On Tuesday morning, September 17, 1968, Susan Caira’s mother, Elma Fortier, arrived at her house at 87a Pearl St. to find the 21 year old single mother of two missing and the children, aged 3 and 1, unattended. Fortier had made plans to watch the children while Susan shopped in the morning. She had called her daughter to let her know she was on the way, and the phone was answered by Brenda, the 3 year old. The Newton police were contacted and they launched an investigation into her whereabouts that indicated that she left against her will and likely met with foul play. Caira was described as an attractive blonde. At the time of her disappearance, she was estranged from her husband, 24 year old Emilio, who was living in neighboring Waltham with his sister.
Emilio and Susan had separated in February, and Susan had moved into the Pearl St. apartment from Watertown with 3 year old Brenda and 1 year old Debbie around Labor Day. She had a variety of jobs, but may have been unemployed at the time of her abduction. She was a 1964 graduate of Watertown High School.
Withesses reported that two men entered her apartment and that shortly afterwards they heard a commotion that sounded like banging and dragging at about 11:30 the previous evening. Caira’s bed was not slept in that night and her house keys and purse were left behind. Mrs. Fortier stated that she had spoken with her daughter at 9:30 the previous evening, and that Susan seemed in a happy mood. She had enrolled Brenda in head start that morning, and did laundry and ran errands while her mother watched Debbie. She had plans to shop for the children the next day. Before talking to her mother that evening, she had talked on the telephone with one of Emilio’s sisters who invited her shopping that evening, but Susan declined, stating that she was tired and had to mop the floor. She also placed several calls to Emilio’s (AKA Juney) other sister’s home, with whom Emilio lived. It is unclear whether she was trying to reach him.
In the subsequent weeks, police and the FBI interviewed over 100 people associated with Caira, including friends, family, acquaintances and her estranged husband, but to no avail.
Caira‘s neighbor, whose apartment abutted Caira’s, reportedly heard a car door shut at about 11:30, as a movie she was watching concluded and the news came on. She looked outside to see two men walk up to the Caira home at the rear of the building From a vehicle parked under a street light, but screened by a hedge. Before the men entered, she reported that she heard a muffled conversation. Through the wall she heard sounds she described as loud, as if furniture was being moved around. She assumed that one of the men was Caira’s brother and he had come to help Caira move something like the refrigerator. She stated that she did not hear any hollering or screaming. Police surmised scuff marks on the floor were related to a struggle, as Caira had recently mopped, as indicated by the mop and bucket left out. The only items missing according to Fortier were a pair of pajamas and a house coat.
The investigation reached a dead end within a few months, and then went cold. As an old newspaper article from the time of the abduction stated, “Who wanted Susan Caira out of the way?”
The Newton Graphic, October 1968 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
Emilio and Susan had separated in February, and Susan had moved into the Pearl St. apartment from Watertown with 3 year old Brenda and 1 year old Debbie around Labor Day. She had a variety of jobs, but may have been unemployed at the time of her abduction. She was a 1964 graduate of Watertown High School.
Withesses reported that two men entered her apartment and that shortly afterwards they heard a commotion that sounded like banging and dragging at about 11:30 the previous evening. Caira’s bed was not slept in that night and her house keys and purse were left behind. Mrs. Fortier stated that she had spoken with her daughter at 9:30 the previous evening, and that Susan seemed in a happy mood. She had enrolled Brenda in head start that morning, and did laundry and ran errands while her mother watched Debbie. She had plans to shop for the children the next day. Before talking to her mother that evening, she had talked on the telephone with one of Emilio’s sisters who invited her shopping that evening, but Susan declined, stating that she was tired and had to mop the floor. She also placed several calls to Emilio’s (AKA Juney) other sister’s home, with whom Emilio lived. It is unclear whether she was trying to reach him.
In the subsequent weeks, police and the FBI interviewed over 100 people associated with Caira, including friends, family, acquaintances and her estranged husband, but to no avail.
Caira‘s neighbor, whose apartment abutted Caira’s, reportedly heard a car door shut at about 11:30, as a movie she was watching concluded and the news came on. She looked outside to see two men walk up to the Caira home at the rear of the building From a vehicle parked under a street light, but screened by a hedge. Before the men entered, she reported that she heard a muffled conversation. Through the wall she heard sounds she described as loud, as if furniture was being moved around. She assumed that one of the men was Caira’s brother and he had come to help Caira move something like the refrigerator. She stated that she did not hear any hollering or screaming. Police surmised scuff marks on the floor were related to a struggle, as Caira had recently mopped, as indicated by the mop and bucket left out. The only items missing according to Fortier were a pair of pajamas and a house coat.
The investigation reached a dead end within a few months, and then went cold. As an old newspaper article from the time of the abduction stated, “Who wanted Susan Caira out of the way?”
The Newton Graphic, October 1968 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
