Behrman Investigators To Drain Portion Of Creek

MONROE COUNTY, Ind. -- Investigators are preparing to drain about 15 million gallons of water out of a portion of Salt Creek in order to discover what happened to missing Indiana University student Jill Behrman.

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Behrman Investigators Constructing Dams In Creek

FBI officials announced that two temporary dams are being constructed in the creek, RTV6 reported Monday. After the dams are in place, water will be pumped out of a 1-mile section of the creek.

Behrman was 19 when she was last seen on May 31, 2000, riding her bike near Bloomington. Investigators believe Behrman's body was dumped in the creek after she was hit by a car while biking along a nearby road.

"We feel very, very certain with the information we've been given that this is the location," said Eric Behrman, Jill Behrman's father.

One dam was completed Monday; the second will be constructed Tuesday, officials said.

Several state and federal agencies are helping with the project, including the Department of Natural Resources. DNR officials are in charge of relocating aquatic species from the area.

Some local businesses are donating their services to help offset the cost of the dam project, RTV6's Sarah Fraidin reported. The remaining cost is being paid with money that was raised for a reward fund.

People who donated to that fund gave their consent before their money was used for the dam project, Fraidin reported.

Divers spent four days searching the creek this summer, but Behrman's body was not found. At the time, officials said they had found many items of "possible evidentiary value" but declined to say what the items were.

Investigators have said they suspect that Behrman was hit by a pickup truck driven by someone under the influence of alcohol or drugs and that her body was dumped in Salt Creek.