Big crowd at U remembers Jennifer Houle

An emotional, tear-filled vigil for Jennifer Houle drew more than 1,000 people to Coffman Union at the University of Minnesota Tuesday evening.

The event was organized by the Minnesota Student Association and Pi Beta Phi, Houle's sorority. Jennifer's parents, John and Diane Houle, were present, but did not address the crowd.

Many of the sorority members in attendance held artificial candles and wore purple, Houle's favorite color. At one point, they released purple balloons into the sky, with messages to her written on them.

Houle, 22, a student at the Carlson School of Management, went missing early Friday morning after going out to a bar with friends.

On Monday, Minneapolis police said that a video showed Houle entering the Mississippi River off the 10th Avenue Bridge.

The search for Houle is continuing, said Hennepin County Sheriff spokeswoman Rebecca Gilbuena.

Police spokesman John Elder said officials had not determined if Houle had fallen or jumped from the 10-story bridge, but the footage showed she was alone at the time of the incident. Officials are not seeking any suspects in the case.