Search for Graduate Student Continues

Police uncovered no new information yesterday in a state-wide search for Joan L. Webster, a second-year student at the Graduate School of Design (GSD) missing for more than one week, but are continuing to investigate earlier leads, a GSD official said yesterday.

Yvonne Charbrier, director of public information at the GSD, said the Saugus police have stopped searching a marsh bordering the southbound lane of Route 107, where Webster's pocketbook and wallet were found by fishermen Wednesday, but added that "they are not letting the investigation die down."

The Suagus police are coordinating the investigation by University, Boston, Cambridge, Logan Airport, and state police officers. Working with the Chicago police. Saugus officers are trying to trace the owner of an Illinois driver's license found last week in the marsh less than 100 yards from the spot where Webster's articles were found, Charbrier said. She added that the license had been renewed in April and that it did not seem damaged from prolonged exposure in the marsh. The 25-year-old Webster was last seen November 28 in the baggage claim area of Eastern Airlines in Logan Airport. She was returning on a flight from Newark, N.J., after spending the Thanksgiving holiday with her family in Glen Ridge, N.J.

"We just don't know how she left the airport," Charbrier said, adding that "the first priority is to find someone who saw her and her route when she left and secondly to find her luggage and effects."

University police detectives contacted 100 of the 260 passengers on Eastern flight 960 in the last two days, with no definite results, Charbrier said. Saul L. Chafin, chief of the University police, said yesterday he had heard of no new developments, adding that eight University officers--the entire detective bureau of the department--are still working on the investigation.

Charbrier said the Saugus Police had also interviewed two passengers from Webster's flight, a woman who spoke with her in the Newark terminal and a priest who sat next to her on the airplane.

Saugus officers are also trying to locate a late-model Chevrolet sedan that three witnesses reported seeing near the marsh early in the morning on the shoulder of the northbound lane of Route 107 November 29, Charbrier said. She said the automobile was described as beige with large rust spots, but no identification was made of the license plate.

Another car was abandoned last Sunday morning at the side of the southbound lane near the marsh, Charbrier said, adding that officers have not been able to find the automobile's owner.

Webster is 5"2' tall, weighing 122 lbs. with brown hair and eyes. She was last seen wearing a long brown coat, a black skirt and a red blouse.

Police will begin contacting area pawn shops today to circulate descriptions of Webster's jewelry, Charbrier said, adding that her suitcase and a tote bag she was carrying have not been located.

Last week, Saugus officers combed the area around Route 107, or Lynn Marsh Road, in a 27-man foot patrol, aided by tracking dogs, a helicopter, and several skin divers in the marsh itself.

Webster's parents returned to Glen Ridge yesterday, after spending several days in the area to aid in the investigation. Her father, George Webster, is a planning and controls director for International Telephone and Telegraph, Inc