Published: December 20, 2007 11:52 pm      

Reward offered for information about MU student

HUNTINGTON — A $10,000 reward is being offered for information on the whereabouts of a missing Marshall University journalism student.

Leah Hickman, 21, has not been heard from since Dec. 14. She was last seen by her sister and roommate, Jessica Vickers, authorities said.

Family members and friends became concerned when Hickman did not show up for work Saturday at Dressbarn, in the Merritts Creek Farm shopping complex in Barboursville.

“We encourage anyone with any information concerning the disappearance of my sister to please contact the Huntington Police Department,” Vickers said. “We are working to find her. We’ve handed out flyers to all of Huntington and surrounding areas, canvassed the community, called all of her friends. We don’t know what to do next.”

Hickman also spoke Dec. 14 to her mother, Sherri Russell, of Leon, W.Va., about coming home for the holidays.

Family members have said it’s highly out of character for Hickman to disappear without telling anyone, according to police.

Officers spent Wednesday canvassing Hickman’s neighborhood for signs of the missing woman. A Huntington Police Department spokesman said Thursday there had been no new developments in the search.

Hickman, a junior at MU, is Caucasian, 5 feet, 4 inches tall and 125 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes. Anyone with information of her whereabouts should contact the HPD at (304) 696-4420.

The reward for information about Hickman was posted by her employer and is being administered by The Huntington National Bank. Anyone who would like to pledge additional dollars to the reward fund is asked to contact the Huntington Banking Office at (304) 526-4600 or send funds to The Huntington National Bank, 919 5th Avenue, Huntington, WV 25701.

A separate account has been set up at Huntington National to support Hickman’s family. Donations to the Hickman Family Fund can also be made by contacting the bank.

KENNETH HART can be reached at khart@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2654.