I need your help! Please share this picture of my niece Kori Gauthier," the post reads. "She has not been seen since April 6th. She is a Freshman at LSU. Her vehicle was involved in an accident (currently in a junk yard) on the Mississippi River bridge at or around 1am on April 7th. I’ve checked every hospital, jail, coroners office you name it. No sign of her. I’ll personally pay $10K to anyone that leads her home. I need my niece!!!!"
