Search efforts for 19-year-old former University of Maine student Chance Lauer have been paused until spring due to winter weather conditions, according to the Orono Police Department (OPD), which is asking anyone with information to contact Detective Sergeant Cyr at 207-866-4000.
On Jan. 24, students and community members across the UMaine campus received an emergency notification issued by the University of Maine Police Department (UMPD) in accordance with the Jeanne Clery Act, alerting them that a 19-year-old former UMaine student named Chance Lauer is missing. Lauer was last seen in the early morning on Jan. 19 leaving his room at Orchard Trails (OT), an apartment complex just outside campus in Orono. He has not been located since.
According to UMPD and the OPD, Lauer is 5 ‘8 and white with green-hazel colored eyes and long, dirty blonde hair. He does not have a vehicle, his wallet was recovered in his room and his cell phone is still turned off, which is last known to have pinged at OT. It is still unknown by officers and family alike where Lauer was headed when leaving his apartment.
Since then, OPD has led the investigation to locate Lauer, with assistance from UMPD, the Maine Warden Service (MWS) and volunteer search groups. All trails near and on campus were temporarily closed so as to not interfere with the search, which OPD Chief Daniel Merrill said is an order no longer in effect as trails are now reopened. According to him, the emergency alert issued by UMPD coincided with a large, coordinated search effort that took place over the weekend of Jan. 25 to 26.
“On Saturday and Sunday, we worked with the Warden’s Service and some volunteer organizations that work in partnership with the Warden’s Service,” said Merrill. “They spent all of Saturday and a good portion of Sunday before the storm came in helping us search in and around the area where we knew Chance lived.”
Merrill said UMPD assisted primarily with logistics and coordination, while the MWS oversaw ground search operations, including the use of K-9 units. However, nearly 18 inches of snowfall and subzero temperatures limited the effectiveness of K-9 units and forced search teams to suspend further ground searches last Sunday.
“At this point after the search and after the extensive searching that was done over the two days this past weekend, and the almost 18 inches in snow we got, there’s not really much more that we can do until springtime comes. Short of new information, obviously,” said Merrill. He confirmed that search efforts would not resume in the weeks ahead.
The MWS said in a statement via email that while active ground searches are paused, investigators are continuing to follow up on tips and recent contacts. Future search methods, including the use of technology like aircraft or drones, will depend on information learned during OPD’s ongoing investigation.
Merrill also advised against the formation of independent search parties until spring, citing the same issue.
“The purpose behind not having people go out searching the woods, especially this last weekend when it was so frigid cold, is that we don’t want someone else to get lost or go missing while we’re trying to find Chance, and then create a secondary incident,” said Merrill.
Chance’s father, Jody Lauer, shared similar concern in an interview, when asked what he feels about the choice to delay the ground search until springtime.
“It’s a tough situation… we feel it [the search near OT] was very thorough, and unfortunately, if there was something just because of the snow and the conditions, then there’s not much anybody’s gonna be able to do, you know? But I feel very confident that, you know, they’re [MWS and OPD] the best in the business of searching.”
In an interview, OT confirmed that Lauer is a current resident of the complex. Izzy, a leasing manager at OT who declined to share her last name, said the property does not have surveillance cameras when asked if any footage had been recovered by OPD.
“We do not have any cameras on the property,” said Izzy. “So, as to my knowledge, they don’t have any camera evidence of him, you know, leaving or being on the property.”
When asked what measures are being taken to protect residents, Izzy said that while police regularly patrolled the complex prior to Lauer’s disappearance, patrols have increased from two visits on average a day to three since the incident. She also said management deferred resident notifications to law enforcement due to privacy concerns. According to Izzy, no private security firms have been hired, but it “might be in the talks… just for this specific reason.”
Outside questions surrounding the formation of search parties, there has been some confusion regarding Lauer’s status as a student, with some reports referring to him as a “missing Orono man” or former student. According to his father, Chance graduated from Kennebunk High School in 2024 and would be in his sophomore year at UMaine.
Jody said that Chance was not enrolled in spring courses due to a prior illness, not because he had withdrawn from the university.
“He had a little trouble over the fall with a staph infection — so he was sick and he missed time, and he got behind,” said Jody. “This semester he was just going to go up and get a job and live up there for spring, and then [would] look this summer at what to do — whether that’s to come back here, or I think his main goal was to stay back up at UMaine.”
Jody’s voice lightened as he described his son as someone who loves Maine, the UMaine campus and the outdoors. He said Chance frequently hikes the trails around Orono, and is a “Mainer through and through.” Jody also mentioned his passion for travel and learning, suggesting these interests are what drove him to double major in international affairs and journalism at UMaine.
“He was very interested in foreign journalism. He was very well traveled. He’s been to, I think we’re up to 25 different countries around the world that he had visited. So he had a very big passion for travel, and culture and learning. It seemed only natural that he pursue something in that field,” said Jody.
He also commented on the surprise his family and the greater community have experienced following his son’s disappearance.
“I know it’s a shock to everyone. You know, Orono is safe… [and] something like this doesn’t happen very often,” said Jody. “I cannot tell you what a nightmare this is — my wife and I are heartbroken but remain hopeful. He was our only son, and I’m not sure what I’ll do without him. But you know, we remain strong…It’s just so out of his character, you know, to disappear. He had no reason to. He was happy.”
Jody expressed gratitude for the “tremendous outpouring of support” from community members, family and the OPD. He said that over 25 volunteers, many of whom knew Chance from either Kennebunk high school or at UMaine, hung flyers across the greater Orono area and on campus to raise awareness. He asks those around campus to remain vigilant in keeping any eye out for his son.
“Just keep diligent — see if he’s around campus…keep him in mind and just keep an eye out for him.”
Chief Merrill also requested the community remain alert, asking the public to contact OPD directly and ask for Detective Sergeant Cyr if they have any information or tips that may be pertinent to Lauer’s case. He can also be reached at mcyr@orono.org. You can also submit an anonymous tip to the OPD on their website.
“If somebody thinks that they see Chance, or know Chance, or have anything that they may feel is relevant to helping us locate him — whether or not that’s an ‘I spoke to him here or there’ or ‘I know that he likes to frequent this area’ — tips like that, I mean, those are the things we might be able to follow up on to see if they lead to any information we don’t already know,” said Merrill.
