Police rule out foul play.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: Police have ruled out foul play in the nearly two week-old disappearance of New York Institute of Technology “student” Jasmine V. Joseph, as new developments have arisen in the ongoing disappearance and search effort for the 22 year-old Indian American youth.
Revelations have come out that Joseph hid several aspects of her personal life from her parents, father Sony and mother Lovely. While NYIT came forward early in the investigation and said that Joseph had not been enrolled at the school since last May, her parents told police that when they last heard from her — on Monday, February 24 around 5:27 PM — that Joseph was returning home from the library. However, phone records indicate that she was actually at Lifetime Fitness Center in Syosset, New York, which is her home town.
The last year of Joseph’s life is shrouded in mystery. Her parents told police that they were not keeping a close watch on Joseph and her academics, saying that they had a charge on their credit card for over $6,000 to NYIT, which was her tuition payment for the upcoming spring semester.
Joseph never showed her report cards or grades to her parents, but this never raised any suspicion with them, as she was always a high-performing student who brought home straight A’s.
In an article by New York Daily News, the couple said their daughter never even brought home textbooks or never other reading material, which her mother noted was odd and which she asked Joseph about. Joseph replied that all her courses had their material online, so she never needed any books. Joseph’s father was in India at the time, and had given Joseph his credit card for all her expenses, but was not at home to notice any of her potentially erratic behavior.
One of Joseph’s cousins also mentioned that her father was relatively strict, and demanded a lot of the normally timid and shy Joseph. But no one thinks that his behavior had anything to do with her disappearance, and her parents are now desperate to find their daughter and bring her home.
Joseph’s parents are still offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the discovery of their daughter. They’ve told police and the press that they just want to see their daughter home safe and sound, and they don’t care about anything she may have done or be doing in her absence. Joseph has a 2012 silver Nissan Altima sedan with license plate number GAD-3453.
To contact the author, email to deepakchitnis@americanbazaaronline.com