Police: No crime involved in AU basketball player’s disappearance

No crime was involved in the disappearance of an Auburn University basketball player Tuesday, Auburn police Assistant Chief Tommy Dawson said Wednesday.

“Nothing criminal had taken place,” Dawson said. “The public was never in any danger ...”

Friends reported freshman Sierra “CeCe” Sims, of Brentwood, Tenn., missing after she was last seen at 3 a.m. Tuesday outside her campus dorm. She was found safe Tuesday night in an area off South College Street in Auburn, police said.

“She made it on her own to South College,” Dawson said.

Police are not releasing details of the case, he said.

“Out of respect for her and her parents, I don’t want to elaborate,” Dawson said. “It’s a family matter and needs to stay a family matter.”

Dawson said his division’s approach to the case wasn’t influenced by its earlier investigation of the murder of AU freshman Lauren Burk, killed in March.

“Nothing (in this case) indicated foul play had taken place,” Dawson said. “We didn’t approach it any differently (than any other case). We were just looking for her to get her back to her parents because they were worried, as any parent would be.”

No AU Alert, an emergency notification system for faculty and staff, was issued, Chance Corbett, AU associate director of emergency management, said.
“Because of what it was, we were just trying to find her … the decision was made not to send the alert because there was no apparent danger at that point,” Corbett said.

Sims is with her family and still a member of the AU women’s basketball team, said Kirk Sampson, assistant athletics director for media relations.