The following story, "Roommate charged in phony suicide," appeared in Friday's edition of The Daily Iowan, the University of Iowa's student newspaper:
UI junior Robert Kooima has been charged with making false reports to a law enforcement agency in conjunction with the disappearance of UI junior Kevin Michael Joyce, Jr.
I was being loyal to my friend," Kooima said. "I was preserving the trust he put in me."
Joyce disappeared Oct. 26, and was reported missing by Kooima Oct. 26 at 9:30 a.m. Joyce's wallet and bag were found by the river shortly after that.
Lieutenant Richard Gordon of the UI Department of Public Safety would not comment on whether Joyce will face charges in regards to his faked suicide.
The Johnson County Sheriff's Department and the UI Department of Public Safety searched the Iowa River for Joyce's body Thursday night and Friday.
Kooima, 21, admitted to police Nov. 1 he had known Joyce was alive when he told Public Safety about the suicide note on Oct. 26. Joyce's note indicated he had jumped into the Iowa River, said UI Public Safety Lt. Richard Gordon.