Missouri - The Springfield Three--missing since June 1992 - #16

[eyeseestars]

eyeseestars,

Please see excerpt and bolded sentences below from NL 06/07/02; then my comment following.

News-Leader 06/07/2002
(Snipped for word count)

Janis was a little upset that her daughter didn't stay where she had planned to sleep. But she would talk with Stacy about that later.

For the time being, she called Suzie's and left instructions on the answering machine for Stacy to call her when she returned.

Like Janelle and Mike, Janis was worried but not alarmed. The McCall family went to Lake Springfield to watch miniature boats race, as planned. Janis' mother from Oklahoma was in town, and the family enjoyed a hot day in the sun together.

Janis had talked to Janelle, who explained that she and Mike couldn't find Stacy and Suzie.

As the day wore on, Janis' voice on Suzie's answer machine was getting more frantic, her concern evident. Her worry grew when she got a call from a friend, the mother of one of Stacy's close friends.

"Are you aware Stacy's purse and her car and Suzie's car is still at Sherrill's house but the girls aren't?" the woman said.

The sun was starting to set. Janis and one of her two older daughters jumped in the car and drove toward the tiny house on Delmar. The plan was that the sister would drive Stacy's car home.

"I was going to let her look for her car and clothes," Janis says. "I thought, `That serves you right. You didn't let me know anything and I won't let you know.'"
-------------------------------------
Now, at this point Mrs. McCall has worried all day and has been made well aware of the strange circumstances at Delmar; but yet on the drive to Delmar she is thinking of punishing Stacy? Goes to show you that she didn't have an inkling either. Hindsight is 20/20. This only highlights that no one - not even Mrs. McCall - a mom - in her wildest dreams couldn't fathom that her daughter, Suzanne and Mrs. Levitt had been abducted. Yet, Janelle should have? Yes, after knowing their daughter's clothes, habits, etc. and instinct - Mrs. McCall called her husband. They knew LE needed to be called.

Where was janelle at 10:30? Why didn’t janelle tell mrs McCall she had been to the house? Why didn’t janelle tell police about the 3:30 visit? Why didn’t she tell the police about the obscene phone calls? Why didn’t she call someone at that point or for the next four hours after that if she was so worried she was crying? Why was she wet at 10:00pm? Why did her mother’s story change from 1) I last saw Susie and Stacy at 9:00pm, then to 2) At 2am I asked them to stay the night here but they declined because they didn’t want to impose, to 3) I last heard them outside at 2:00am but didn’t talk to them..... These are all questions that need answering. There may indeed be a legitimate (albeit silly) reason having to do with janelle’s reputation but until we can understand that, none of this adds up.

As for mrs McCall, I would say that as a parent, a mental defense exists that prevents you from believing anything horrific has happened to your child. She still (to my knowledge) has not had Stacy declared legally dead even today. Her actions of being “mad” in my opinion were nothing more than a self preservation tactic once she heard that the purses and keys and cars were at the home and she realized something was truly amiss. Up until that point, she had not been to the house or been notified by Janelle (the person who had by then been to the house three times) of the grim circumstances. Once she was notified of these facts she went directly to the home where everyone, including Janelle, her mother and father, etc were apparently laying in wait to descend moments later. She then still called the police who arrived within the hour, all the while openly wondering about the kirby’s strange behavior of making coffee and lounging about.

we can debate these points all day long and come to different conclusions, but until I am satisfied that Janelle was simply hiding something like her sexual escapades with Mike, I will continue to find her actions extremely suspicious.

 

[TexasT]

eyeseestars,

Please see excerpt and bolded sentences below from NL 06/07/02; then my comment following.

News-Leader 06/07/2002
(Snipped for word count)

Janis was a little upset that her daughter didn't stay where she had planned to sleep. But she would talk with Stacy about that later.

For the time being, she called Suzie's and left instructions on the answering machine for Stacy to call her when she returned.

Like Janelle and Mike, Janis was worried but not alarmed. The McCall family went to Lake Springfield to watch miniature boats race, as planned. Janis' mother from Oklahoma was in town, and the family enjoyed a hot day in the sun together.

Janis had talked to Janelle, who explained that she and Mike couldn't find Stacy and Suzie.

As the day wore on, Janis' voice on Suzie's answer machine was getting more frantic, her concern evident. Her worry grew when she got a call from a friend, the mother of one of Stacy's close friends.

"Are you aware Stacy's purse and her car and Suzie's car is still at Sherrill's house but the girls aren't?" the woman said.

The sun was starting to set. Janis and one of her two older daughters jumped in the car and drove toward the tiny house on Delmar. The plan was that the sister would drive Stacy's car home.

"I was going to let her look for her car and clothes," Janis says. "I thought, `That serves you right. You didn't let me know anything and I won't let you know.'"
-------------------------------------
Now, at this point Mrs. McCall has worried all day and has been made well aware of the strange circumstances at Delmar; but yet on the drive to Delmar she is thinking of punishing Stacy? Goes to show you that she didn't have an inkling either. Hindsight is 20/20. This only highlights that no one - not even Mrs. McCall - a mom - in her wildest dreams couldn't fathom that her daughter, Suzanne and Mrs. Levitt had been abducted. Yet, Janelle should have? Yes, after knowing their daughter's clothes, habits, etc. and instinct - Mrs. McCall called her husband. They knew LE needed to be called.

When Janis saw the scene she immediately knew something was not right . That’s the difference here . She wasn’t privy to the visual scenes that MHH & JK just kept ignoring .

 

[Seeker994]

Technically speaking, Janelle and Mike broke into 1717 East Delmar. True, my door would never be left unlocked. However, if my friends noticed my car at the house and decided to let themselves in because I didn't answer the door, I wouldn't be very happy.

Whenever I was 7 and under I would walk into Great Aunts and Uncles properties without knocking. This is because I was a child who lived a "stone throw" distance from them at the time and had their permission.

What do we know about Sherrill? We know she took pride in her home, enjoyed working on projects, and was somewhat of a "private" person. Needless to say, I don't think she would have been happy coming back to learn so many people rummaged throughout her house while she wasn't there. IMO someone who came by Delmar that Sunday knew Sherill would not be returning.

I also agree with the whole "sex could have happened in the house." In High School, I had a pair of friends who didn't care where they had to sneak off to do the deed. Also. from all the movies and shows I've watched filmed in the early 90's sex was much more of a "big deal" back then. Almost everyone was doing it, but parents still wanted to cling to the idea that "abstinence" was what all the kids were practicing.

Speaking of it being the 90's, manners also played a heavier role at the time. IMO it would be very rude to enter someone's property and rummage through their things.

 

[eyeseestars]

I’ll run with the Janelle and mike sexed it up in the house theory for a minute. Let’s pretend there was some reason for them to think Sherrill also went to WW and would be gone the whole day so they decided to skip the trip, make out in the house until closer to closing time and pretend to her parents they went anyway (because how would they know)? I could see this happening....IF Sherrill was the type of person to tag along with teenagers (which I don’t think she seemed to be), and IF one of the cars was missing and IF her purse hasn’t been sitting there along with her wallet and keys and smokes and STACY’S SWIMSUIT and IF the house hadn’t been left wide open. But surely, SURELY someone thinking about doing the dirty in someone else’s house would at LEAST look at the scene to assure themselves some privacy. Cause I mean, how freaking embarrassing if she had walked in?!

maybe I’m underestimating the pair in just how horny they could have been, but I’ve done some wild things in my day and I assure you it wouldn’t have been in that house with that scene in front of me. A scene which at first glance suggests they will be right back and which, after an hour or two, starts looking really, really nefarious. It could, however, explain the wet clothes (if janelle was still attempting to convince her parents she had been somewhere other than an empty house all day) but still doesn’t explain waiting until that night to tell someone about the missing women and still doesn’t explain not telling the police about the phone calls.

 

[:+:MrTT:+:]

In a nut shell. My theory has always been and still is today. That one or 2 probably 2 were setting across the street in a vehicle when the girls arrived home. They were watching the girls enter and knew they were alone. They pulled along side the carport at the house or next door. and got out smashed the globe around the porch light. The door opened right to left as your facing it i believe. When the door was open to investigate the pert made entry that way. Just a quick post on a theory based on nothing but what i have read over the years

 

[Ibiz]

it's not really the "going in" part that bothers me. If they simply went inside after seeing the broken glass and no one answering the door... then seeing that they weren't there but purses were, etc. and then at LEAST called Stacy's mom, then sure. It's all the hanging out in between, cleaning up, listening to messages, even possibly messing with Sherrill's bed....all without calling Ms McCall, the police or anyone that bothers me. It just doesn't make any sort of sense no matter how you slice it. And this all went down in this house that they claim to never have stepped foot inside before.

We're talking HOURS here and numerous (at least three, possibly four) visits to the home.

I know Kirby ansewerd the phone a couple of times, but I believe it was Mrs. McCall who fiddled with the answering machine while listening and erasing messages. There was at least one message that police believed to be relative to the women's disappearance. To this day, no one knows what it said except for Mrs. McCall and the police.

It was never normal to go into a friend's house, where no one was home, and hang out.

It was in my neighborhood which was a Detroit suburb. Infact, when this story aired on AMW, I didnt question or even give it a second thought. It sounded perfectly normal to me.

Why? Because at 7:30pm realizing things weren't adding up - JK called them seeking advice/assistance? Per police incident report JK & MH, JK's parents, Adina + parent, Mr. & Mrs. McCall + 2 daughters = 10. Understandable.
Who are the additional 8 or more?

I thought some of Sherrel's relatives came by and made coffee and cleaned up.

Nevertheless, it seemed as the women may have left for some kind of emergency which would explain why people would be hanging out waiting and answering the phone and stuff.

yes and lived a couple blocks from Delmar . And NO it wasn’t ...

So you know the neighborhood?

 

[lisaNYC]

I thought some of Sherrel's relatives came by and made coffee and cleaned up.

No, none of Sherrill's relatives came by that day.

 

[Ibiz]

No, none of Sherrill's relatives came by that day.

Welp, I'm assuming that they thought the women were going to come bursting through the door at any minute with a big story to tell, and maybe get chewed out by Sherrel for loafing around her house.

 

[Jdgreene]

Thoughts? If not allowed, please delete. It is anecdotal, but could this be any “witness” for discussing?

 

[lisaNYC]

Thoughts? If not allowed, please delete. It is anecdotal, but could this be any “witness” for discussing?

This will probably answer the first two questions:
Zoo History – Dickerson Park Zoo

 

[Seeker994]

I'm confused. What about the Zoo?

 

[lisaNYC]

I'm confused. What about the Zoo?

Jdgreene posted a screenshot of someone asking "who owns the Dickerson Zoo". I don't know who or where that screenshot came from but it reminded me of something Arktimetraveler would post

 

[catcon]

Thoughts? If not allowed, please delete. It is anecdotal, but could this be any “witness” for discussing?

Right after it happened, television, radio, and papers were flooded with the news, my sister said that's where the police should look... This post is the first time I've ever known about someone else considering the zoo a potential place to search.

 

[lisaNYC]

Right after it happened, television, radio, and papers were flooded with the news, my sister said that's where the police should look... This post is the first time I've ever known about someone else considering the zoo a potential place to search.

Is it because people think what happened to Carole F'ing Baskin's "missing" husband happened to them?

 

[catcon]

Is it because people think what happened to Carole F'ing Baskin's "missing" husband happened to them?

I love that!! This was in 1992, long before Carole killed her husband!

Honestly, I'm not sure why my sister felt Dickerson Zoo was the place. There used to be a really overgrown, swampy area at the very back of the property, it sat on the northeast corner of Kansas Avenue and Norton Road. Cathy said that's where she thought they were --- the police should search there.

 

[TedMac]

DBM

 

[TedMac]

I love that!! This was in 1992, long before Carole killed her husband!

Honestly, I'm not sure why my sister felt Dickerson Zoo was the place. There used to be a really overgrown, swampy area at the very back of the property, it sat on the northeast corner of Kansas Avenue and Norton Road. Cathy said that's where she thought they were --- the police should search there.

Welcome to Websleuths!

Could you share with us why your sister thought that? And did she share her thoughts with LE?

 

[catcon]

Welcome to Websleuths!
Could you share with us why your sister thought that? And did she share her thoughts with LE?

Thank you!

If one were to Google North Kansas Avenue and West Norton Road, Springfield, MO - the photo would show the overgrown area I described earlier.

Cathy is no longer here for me to ask, but I believe she was "sleuthing". Kansas Avenue is Missouri Hwy 13 that runs the entire length of the state. US I44 West is an approximate 90 minute drive to the Oklahoma border.

 

[catcon]

Thoughts? If not allowed, please delete. It is anecdotal, but could this be any “witness” for discussing?

The house that sits behind Boyd Elementary is on North Benton.

 

[Woofbark]

I love that!! This was in 1992, long before Carole killed her husband!

Honestly, I'm not sure why my sister felt Dickerson Zoo was the place. There used to be a really overgrown, swampy area at the very back of the property, it sat on the northeast corner of Kansas Avenue and Norton Road. Cathy said that's where she thought they were --- the police should search there.

Thank you!

If one were to Google North Kansas Avenue and West Norton Road, Springfield, MO - the photo would show the overgrown area I described earlier.

Cathy is no longer here for me to ask, but I believe she was "sleuthing". Kansas Avenue is Missouri Hwy 13 that runs the entire length of the state. US I44 West is an approximate 90 minute drive to the Oklahoma border.

Is that about 2 miles? Which other part would you search?