MN MN - Susan Swedell, 19, Lake Elmo, 19 Jan 1988

[dotr]

Jan. 27, 2024 rbbm
VIDEO

Cold Case Spotlight: Sue Swedell

19-year-old Susan “Sue” Swedell vanished during a blizzard in Lake Elmo, Minnesota, on her way home from work on January 19, 1988. There is little evidence in her case. 36 years later, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office is continuing to investigate the disappearance.

www.nbcnews.com

Lake Elmo, Minnesota, authorities dedicated to solving 1988 disappearance of Sue Swedell: ‘It’s been too long’

The 19-year-old was worried about the blizzard conditions and was having car troubles when she stopped at a gas station about a mile from her home. She reportedly got into a car with a man and was never seen again.

www.nbcnews.com

''By Veronica Fulton



''The attendant initially described the man who pulled in behind Sue as having “sandy brown hair, shoulder-length” with a stocking cap on.

According to Trantham, the gas station attendant described the car he was driving as an “older model, full-sized, two-door, light-colored or cream-ish colored car.”

“Initially she said it had sport wheels,” Trantham told Dateline. “She said it was in good shape, but it was very dirty.”

About a week later, they brought the attendant into the sheriff’s office and had her look through a picture book of cars. “She pointed at a 1979 Ford LTD,” Trantham said. “She also described it as a -- as possibly being, like, a late ‘70s Thunderbird.”

 

[Reminder]

Listened to the 10 episodes of the podcast...wow just wow....Great job. Still so many questions not answered... Will they ever. I feel so much sympathy for her sister and mother. They are the sweetest people imo.

The name of the podcast is Still Missing Podcast hosted by Kara Thannert. Most of the podcast sites that once hosted it don't work anymore. But you can still find it with a little Google work or on the Internet Archive's Way Back Machine.

Here's the direct link to the podcast site as archived by the Way Back Machine:

Episodes – Still Missing Podcast

web.archive.org

It includes interviews with some of the same investigators who were interviewed for this Dateline NBC piece. It includes lots of details from early investigators and from Sue's sister Christine and some of her friends.

 

[dotr]

'Jan 27, 2024
19-year-old Susan “Sue” Swedell vanished during a blizzard in Lake Elmo, Minnesota, on her way home from work on January 19, 1988. There is little evidence in her case. 36 years later, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office is continuing to investigate the disappearance.If you have any information, please call the Washington County Sheriff’s Office Investigations Tip Line at 651-430-7850. You can also contact the BCA Tip Line at 877-996-6222.'

 

[BethAnn777]

The name of the podcast is Still Missing Podcast hosted by Kara Thannert. Most of the podcast sites that once hosted it don't work anymore. But you can still find it with a little Google work or on the Internet Archive's Way Back Machine.

Here's the direct link to the podcast site as archived by the Way Back Machine:

Episodes – Still Missing Podcast

web.archive.org

It includes interviews with some of the same investigators who were interviewed for this Dateline NBC piece. It includes lots of details from early investigators and from Sue's sister Christine and some of her friends.

Thanks for the link to the podcast. I have been looking for it.
Do we know why it is as removed?

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Could the teens’ disappearances be connected? St. Paul police have long called Mark Steven Wallace, a convicted sex offender, a person of interest in Lee’s case
….
Mark Wallace’s timeline, behavior and vehicle description matched with several details of Swedell’s case, said Washington County Sheriff’s Detective Nick Sullivan, who added that Wallace hasn’t been ruled out as a suspect in the case.

It’s been decades since Hang Lee and Susan Swedell disappeared. What happened to the teens?

A search for answers weighs heavily on investigators and families.

www.twincities.com

 

[OddOneOut]

Unfortunately, it appears most of the evidence in this case has been destroyed. Of course, little was known about DNA back in 1988 and no effort was made to collect and preserve it. Phone records from the "chats" she had with unknown men when she ran up that $300 phone bill are probably long gone. Dishes that the person that entered their house used were washed. The dishes and especially the silverware might have had DNA on it. The red pantsuit was later worn by her sister and probably washed a number of times before LE collected it. The car was picked up the driven by her mother. It is going to be very hard to solve and prosecute this case unless her body is found along with more evidence of who killed her. Of course, we don't know what evidence the police may have and kept back from the public.

 

[Megnut]

Dbm

Already posted

 

[Reminder]

Thanks for the link to the podcast. I have been looking for it.
Do we know why it is as removed?

Hi BethAnn, I'm not sure. The word I got is that the podcaster got busy with other things and couldn't sustain the site. Their home site disappeared around the same time, but has had a placeholder "coming soon" page for several months. So maybe they have plans for a 2nd season? I'm really not sure. I haven't been able to get a response from them.

 

[BethAnn777]

Anyone remember hearing about a friend of Susan’s who had his house broken into shortly after Sue’s disappearance. He said some of his mom’s clothes were stolen. I think he said a girl also called his house and asked for him, but used his full name which no one but Sue did. Maybe Mike or Michael? Anyone remember this? If so, do you have a link or any further info?

 

[Reminder]

Anyone remember hearing about a friend of Susan’s who had his house broken into shortly after Sue’s disappearance. He said some of his mom’s clothes were stolen.

Her boyfriend talked about that in the Still Missing Podcast, episodes 7 and 10.

I think it's important to take what this guy is saying cautiously. This interview was recorded 30 years after Sue's disappearance and this is the first time he is really trying to connect these dots. He is also being led by the podcaster to offer theories and speculation off the cuff as to what might have happened to Sue.

Keep in mind that Northeast Minneapolis is densely populated and there was and always has been a much higher crime rate there than in Lake Elmo. It's about 30 minutes from Lake Elmo with good traffic. Lots of homeless and poor people in Minneapolis even in the 1980s who might have been looking for clothing and blankets.

I think he said a girl also called his house and asked for him, but used his full name which no one but Sue did. Maybe Mike or Michael? Anyone remember this? If so, do you have a link or any further info?

I've never heard the name Mike or Michael associated with any of Sue's friends. I know this boyfriend's name wasn't Mike. He has posted on the Swedell Strong Facebook page. I've never heard that Sue would ask for him by full name. As for the girl calling his house and asking for him by full name, I've never heard that one either. It doesn't sound right, because if that had been the mark of one of Sue's calls, anybody at his family home would have known it was Sue and they all were aware that she was missing. So I'm wondering if you have this mixed up with another case? I've just never heard anything like this before.

 

[BethAnn777]

Her boyfriend talked about that in the Still Missing Podcast, episodes 7 and 10.

I think it's important to take what this guy is saying cautiously. This interview was recorded 30 years after Sue's disappearance and this is the first time he is really trying to connect these dots. He is also being led by the podcaster to offer theories and speculation off the cuff as to what might have happened to Sue.

Keep in mind that Northeast Minneapolis is densely populated and there was and always has been a much higher crime rate there than in Lake Elmo. It's about 30 minutes from Lake Elmo with good traffic. Lots of homeless and poor people in Minneapolis even in the 1980s who might have been looking for clothing and blankets.



I've never heard the name Mike or Michael associated with any of Sue's friends. I know this boyfriend's name wasn't Mike. He has posted on the Swedell Strong Facebook page. I've never heard that Sue would ask for him by full name. As for the girl calling his house and asking for him by full name, I've never heard that one either. It doesn't sound right, because if that had been the mark of one of Sue's calls, anybody at his family home would have known it was Sue and they all were aware that she was missing. So I'm wondering if you have this mixed up with another case? I've just never heard anything like this before.

Thanks for your response. I will keep searching for something about the phone call as I’m fairly certain is was in regards to this case. I don’t know the boyfriend’s name, but can you tell me, is it a name that has a full name and a shortened name?

I immediately thought the break in had nothing to do with Sue, but really, who knows. It’s just one more oddity in a series of oddities.

I listened to the podcast you referenced and hearing the boyfriend talk is what brought back to me the memory of the phone call. In the article I read, it referred to him being Sue’s friend. Now I am putting it together that it was her boyfriend/ex boyfriend.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Feb. 13, 2024, will be Susan Swedell’s 56th birthday. Jan. 19 marked the 36-year anniversary of when she went missing just a mile away from her home in Lake Elmo.

In fall 2023, the Stillwater Police Department put together a bulletin board of missing Minnesotans. One of those missing Minnesotans is Swedell.

A case now 36 years old, Susan’s sister, mother, and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office have not given up on searching for answers.

Local cold case gets national attention

Feb. 13, 2024, will be Susan Swedell’s 56th birthday. Jan. 19 marked the 36-year anniversary of when she went missing just a mile away from her home in Lake Elmo.

www.hometownsource.com

 

[Reminder]

View attachment 481030
Feb. 13, 2024, will be Susan Swedell’s 56th birthday. Jan. 19 marked the 36-year anniversary of when she went missing just a mile away from her home in Lake Elmo.

In fall 2023, the Stillwater Police Department put together a bulletin board of missing Minnesotans. One of those missing Minnesotans is Swedell.

A case now 36 years old, Susan’s sister, mother, and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office have not given up on searching for answers.

Local cold case gets national attention

Feb. 13, 2024, will be Susan Swedell’s 56th birthday. Jan. 19 marked the 36-year anniversary of when she went missing just a mile away from her home in Lake Elmo.

www.hometownsource.com

Thanks for posting this article from the Stillwater, Lake Elmo Gazette.

 

[BethAnn777]

MN - MN - Deanna Marie Joy, 21, Maplewood, July 1994

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) Deanna Marie Joy – The Charley Project Deanna Marie Joy Joy, circa 1994 Missing Since07/01/1994 Missing FromMaplewood, Minnesota ClassificationEndangered Missing Date of Birth03/12/1973 (46) Age21 years old Height and Weight5'6...

www.websleuths.com

I wonder if this case could be connected to Sue’s? Deanna was 21 and went missing after meeting a new male acquaintance to look at a car she was considering purchasing. There were witnesses that saw her enter his car, but I can’t find mention of what the car looked like. Also no description of the guy. This happened about 9 miles from where Sue went missing and it occurred six years after Sue went missing.

Deanna had been working at a convenience store and quit shortly before her disappearance.

I’d like to know:
Was Deanna receiving calls at work? Possibly from someone named Dale?
Why did she leave her job?
Are there any POIs in Deanna’s case?
Did Deanna ever frequent Bumpers Dance Club like Sue did?
Did Deanna call chat lines like Sue did?

Thoughts?

 

[summergirl1]

Yeah, I think they could be connected. Maybe he was a customer at the convenience store and she got to know him well enough that he mentioned he had a car for sale or was selling his car which she had seen?

Or it could be the same guy ran a fake newspaper ad and Deanna unfortunately responded to it? Maybe if who he wasn't looking for ( younger women, presumably) called about the car, that he just said it was sold or he had changed his mind or something. Or possibly it was a real newspaper ad and when he saw her he decided to take advantage of the situation.

 

[dotr]

Associated thread, cross-posted.

MN - MN - Hang Lee, 17, St Paul, 12 Jan 1993

Updated article from the Pioneer Press. Behind a paywall so it's archived. https://archive.md/n7kn8

www.websleuths.com

2023 lengthy article concerning both women..

It’s been decades since Hang Lee and Susan Swedell disappeared. What happened to the teens?

A search for answers weighs heavily on investigators and families.

www.twincities.com

''Searching for Susan​

What breaks Christine Swedell’s heart is realizing that there is “no way” her older sister’s case could go unsolved today.

Susan ''Swedell is shown in a photo taken about a month before she went missing on January 19, 1988. (Courtesy of the Swedell family)
Susan Swedell’s family could have tracked her location using an app on her cellphone, and there would be security-camera footage of her everywhere, Christine Swedell said. “The media coverage would be immediate,” she said. “It would be all over social media. We didn’t have any of that 35 years ago.”

 

[Reminder]

MN - MN - Deanna Marie Joy, 21, Maplewood, July 1994

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) Deanna Marie Joy – The Charley Project Deanna Marie Joy Joy, circa 1994 Missing Since07/01/1994 Missing FromMaplewood, Minnesota ClassificationEndangered Missing Date of Birth03/12/1973 (46) Age21 years old Height and Weight5'6...

www.websleuths.com

I wonder if this case could be connected to Sue’s? Deanna was 21 and went missing after meeting a new male acquaintance to look at a car she was considering purchasing. There were witnesses that saw her enter his car, but I can’t find mention of what the car looked like. Also no description of the guy. This happened about 9 miles from where Sue went missing and it occurred six years after Sue went missing.

Deanna had been working at a convenience store and quit shortly before her disappearance.

I’d like to know:
Was Deanna receiving calls at work? Possibly from someone named Dale?
Why did she leave her job?
Are there any POIs in Deanna’s case?
Did Deanna ever frequent Bumpers Dance Club like Sue did?
Did Deanna call chat lines like Sue did?

Thoughts?

Another one I hadn't heard of. Thanks for posting this BethAnn777.

 

[summergirl1]

Some cases get less publicity, but by comparing them to more publicized cases, maybe both can get solved. Jacob Wetterling's case got solved because one of the person's of interest was proven to be involved in a lesser incident, and was suspected of being involved in some assaults against young boys (although he never confessed to those). It was by looking at the lesser incidents and finding DNA in one case, and then searching his home, that the suspect was able to be arrested, and then he confessed to the much larger crime of Jacob's murder. So sometimes lesser crimes or more obscure missing persons cases can get the dots connected..

 

[BethAnn777]

My theory:
Sue talked to Dale that day on the phone while working, so he knew where she worked and where she was that night. He was waiting for her in the parking lot at Kmart when she got off work. Planned or not, not sure. Either way, Sue wanted him to meet her mom. It didn’t raise the alarm bells when he was there and said hey I’m free tonight and I’d love to meet your mom and sister, I won’t stay long because I know you are planning to watch a movie with them. Having someone follow her home in the bad weather was also a comfort. Her car overheats, she pulls into the gas station, since he was planning to go to her house anyways, off they go together in his car. Even at 19 I understood that a car overheating needed to cool down, and cooling down takes time. She simply thought, we’ll go to my house and visit for a bit and then he can take me back to get my car and then I’ll take it home. The car would have time to cool down and she was only a mile ish from home.

Or-
I wonder if that gas station sold coolant? Dale could have said they’d stop elsewhere to get coolant and bring it right back to put in the car. Seems easy enough. Car fixed and Sue can head home. No need to grab all of her stuff if she thought she’d be right back.

Is it a coincidence that Dale also got gas? I mean who plans to abduct someone on an empty tank of gas?

Sue’s family said she needed her glasses and why did she leave them in the car, but if she needed them so badly, why weren’t the glasses on her face?

I do believe Dale was from the chat lines. It doesn’t make sense to me that he would be from the under 21 dance club Bumpers. I also don’t think it was some rando stalking her from work. She hadn’t been working at either of her jobs very long. I don’t think it was someone from college or else why didn’t they do something while she was there before she moved home.

He told Sue his name was Dale and he was a stripper. If he was working as a stripper, that seems it would narrow things down, a lot! Where would a man be working as a stripper in that area in the 80’s? Any thoughts?

 

[BethAnn777]

Chat line commercial from 1988 that aired in Minnesota. Interesting just to see something similar to what Sue might have watched and then called.