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 2006 News Articles: October 15-21 (16 articles)

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Death of Vermont student hits home
Megan Rees, Sophomore
The Etownian, Elizabethtown College
October 19, 2006


It was Monday, Oct. 9, when I found out my dear friend from Washington Semester, Michelle-Gardner-Quinn, was missing. I was doing the typical college student stalking on Facebook, when I saw my other friends posting bulletins titled: "PLEASE HELP, OUR FRIEND MICHELLE IS MISSING." I clicked on one the news links posted and realized that she had been missing since late Friday night.

Michelle, 21, just recently transferred to the University of Vermont in Burlington. She was out at a bar celebrating her friend's 21st birthday and was on her way to an after hours party. Unfortunately, that night her cell phone died. She asked a stranger, named Brian Rooney, if she could borrow his cell phone. That was the last anyone ever saw of her alive again.

I would avidly read the news with hopes that she would be found safe, but my hope was lost Friday Oct. 13, when the Burlington Police Department found Michelle's body at Huntington Gorge, a popular swimming hole in Vermont. Her death was ruled a homicide, but the cause of her death is still pending.

Rooney is currently the main suspect in this investigation. He is being held in prison on unrelated charges for acts of sexual assault toward children.

Knowing Michelle personally, this has been a rough week. Michelle was not just a friend to me; she was my neighbor on a close-knit floor called "Federal 2." All the memories I have of her are pleasant. She was one of the most real and amazing people I have ever met.

With a ring in her nose and her Parliament cigarettes, I remember our conversations and outings to clubs. In our own ways, we both wanted to make this world a better place.

Her death has affected all of us on the floor of Federal 2; none of us can understand why anyone would want to murder a beautiful and kind person like her. Every person has heard about missing people on television, but it does not affect you until you know them. Most of this felt like a scary dream and all I had to do was wake up. Sometimes, it still does. Reality has set in by now and I often find myself almost bi-polar. One minute, I am fine and even happy, but the next minute I break down into tears and all I want to do is hide in my room.

Death is never easy. I had no idea how hard and painful it is to know that I will never see my friend again because she was murdered. Since I know the world will not stop for me, I will eventually come to peace with this situation.

All I have now are the wonderful memories that we have made together and I will never forget them. This situation opened up my eyes and showed me that I should cherish every moment with my friends and family.

You never know when you might not see them again.

Michelle has touched the lives of everyone who has had the pleasure of meeting her. I will never forget her. Here's to you Michelle. Rest in peace.

In loving memory:

"Through my travels, I have learned tremendously, yet I feel that now is the time to settle down and explore internally. In this stage of life, I want to be able to practice what I preach, which includes internal connection to the natural world as well as community involvement." ~Michelle Gardner-Quinn



Gardner Quinn Memorial in Richmond
Richmond, Vermont - October 18, 2006
Kate Duffy - Channel 3 News

It has been a week of mourning for the murdered UVM student.

A thousand people attended a memorial for Michelle Gardner-Quinn at the school Sunday night.

Wednesday night -- a much more intimate vigil, in the community where her body was found and her suspected killer had lived.

"We gather this evening to acknowledge the tragedy that has occurred in our midst, and to honor the life of Michelle Gardner-Quinn," said Rev. Barbara Purinton of the Richmond Congregational Church United Church of Christ.

Michelle Gardner Quinn's body was found near the Huntington Gorge on Friday.

Police had zeroed in on Richmond on Tuesday -- searching a home on Browns Court for evidence. It was later revealed the son of the couple that lived there was the prime suspect. Brian Rooney loaned Gardner-Quinn his cell phone and was the last person known to have been seen with her.

"The fact that she was found here makes it feel like we need to heal the community, and say we feel sorry this kind of thing happened here and we need to get together and support each other," Purinton said.

About 20 people gathered for a prayer service at the Old Round Church.

They lit candles in honor of a woman they never knew in life, but whose life they would never forget.

"We come to think of the kind of person Michelle was, committed to making positive change in the world," Purinton read in a prayer inside the church. "We come to make that kind of promise to her and to each other. We will find a way to keep her legacy alive."




Gardner-Quinn's Parents Return To Arlington
Investigation Continues In Burlington
NBC 4 Washington
POSTED: 6:48 pm EDT October 18, 2006
UPDATED: 9:15 pm EDT October 18, 2006

ARLINGTON, Va. -- The parents of a slain University of Vermont student returned home to Arlington on Wednesday.

Two weeks ago, the parents of 21-year-old Michelle Gardner-Quinn went to Burlington, Vt., to see their daughter during parents weekend. Now they are preparing a memorial for their daughter.

Gardner-Quinn, a senior at Vermont, disappeared on Oct. 7 in Burlington. Her body was found in a wooded area in Richmond, Vt., and police said her death is a homicide.

The prime suspect, 36-year-old Brian Rooney, has not been officially charged in the case, but he's being held in an unrelated sexual assault case.

Gardner-Quinn's local pastor, the Rev. Bill Hoffman, spoke with her parents Wednesday afternoon.

"They asked that they be allowed to grieve their loss in private at this time," Hoffman said. "The arrangements are pending, and we will reveal those in the next 24 hours."

In Vermont, police continue to look for sneakers, jewelry and Gardner-Quinn's cell phone, which could be important items in the investigation. The cause of death, the motive for the homicide and the exact murder scene remain unknown.



Student who disappeared was murdered, police say

ST. JOHNSBURY, Vt. -- A probe into the mysterious disappearance of a University of Vermont student found dead last week is now a murder investigation.

The main suspect in it, meanwhile, was ordered held on $150,000 bail Monday after a court appearance on sex charges unrelated to the case of Michelle Gardner-Quinn.

The court appearance and an accompanying affidavit filed in support of the charges provided lurid details about alleged crimes committed by Brian L. Rooney but they did not advance the investigation into the death of Gardner-Quinn, who went missing Oct. 7 and was found dead near a gorge Friday. Her death was officially classified as a homicide Monday, based on the results of an autopsy performed over the weekend on the 21-year-old Arlington, Va., senior.

But Burlington police Lt. Kathleen Stubbing, who announced the finding, would not give a cause of death or describe the condition of the body when found.

In the affidavit, Rooney, 36, of Richmond, was quoted by a police detective as denying any involvement in the disapperance.

"He advised he separated from Gardner-Quinn at that point and he never saw her again. Rooney denied having any knowledge or involvement in Gardner-Quinn's disappearance," according to the affidavit by Detective James Claremont, of the Vermont State Police.

Rooney, who was arrested Friday and charged with sexual assault and lewd or lascivious conduct with a child, has been named by Burlington police as a suspect in Gardner-Quinn's disappearance but he has not been charged in it. Police investigators returned to Huntington Gorge - where her body was found - on Monday to look for more clues in the case.

Monday's court appearance focused primarily on the sex charges, which were filed based on information police said came to light as they investigated the disappearance.

In the affidavit, filed in Vermont District Court in St. Johnsbury, 80 miles east of Burlington, the image that emerges of Rooney is a man who _ on several different occasions _ used chemical-soaked rags or other substances to render his alleged victims unconscious and unable to resist.

It said Rooney molested a girl in 1996 and 1998, when she was 12 and 14, respectively, and that he made advances against the girl's sister.

Rooney is charged with lewd and lascivious conduct with a child for allegedly rubbing her through her panties in 1996 while in St. Johnsbury. A sexual assault charge was filed against him for allegedly drugging the girl in 1998 and having sex with her at his home in East Concord.

Lawyer David Sleigh entered a not guilty plea on Rooney's behalf in District Court as Rooney, dressed in blue jeans, a sport shirt and tennis sneakers, sat silently at Sleigh's side, his wrists cuffed and his legs shackled.

He made no comments, other than inaudible asides to his lawyers.

Assistant Attorney General Matthew Levine asked for $250,000 bail and Sleigh argued for $50,000. Judge Kathleen Manley imposed $150,000 and a list of conditions on Rooney's release if he's able to make bail.

Sleigh unsuccessfully asked that the charges be thrown out because, he said, there was insufficient probable cause to support them. He also questioned why charges that are a decade old were filed now that Rooney was under investigation in Burlington.

Sleigh described the sex charges as a "peremptory strike" by police investigating Gardner-Quinn's disappearance, and argued for low bail, saying Rooney's family ties were enough to discourage him from fleeing Vermont.

"Evidently, (the charges) weren't of enough concern for anyone to bring forward, but they're convenient at this point," he said outside court.

Levine denied Sleigh's contention, saying the charges resulted from legitimate information that came out during the probe of Gardner-Quinn's disappearance and that there was enough substance to the victim's allegations to warrant probable cause.

So did Essex County State's Attorney Vincent Illuzzi, who said the decision to proceed with the sex charges was made Friday before Gardner-Quinn's body was found.

Manley said Rooney's risk of flight rose once Gardner-Quinn's body was found and he was identified as a suspect, calling him a significant risk given the fact that he could face up to 35 years in prison if convicted on the sex charges.

The affidavit also included details of a temporary restraining order Rooney's ex-wife obtained against him in 2000.

In the affidavit, the ex-wife - identified only as RB and who was only married to Rooney for six months - said she "left Rooney because she was afraid of him. Rooney drugged her many times so he could rape her."

Rooney also threatened to kill his ex-wife on at least one occasion, according to the affidavit. "You will think I am funny when I kill you," the woman was quoted as saying in the affidavit. "If you keep this up, I will bash your head in," he told her, the affidavit said.

He also threatened that if she ever left and took their daughter it would be "your last mistake."

Asked if Rooney would be able to make bail, Sleigh said he didn't know. He declined comment about whether he had spoken to Rooney about Gardner-Quinn's disappearance, and when asked if police had evidence Rooney was involved in it, Sleigh said: "You guys have more information about that than I do."

Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.



Remembering Michelle Gardner-Quinn
By Jon Reidel
Article published October 18, 2006
The View

Since the tragic death of Michelle Gardner-Quinn, the UVM community has gathered at various events and amongst themselves to share grief and seek comfort. Talk has often turned to the quick impact the senior transfer student had on the university in just a few short months.

As people who knew Gardner-Quinn spoke of their memories, a picture emerged of a highly intelligent, driven individual with a passion for world travel and social justice issues. “This was a mature and sophisticated person who knew how to get around the world,” said Elizabeth “Ibit” Getchell, student services coordinator in the environmental studies program and academic advisor to Gardner-Quinn. “She took very demanding courses. It was obvious that she was someone who sought out valuable experiences and made the most of them. She was driven, resourceful, motivated and adventurous. I was highly impressed with the range of her experiences and obvious zeal for learning. She really wanted to be at UVM and worked hard to get here. She’s the kind of person I really look forward to working with.”

Those who knew Gardner-Quinn well, and hundreds who had never met her, filled Ira Allen Chapel on Oct. 15 for an evening service in the slain student’s memory. Officiated by Rev. Sue Marie Baskette, who runs Cooperative Campus Ministry, the hour-long service included readings and reflections from students and faculty including Walter Poleman, a senior lecturer in botany and environmental science, and Stephanie Kaza, professor in natural resources and the environmental studies program.

Cecilia Danks, assistant professor of environmental studies and natural resources, read from a personal essay Gardner-Quinn completed shortly before her disappearance. The piece described the senior’s strong environmental ethic and desire to make a difference on issues such as climate change, a commitment that grew from Gardner-Quinn’s deep love of and curiosity for the natural world.

Danks got to know Gardner-Quinn in her intermediate environmental studies course, which focuses on academic and career choices and preparation. “Michelle had gone to a progressive high school and had attended a gifted and talented summer camp and was very much in charge of her learning and education,” Danks said. “She was always trying to get the best educational experience. She chose UVM to study environmental studies. In talking with her family, they said she was very happy here.”

Some of Gardner-Quinn’s learning choices included working as an intern in a climate change program, taking a 12-credit summer Spanish course and studying and working abroad. She traveled to South Africa while attending American University and traveled to Brazil where she helped conduct a survey on giant river otters. Gardner-Quinn also enjoyed photography; sang in the choir; played the cello; spoke Spanish and some Portuguese; and was named to the Capital Athletic Conference’s 2003-04 All-Academic Team at Goucher College for posting at least a 3.2 grade-point average as a member of the women’s soccer team.

Danks said that in talking with members of Gardner-Quinn’s family, including her sister, who has worked as a human rights lawyer in the Middle East and was in the Peace Corps, she felt they played a key role in the student’s educational direction and social commitment.

While at UVM, Gardner-Quinn’s coursework touched on a wide variety of subjects including Latin America, buying and growing locally-produced food, communications and wildlife management. “In my experience, transfer students are often exceptional people and Michelle certainly was exceptional,” said Getchell. “She came here with tremendous drive, knowing what she wanted out of this university. We were thrilled to have her here.”



Remembering Michelle Gardner-Quinn
Matt Simon, The Quindecim
Issue date: 10/18/06 Section: News

With heavy hearts, weary souls, and feelings of disbelief, the Goucher community gathered to remember a person who will forever be with those who knew her.

Michelle Gardner-Quinn became known to the nation after she went missing on October 7, 2006. She was already known to many on the Goucher campus.

Michelle spent three years enrolled at Goucher, and made the most of every moment here. She travelled abroad four times, including a trip to Costa Rica. She was a member of the women's soccer team. She was a lively asset to the political science classes at Goucher, and declared it as her major.

Michelle transferred to the University of Vermont (UVM) last spring, and quickly became adored by so many.

To those who knew her, it seemed that Michelle had everything going for her. She had an extraordinarily bubbly personality, vast plans for what she would do after college, and the knowledge of how to make the most of every day.

On October 7, though, something was different. Michelle's parents knew something was wrong. They had made the trip up to Vermont from their home in Virginia to spend time with her during Parents' Weekend. Her parents expected Michelle to join them for a dinner date. She never got the chance to meet them for dinner.

Michelle went out with friends on Friday night, for an enjoyable time in the normally quiet town of Burlington, Vermont. She went with her friends to celebrate a friend's 21st birthday. She was last seen at 2:34 a.m. on a jewelry store surveillance video walking along Main Street - the route to go back to her dorm room.

After her parents reported her missing, numerous police organizations joined together to find Michelle. The Burlington Police Department, UVM police, canine teams, and the Vermont State Police all tried to find her. The Burlington Police Department wore green ribbons during the search for her. The green ribbons signified Michelle's favorite color, one of UVM's school colors, and Michelle's dedication to the enviroment and ecological issues.

America's Most Wanted even aired Michelle's case on the October 13, 2006 episode. The local newspaper, the Burlington Free Press, devoted a large portion of their print space and online space to her. FOX News flew a correspondent, Rick Leventhal, and a producer to UVM to report on the story.

On October 12th, Goucher President Sanford J. Ungar sent out a campus-wide e-mail about the situation. That would be the first way that many in the Goucher community found out about her disappearance.

Despite their hard work and attempts to bring back Michelle safe and secure, the search team found only her body a week later on top of a gorge in Richmond, Vermont.

The last known location of Michelle is from that surveillance video. She is seen on the tape apparently walking with 36-year-old Brian Rooney, after using his cell phone. Rooney is believed to be the last-known person to see her alive. He was arrested on October 13 for charges unrelated to Michelle's case - sexual assault and lewd and lascivious conduct with a child for the molestation of a 14-year-old girl in 1996 - but has since been named as a suspect in her murder.

On Sunday evening, about 900 people gathered into the Ira Allen Chapel on UVM's campus. The school of nearly 10,000 undergraduates has been stunned following the loss of one of their classmates. At the memorial service, those who knew her shared memories of Michelle.

According to a UVM press release, one of Michelle's professors, Cecilia Danks read to the audience part of a personal essay Michelle had written shortly before her disappearance. The excerpt explained her deep committment to bettering the environment.

On Monday afternoon at Goucher, about 20 students and some faculty and staff gathered in Buchner Hall, to try to begin the process of understanding and healing in the wake of such a devestating loss. Her former Goucher roommate told stories of their plans to start a co-op once they both graduated.

There was a general concern for how Michelle's parents are doing. One of Michelle's former professors wondered what it must be like for the parents to know that their child's last moments were ones of terror. That concern was echoed over the hour-long meeting.

(Out of respect for the family's request for privacy, The Quindecim did not contact her parents for comment.)

In between moments of silence, when no one could find any words to say, some shared memories of Michelle. One of her friends remembered attending concerts with her, and could not help but laugh when images of her dancing around during the concert flooded into his head. But the smiles quickly turned to a grimace, as he tried to reconcile the difference in images between the happy, dancing Michelle and the ones that entered the minds of everyone about what her last moments were like.

Questions of "why?" also kept arising. Why Michelle? Why now, when everything seemed to be going so perfectly for her?

Monday evening's gathering in Buchner Hall was just the first step in the long journey to inner peace, moving past grief, and learning the valuable lessons that Michelle taught both in life and in death. Cherish every day, her friends have learned. Make the most of every moment, as Michelle did.

While the images of Michelle the nation knows best are the ones from the surveillance tape taken on the evening of her disappearance, the ones that are in the minds of those who knew her are everlasting, inspiring, and cherished.

Make the most of every moment the images seem to say.



Memorial of Vt. student recalls her nature-loving, free spirit
By John Curran, Associated Press | October 16, 2006
Boston Globe

BURLINGTON, Vt. -- Solemn and shaken, about 900 people packed into a brick chapel yesterday to remember a University of Vermont student in a memorial service with flowers, songs, and some of her own words.

The smiling face of Michelle Gardner-Quinn beamed down from two easel-mounted photographs on stage as a minister eulogized her and as four friends fought back tears to deliver recollections of the 21-year-old senior, who disappeared Oct. 7 and was found dead Friday in a ravine east of Burlington.

With her parents, sister, and brother in the front row, the Rev. Sue Marie Baskette, campus minister, spoke of the nature-loving spirit of Gardner-Quinn.

``We are angry and wanting to shout and scream at the top of our lungs. Why? Why, God, why? Yet there is no answer, only the stinging reminder of our frail existence here on earth," said Baskette.

The 55-minute service included readings from Gardner-Quinn's journal and an essay she wrote for an environmental studies class and turned in two days before her disappearance.

``Through my travels, I have learned tremendously, yet I feel that now is the time to settle down and explore internally. In this stage of life, I want to be able to practice what I preach, which includes internal connection to the natural world as well as community involvement," Gardner-Quinn wrote.

Gardner-Quinn, who had just transferred into the university this fall, was remembered by friends as a yoga lover who taught her friends to laugh harder, eat healthier, and dance to Shakira's music.

`"Her crazy personality and positive energy always made our dorm such a happy place," said one.

Two of Gardner-Quinn's student yoga instructors did yoga exercises on stage as their faculty adviser read from her journal. The congregation consisted mainly of University of Vermont students but also included Governor James Douglas, US Representative Bernie Sanders, and Burlington Police Chief Thomas Tremblay.

The suspect in her death, Brian L. Rooney, 36, will be arraigned in Vermont District Court in St. Johnsbury on charges of sexual assault on a minor.

He is also charged with lewd and lascivious conduct with a minor in neighboring Essex County, more than 80 miles east of the University of Vermont's campus in Burlington.

The Essex County charge dates to a case in 1998. Both charges were brought as a result of information that came to light as police investigated him in connection with the disappearance of Gardner-Quinn.

Gardner-Quinn was last seen Oct. 7 walking up Main Street in Burlington with Rooney after borrowing his cellphone in a bid to reunite with friends she had been out with, authorities said. Rooney, who was seen walking alongside her in surveillance camera footage shot by a jewelry store camera at 2:34 a.m., was apparently the last person to see her alive, according to police.

But he has not been charged in her disappearance.

Hikers found her body in a rocky ravine Friday. An autopsy was performed Saturday but police have yet to give a cause of death.

Police have appealed for the public's help in gathering information about Rooney and his activities after he was seen with Gardner-Quinn.

``Our investigation continues to focus on Brian Rooney's actions and whereabouts during the time period of Saturday, Oct. 7, at 2:30 a.m. to midmorning Monday, Oct. 9," police Lieutenant Kathleen Stubbing said.




Memorial service held for Michelle Gardner-Quinn
Vermont Public Radio

BURLINGTON, VT (AP) (2006-10-16)

About 900 people packed into a chapel at the University of Vermont last night to remember Michelle Gardner-Quinn.

Her body was found on Friday, a week after she disappeared during a walk back to her dormitory from downtown Burlington.

Police have not released details of an autopsy conducted on her body, but they have identified 36-year-old Brian L. Rooney as a chief suspect.

Last night at the university, people focused on Gardner-Quinn's memory, relying on her own words written recently for a class project.

Her parents, sister and brother sat in the front row of Ira Allen Chapel during the service.

Gardner-Quinn had just transferred into the university this fall.

© Copyright 2006, Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.



Michelle Gardner Quinn's Death Ruled A Homicide
Burlington, Vermont - October 16, 2006
Alex Martin - Channel 3 News

Police have just wrapped up the press conference for today. While no major breaks in the case were made, police say that the investigation into the death of Michelle Gardner-Quinn is continuing, but that they are still focusing on Brian Rooney.

"Our investigation continues to focus on Brian Rooney's actions and whereabouts from Saturday Oct 7 at 2:30am to mid morning Monday, October 9th," said Lieutenant Kathleen Stubbing of the Burlington Police Department.

Brian Rooney was last seen with Michelle Gardner-Quinn walking up Main Street in Burlington. Gardner-Quinns body was located last Friday at the Huntington Gorge. Police are officially ruling Gardner-Quinns death a murder.

"The Vermont Medical Examiners office has completed Michelle's exam. We have some preliminary results. The manner of death has been classified as a homicide, with the cause of death listed as pending. The cause of death will be listed as soon as test results from the medical exam and additional information from the investigation becomes available," continued Stubbing.

Police are still looking for several items of Michelle's, including a silver earring she was wearing. It is described as a sterling silver chandelier type earring. They are also looking for women's black Converse low-top sneakers, size 8; her Black Puma purse; and her Kyocera Cell phone, which is model KX414.

As the investigation continues, police will go back to the Huntington Gorge Tuesday morning in order to look for more evidence in the homicide of Michelle Gardner-Quinn.



Release Date: 10-16-2006
Memorial Remembers Michelle Gardner-Quinn
Contact: University Communications Staff
Email: newserv@uvm.edu
Phone: (802) 656-2005 FAX: (802) 656-3203

Members of the University of Vermont and local communities filled Ira Allen Chapel on Oct. 15 for an evening service in memory of UVM senior Michelle Gardner-Quinn. A crowd of approximately 900, many of them Gardner-Quinn’s fellow students, gathered to share their grief and seek comfort after a week of concern for the 21-year-old’s disappearance had turned to mourning her death.

Gardner-Quinn had quickly grown close to numerous faculty and students after transferring this fall to UVM from Goucher College. Several of them took the chapel stage to share their memories and deliver readings. One of them, Cecilia Danks, assistant professor of environmental studies and natural resources, read from a personal essay Gardner-Quinn completed shortly before her disappearance. The piece described her strong environmental ethic and desire to make a difference on issues such as climate change, a commitment that grew from Gardner-Quinn’s deep love of and curiosity for the natural world.



Hundreds Gather To Remember Va. Student
Gardner-Quinn's Body Found Friday
NBC 4 Washington
POSTED: 6:23 am EDT October 16, 2006
UPDATED: 10:51 am EDT October 16, 2006

BURLINGTON, Vt. -- About 900 people, solemn and shaken, packed a brick chapel Sunday to lay flowers and sing songs in remembrance of a University of Vermont student found dead last week.

Michelle Gardner-Quinn's smile beamed down from two easel-mounted photographs as a minister and four of the student's friends eulogized the 21-year-old senior from Arlington, Va., who was found dead Friday in a ravine off Dugway Road in Richmond, Vt., near the Huntington River.

Gardner-Quinn was last seen Oct. 7 walking up Main Street in Burlington with Brian L. Rooney, 36, after borrowing his cell phone in a bid to reunite with friends she had been out with. Rooney, who was seen walking alongside her in surveillance camera footage shot by a jewelry store camera at 2:34 a.m., was apparently the last person to see her alive, according to police.

Rooney is scheduled to be arraigned in state District Court in the northern Vermont town of St. Johnsbury on unrelated charges of sexual assault on a minor. He is also charged with lewd and lascivious conduct with a minor in neighboring Essex County, more than 80 miles east of the Burlington campus.

Police say he is a suspect in Gardner-Quinn's disappearance, but he hasn't been charged.

An autopsy was performed Saturday, but police have yet to give a cause of death or say when Gardner-Quinn died.

With her parents, sister and brother sitting in the front row Sunday, the Rev. Sue Marie Baskette, a campus minister, spoke of Gardner-Quinn's love of nature.

"We are angry and wanting to shout and scream at the top of our lungs. Why? Why, God, why? Yet there is no answer, only the stinging reminder of our frail existence here on earth," Baskette said.

The 55-minute service included readings from Gardner-Quinn's journal and an essay she wrote for an environmental studies class that she had turned in two days before her disappearance.

"Through my travels, I have learned tremendously, yet I feel that now is the time to settle down and explore internally. In this stage of life, I want to be able to practice what I preach, which includes internal connection to the natural world as well as community involvement," Gardner-Quinn wrote.

Friends, fighting back tears, said Gardner-Quinn, who had just transferred to the university this fall after attending Goucher College in Maryland, taught them to laugh harder, eat healthier and appreciate dancing to the music of Shakira.

Gardner-Quinn's yoga instructors celebrated her love of the activity by performing exercises onstage as her faculty adviser read from her journal.

"Her crazy personality and positive energy always made our dorm such a happy place," one friend said.

The journal was given to Gardner-Quinn's father, John-Charles Quinn, as her family left the chapel after the service.

The Essex County charge against Rooney dates to an incident in 1998. Both charges were brought as a result of information that came to light as police investigated him in connection with Gardner-Quinn's disappearance.

Rooney, a construction worker and father of three, has been jailed without bail since his arrest Friday.

Stay with News4 and nbc4.com for more information.



Vermont collegian remembered in memorial service
By John Curran, Associated Press Writer | October 15, 2006
Boston Globe

BURLINGTON, Vt. -- Solemn and shaken, about 900 people packed into a brick chapel Sunday to remember a University of Vermont student in a memorial service with flowers, songs and some of her own words.

The smiling face of Michelle Gardner-Quinn beamed down from two easel-mounted photographs on stage as a minister eulogized her and four friends fought back tears to deliver recollections of the 21-year-old senior, who disappeared Oct. 7 and was found dead Friday in a ravine east of Burlington.

With her parents, sister and brother sitting in the front row, campus minister Rev. Sue Marie Baskette spoke of the nature-loving spirit of Gardner-Quinn.

"We are angry and wanting to shout and scream at the top of our lungs. Why? Why, God, why? Yet there is no answer, only the stinging reminder of our frail existence here on earth," said Baskette.

The 55-minute service included readings from Gardner-Quinn's journal and an essay she wrote for an environmental studies class and turned in two days before her disappearance.

"Through my travels, I have learned tremendously, yet I feel that now is the time to settle down and explore internally. In this stage of life, I want to be able to practice what I preach, which includes internal connection to the natureal world as well as community involvement," Gardner-Quinn wrote.

Gardner-Quinn, who had just transferred into the University this fall, was remembered by friends as a yoga lover who taught her friends to laugh harder, eat healthier and dance to Shakira's music.

"Her crazy personality and positive energy always made our dorm such a happy place," said one.

Two of Gardner-Quinn's student yoga instructors did yoga exercises on stage as their faculty adviser read from her journal, which one gave to the woman's father as the family made their way out of the chapel when it was over.

The father, John-Charles Quinn, shared a long hug with the instructor, Keri Johnson, after she handed it to him.

The congregation consisted mainly of University of Vermont students, but also included Gov. James Douglas, U.S. Rep. Bernie Sanders and Burlington Police Chief Thomas Tremblay.

The suspect in her death, Brian L. Rooney, 36, will be arraigned in Vermont District Court in St. Johnsbury on charges of sexual assault on a minor. He is also charged with lewd and lascivious conduct with a minor in neighboring Essex County, more than 80 miles east of the University of Vermont's campus in Burlington.

The Essex County charge dates to an incident in 1998. Both charges were brought as a result of information that came to light as police investigated him in connection with the disappearance of Michelle Gardner-Quinn.

Gardner-Quinn was last seen Oct. 7 walking up Main Street in Burlington with Rooney after borrowing his cell phone in a bid to reunite with friends she had been out with. Rooney, who was seen walking alongside her in surveillance camera footage shot by a jewelry store camera at 2:34 a.m., was apparently the last person to see her alive, according to police.

But he hasn't been charged in her disappearance.

Hikers found her body in a rocky ravine Friday. An autopsy was performed Saturday but police have yet to give a cause of death or say when Gardner-Quinn died. A memorial service was planned Sunday night at the university.

Rooney, a construction worker and father of three, has been jailed without bail at the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility since his arrest Friday.

Police say he is a suspect in Gardner-Quinn's disappearance, and have appealed for the public's help in gathering information about Rooney and his activities after he was seen with Gardner-Quinn.

"Our investigation continues to focus on Brian Rooney's actions and whereabouts during the time period of Saturday, Oct. 7, at 2:30 a.m. to midmorning Monday, Oct. 9," said police Lt. Kathleen Stubbing on Saturday. "We are also interested in information regarding the red Jeep Grand Cherokee" he is believed to have been driving.

"We continue to receive tips from the public and we strongly urge anyone with relevant information about Brian Rooney to please call us," said Stubbing, who said it would be at least a week before charges could be brought.

There are several theories about what happened to Gardner-Quinn that police are looking into, she said, but she would not elaborate.

Police Chief Thomas Tremblay attributed the pace of the investigation to the "mountain" of evidence to be analyzed.

"In my 24 years here, we've searched more of the city of Burlington than at any other time," he said Saturday. "We've had more than 100 volunteers, we've collected a ton of things. All of that has to be analyzed, along with the forensic evidence. It takes time."


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On the Net:

Burlington Police Department: http://www.bpdvt.org



Friends eulogize Vermont college student
Updated 10/15/2006 10:41 PM ET
USA TODAY Posted 10/15/2006 12:49 PM ET

BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — About 900 people, solemn and shaken, packed a brick chapel Sunday to lay flowers and sing songs in remembrance of a University of Vermont student found dead last week.

Michelle Gardner-Quinn's smile beamed down from two easel-mounted photographs as a minister and four of the student's friends eulogized the 21-year-old senior, who was found dead Friday in a ravine near Burlington.

Gardner-Quinn was last seen Oct. 7 walking up Main Street in Burlington with Brian Rooney, 36, after borrowing his cellphone in a bid to reunite with friends she had been out with. Rooney, who was seen walking alongside her in surveillance camera footage shot by a jewelry store camera at 2:34 a.m., was apparently the last person to see her alive, according to police.

Rooney is scheduled to be arraigned in state District Court in the northern Vermont town of St. Johnsbury on unrelated charges of sexual assault on a minor. He is also charged with lewd and lascivious conduct with a minor in neighboring Essex County, more than 80 miles east of the Burlington campus.

Police say he is a suspect in Gardner-Quinn's disappearance, but he hasn't been charged.

An autopsy was performed Saturday, but police have yet to give a cause of death or say when Gardner-Quinn died.

With her parents, sister and brother sitting in the front row Sunday, the Rev. Sue Marie Baskette, a campus minister, spoke of Gardner-Quinn's love of nature.

"We are angry and wanting to shout and scream at the top of our lungs. Why? Why, God, why? Yet there is no answer, only the stinging reminder of our frail existence here on earth," Baskette said.

The 55-minute service included readings from Gardner-Quinn's journal and an essay she wrote for an environmental studies class that she had turned in two days before her disappearance.

"Through my travels, I have learned tremendously, yet I feel that now is the time to settle down and explore internally. In this stage of life, I want to be able to practice what I preach, which includes internal connection to the natural world as well as community involvement," Gardner-Quinn wrote.

Friends, fighting back tears, said Gardner-Quinn, who had just transferred to the university this fall, taught them to laugh harder, eat healthier and appreciate dancing to the music of Shakira.

Gardner-Quinn's yoga instructors celebrated her love of the activity by performing exercises onstage as her faculty adviser read from her journal.

"Her crazy personality and positive energy always made our dorm such a happy place," one friend said.

The journal was given to Gardner-Quinn's father, John-Charles Quinn, as her family left the chapel after the service.

The Essex County charge against Rooney dates to an incident in 1998. Both charges were brought as a result of information that came to light as police investigated him in connection with Gardner-Quinn's disappearance.

Rooney, a construction worker and father of three, has been jailed without bail since his arrest Friday.


Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.



Michelle Gardner-Quinn Remembered
Burlington, Vermont - October 15, 2006
Jack Thurston - Channel 3 News

Hundreds gathered at UVM's Ira Allen Chapel Sunday night to share their memories of Michelle Gardner-Quinn, and to celebrate the life of the student who loved music, nature, and yoga.

UVM's Campus Minister, Rev. Sue Marie Baskette, presided over the memorial service. "In the time Michelle was in Burlington, she made many, many friends," said Rev. Baskette.

Michelle Gardner-Quinn's parents joined those many friends and admirers inside a packed Ira Allen Chapel. They came to do what may be impossible -- to try to make sense of the senseless. "She will sorely be missed in our dorm," said Fay Oppenheimer, a friend of Michelle's. "Her crazy personality and positive energy always made our dorm a fun and happy place. It definitely won't be the same without her."

Speakers remembered the 21 year-old Virginia native as a thoughtful daughter of the Earth, sharing stories of how Gardner-Quinn would often pause to admire plant life or insects -- that she felt a connection to eco-systems and cared intensely for their protection. Her Environmental Studies professor, Cecilia Danks, read from her student's most recent essay: "I hope my time in Vermont will further these goals, and aid me in a greater understanding of my place as a whole."

Her smile seemed as bright as her future. The senior's friends performed contemplative yoga, explaining how Michelle would look inward after being outside -- where, she wrote, that she discovered her core -- Her soul. Stephanie Kaza, another of her teachers, read from her journal: "I feel I experienced this most when I was quite young. The miracles of life fascinated me and I felt a deep connection with all beings."

Following the hour-long service, Gardner-Quinn's family left the chapel in tears. Through the minister, they thanked the crowd, and the whole community for their support. "On behalf of the family, I would like to extend great appreciation for all who stood by the family in the last few days," said Rev. Baskette.



ARLINGTON DEATH
Student in Vermont Was Outgoing and Lover of Outdoors
Autopsy Pending on Arlington Native
By Brigid Schulte
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, October 15, 2006; Page C06

As a college student, Michelle Gardner-Quinn bounced around. She attended American University, Antioch College, the University of Virginia, Hampshire College and Goucher College outside of Baltimore. It was only this fall that she transferred to the University of Vermont and figured out how to merge her love of environmental studies and Latin America with her love for the outdoors and hiking, skiing, camping and snowboarding.

Six weeks after arriving in Burlington, she disappeared. After her body was found Friday off a rural road near the university, friends and family who knew her growing up in Arlington struggled to make sense of their loss. They knew the 21-year-old as more than a missing young woman whose face had been plastered for the past week on television screens and newspapers across the country.

"She had just come into her own, knowing what she wanted to do," Yasmine Rassam, her older half sister, said yesterday. "She was just really, really happy."

Burlington police disclosed few developments in the case yesterday, as an autopsy report was pending. Police were questioning Brian Rooney, 36, a construction worker who is in custody on unrelated sexual assault charges. He was observed on a video camera, police said, walking with Gardner-Quinn before she disappeared Oct. 7.

Gardner-Quinn, a senior at the university, was last seen in the early hours that Saturday walking back to the dormitories after celebrating a friend's birthday. Police believe she borrowed Rooney's cellphone to call friends because the battery in hers had died. She was not seen alive again. Those details of her case are known.

Friends said the world should know more. That she played the cello. That she loved nature, photography and travel. That she spent hour upon hour last summer sitting in a swamp in Brazil to survey giant otters. That she was never happier.

Gardner-Quinn, they said, was good enough to play select soccer. She swam on a team, worked as a lifeguard at the neighborhood pool for years, and was known for her jokes and crazy antics. She sang in her church and high school choirs, her clear, earthy alto a thing of beauty.

Her life, people said, made a difference.

Ian Willson, 22, was in a rut a few years ago. He said he would not now be in college without her push. "To me, she was one of the most inspirational people I've ever met," he said. She was independent, funny and "eccentric in an awesome way," he said. "She made friends wherever she went. Easily."

Gardner-Quinn's family remained in Burlington yesterday, awaiting autopsy results. Her parents had been waiting to meet her for dinner on a parents' weekend that Saturday and reported her missing when she did not show up. They had spent the next week hoping that their daughter would be found alive.

Rassam, 39, a lawyer and human rights activist, said remembering Gardner-Quinn's life helped keep crushing grief at bay.

"My sister was just a joy to everyone she was around, that she touched," Rassam said.

She grew up in a beautiful, wooded area of North Arlington. Her favorite place to go as a child was the woods near her home. Those woods and the family's garden instilled in her a love of nature. As she grew older, Rassam and friends said, that love became a passion, particularly as she learned about global climate change, rain forest depletion and other threats to the natural world.

Rassam said she remembers coming back from the Peace Corps and sharing stories and photographs with the young Gardner-Quinn. From then on, Gardner-Quinn wanted to travel, too.

On her MySpace account on the Web, which she last checked the morning before she disappeared, Gardner-Quinn's motto was "squares are unhealthy." Her favorite things, she wrote, were "green things. clouds and stars. music. life. learning and relearning. exploring." She described herself this way: "Can I travel with you?"

Already, she'd traveled to Europe with her parents and visited Rassam when she was studying in Cambridge, England. In her college years, she also spent a semester in Costa Rica, living with a poor family and studying and writing about the environment and poverty. She'd spent an intensive three weeks in South Africa and another semester in Brazil.

She was driven, friends said, followed her own inner compass and was incredibly bright. She met Willson, whom she later dated, at a summer camp for gifted children. In Arlington, she thrived at H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program, a school where students choose their own classes and guidance counselors and call teachers and the principal by their first names.

Gardner-Quinn set her MySpace account to the music of an alternative group called "13 & God." On her page, the group sings about a vision of a girl as a ghost, blowing up globes and setting them on clouds. "Without an atmosphere there is no chance at life and with no chance at life . . . I don't exist."

"Even though she's gone, we feel like she's with us," Rassam said. "She's always going to be with us."



Missing Student's Body Found
Police Name Suspect In Arlington Woman's Death
NBC 4 Washington
POSTED: 1:38 pm EDT October 13, 2006
UPDATED: 12:53 pm EDT October 15, 2006

BURLINGTON, Vt. -- The body of a missing University of Vermont student from Arlington, Va., has been found, News4's Pat Collins reported.

The body was found off Dugway Road in Richmond, Vt., near the Huntington River. It has been tentatively identified as Michelle Gardner-Quinn.

The manner of her death appears to be a homicide. An autopsy is pending.

Brian Rooney, 36, of Richmond, Vt., has been named a suspect in the student's death. Rooney, who has been the focus of the police investigation, was arrested Friday afternoon on unrelated charges and is in police custody.

The 21-year-old senior had become separated from her friends when she borrowed Rooney's phone to call them as she walked up heavily traveled Main Street, which runs between downtown and the campus.

Rooney, 36, of Richmond, has been the focus of the investigation since he was recorded on a jewelry store surveillance camera with her at about 2:30 a.m., Tremblay said. He has not been charged in Gardner-Quinn's case, Police Chief Thomas Tremblay said.

Tremblay's investigation led to Rooney's arrested on unrelated charges of sex abuse in two other Vermont counties.

He was charged with sexual assault in Caladonia County, 80 miles north of Burlington, and with lewd and lascivious conduct with a child in neighboring Essex County, where Rooney previously lived, officials said.

Rooney will be arraigned Monday.

Police on Friday afternoon gathered outside a house a few blocks from where Gardner-Quinn was last seen almost a week ago.

Authorities cordoned off at least half a block in the residential neighborhood in Burlington and concentrated on a three-story, red brick home, where there has been construction on an addition.

A backhoe was visible in the yard, but police kept the media away from the scene.

Police released more images they believe could be linked to the disappearance of the 21-year-old senior, who was last seen on Saturday when she left a bar in downtown Burlington to walk to her dorm room. Her parents reported her missing when she did not show up for family weekend activities.

On Friday, police released images of the Jeep owned by Rooney, who provided a cell phone to Gardner-Quinn for her to use early Saturday morning after she left the bar.

Police asked the public to contact them if they saw the vehicle after 2:30 a.m. Saturday through Monday morning. The Jeep was described as red with gray lower body trim and a black painted section at the bottom of the rear tailgate. Police have already located and searched the vehicle, and they are just asking people to contact them if they saw it during the time frame in question.

On Thursday, police released surveillance images showing Gardner-Quinn walking with Rooney at 2:34 a.m. the day she disappeared. The images were taken by a jewelry store's surveillance camera.

Detectives said Gardner-Quinn used Rooney's cell phone to tell her friends that she would be late getting home.

Tommy Lang, 21, a University of Vermont senior who grew up with Gardner-Quinn in Arlington, Va., said Friday that nothing seemed amiss when she called him from the man's cell phone just before her disappearance.

"She sounded completely fine and normal and exactly the way she did when she left us," Lang said. "There wasn't anything that made me worry or made me suspicious that anything was going on."

Lang said he called the number Gardner-Quinn had used and spoke to a man.

"He really didn't tell me a whole lot. He basically said he saw her walking up the hill toward the dorms and that's about it," Lang said.

According to authorities, Rooney is linked to the house they searched in Richmond, Vt., which is about 14 miles away from Burlington. Police did not say what, if anything, they recovered from that house. They said Gardner-Quinn and Rooney did not know each other prior to meeting early that morning.

Anyone who saw the two together was asked to contact Burlington police at 802-658-2700.

Police said Gardner-Quinn was carrying her university card when she disappeared and that card has not turned up. She was also carrying a university access card and a credit card belonging to a friend. Police have asked that if anyone finds those cards to also notify authorities.

Stay with News4 and nbc4.com for more information.

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URL: http://www.michellegardnerquinn.com/news_archive_2006_2.htm