The Springfield Three--missing since June 1992 - #6

[Alinew]

Streeter's ex boyfriend Dustin Recla and his friends, Michael Clay and Joseph Riedel had dug up a skull from a local graveyard and pawned gold teeth they took from the skull. Streeter was interviewed by police about the this after which there was tension between Recla and Streeter and Michael Clay allegedly said he wanted all three women dead. Streeter was supposed to witness in their trial. With Streeter missing, they were acquitted due to lack of evidence. Anyone who watched the 48 episode knows this. In the victims' support group Recla seems to make an effort to look like he's crying but no tears fall out of his eyes. It seems like acting. Later when he talks to TV group he seems completely emotionless and cold.

Considering there were no obvious of struggle and three women just vanished without making a sound, it suggests they knew whoever took them and had at least some trust in them. The fact that three went missing at the same time might also suggest there were more than one abductors. This doesn't look like stranger abduction and certainly not something only one abductor would be able to pull off. Also why would a stranger make the effort of hiding all three bodies? The crime Recla, Clay and Riedel committed before the women went missing, says a lot about what kind of people they are, you have to be cold to be able to do what they did.

It seems to me the ex boyfriend and one or more of his friends are responsible. Police have said they haven't ruled Recla and Clay out and could not confirm their alibis.

 

[dexter75]

Agree. Most perps are close to the victim. In this case, an ex of one of them.

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[TexasT]

Alinew
They claim a deal was made for probation so there was no motive . That said , setting a corpse on fire and prying fillings out is hardly a child prank like TPing a house . Pretty disturbing behavior no matter how you color it .
That said that group isn't all that bright and for no one ex GF ect has come forward in 24 years leads me to think they aren't responsible .
TT


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[Alinew]

Someone on Topix says Michael Clay was forced to go to a drug rehab as one condition of their sentence. And what they did in the cemetary, they hardly needed much of a motive, they're sick individuals. Also the way Recla went to the victim's support group meant for the girls families and friends and twisted his face in an attempt to look like he's crying but no tears come out. It seems like an attempt to make him look innocent. Their relationship was over by the time the women went missing and there was tension between him and Suzie, so there was no reason for him to take part in the victim's support group. He also talks like he is the victim in this, typical for sociopaths.

I think the loyalty between Clay and Recla could explain why they have kept quiet. If you look at their Facebook, they are still in contact and seem to have a bond after 20 years and apparently living in different places. I don't know what happened to Riedel, maybe if he's still alive and if he was involved, he could be the weak link if in fact these men are involved.

 

[MSCJgrad]

Glad to see this forum back up and running. I am a local currently, and I was at the time as well. How do I go about becoming verified, so that if there are any questions pertaining to the area, I could do my best to answer? I have no insider knowledge of this case, just grew up in the area.

 

[monkeymann]

Glad to see this forum back up and running. I am a local currently, and I was at the time as well. How do I go about becoming verified, so that if there are any questions pertaining to the area, I could do my best to answer? I have no insider knowledge of this case, just grew up in the area.

Being a local back when the 3MW crime occurred, I think it would be beneficial to everyone to know some of the "Local Rumors or Theories" that were going around. Not the ones coming from the Police, but the ones that people were talking about amongst their peers at the time the crime occurred or shortly afterwards. Certainly there were local theories that started early in the case. May be some of them have some similarities to them, and possibly hold some grain of truth that might help solve this case.

Any help with this would be appreciated.

 

[pittsburghgirl]

There is a sticky at the top of the main website with directions as to what to do to become verified.

 

[MSCJgrad]

There has been every theory imaginable thrown around at church functions, park BBQ's, ball games, etc. The only ones that 'stuck' have involved the bodies being located under what is now a parking lot at a local hospital; the mysterious van being somehow associated, and LE knowing more than they lead on. There have been hundreds of other rumors, but nothing else that really stuck around. Early-early, like the day after and following week or so, there was chatter of drug involvement or knowledge of drug involvement that led to the ladies being killed at a farm, I believe. For the most part, early on in this case it was mostly just a sense of shock and panic. Springfield has grown incredibly over the years, and back then, it was still a small town, safe area to raise your kids. We didn't even have a functioning lock on our front door until the early 2000's.

Being a local back when the 3MW crime occurred, I think it would be beneficial to everyone to know some of the "Local Rumors or Theories" that were going around. Not the ones coming from the Police, but the ones that people were talking about amongst their peers at the time the crime occurred or shortly afterwards. Certainly there were local theories that started early in the case. May be some of them have some similarities to them, and possibly hold some grain of truth that might help solve this case.

Any help with this would be appreciated.

 

[TexasT]

Springfield has grown incredibly over the years, and back then, it was still a small town, safe area to raise your kids. We didn't even have a functioning lock on our front door until the early 2000's.

No kidding I visited last summer , first time in 20 years . Lots of business boarded up , homeless ect . Of course Glenstone / Delmar not far off from I-44 with transients , truckers ect .

TT


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[pittsburghgirl]

I re-read a lot of the old stuff here last night after seeing the Disappeared episode again on youtube. I guess it's just this time of year that brings thought of Suzie and Stacy, new graduates, and Suzie's mom, Sherrill, who was no doubt proud of her daughter moving into adulthood. I saw this article from a few years ago online. http://ozarksentinel.com/springfield-missing-three/
It's a pretty good summary of what was known 6 or 7 years ago. Right now, there's a clock at the top of the page, clicking through the seconds showing how long the three women have been missing. There's also a reference to a book on the case, which I hadn't heard about.

 

[monkeymann]

I re-read a lot of the old stuff here last night after seeing the Disappeared episode again on youtube. I guess it's just this time of year that brings thought of Suzie and Stacy, new graduates, and Suzie's mom, Sherrill, who was no doubt proud of her daughter moving into adulthood. I saw this article from a few years ago online. http://ozarksentinel.com/springfield-missing-three/
It's a pretty good summary of what was known 6 or 7 years ago. Right now, there's a clock at the top of the page, clicking through the seconds showing how long the three women have been missing. There's also a reference to a book on the case, which I hadn't heard about.

The OzarkSentinel is owned by the person who wrote the book. The book is Garbage! Written at the expense of the 3MW, and published for personal gain.

The content of the book is unfounded, poorly written, and is riddled with errors. One of the main initial suspects names is even misquoted.

The author's conclusion is that the GGMC was responsible for the 3MW crime........which is total BS!! The author shows nothing in the book that supports that theory.......NOTHING!

Do yourself a favor and ignore anything published by the Ozark Sentinel, and ignore the "Book"........

 

[pittsburghgirl]

Ha! Too late! I read it and had my own disagreements, mostly based on my standards for nonfiction writing, e.g., writers don't get to make up dialogue. Or present hypothetical scenarios as the truth. The notion that a motorcycle club would have 2 women murdered who may or may not have known anything about drug deal from old boyfriends and who may or may not have been asked about drug crimes in relation to a legal proceeding that had nothing to do with the gang or drugs is not credible. By that logic, the grave robbers would have been the targets. I also like a book that proceeds in some sort of orderly fashion. Moreover, the notion that his main suspect, Garrison, would kill three women for this nebulous motive but would not follow his demonstrated interest in sexual assault doesn't make sense.

That said, it's intriguing that the results of the property searches that were done in response to tips are under seal. This case deserves a really good book, based on whatever evidence is out there. Thanks for the response. I wondered what others thought about the book.

 

[monkeymann]

Ha! Too late! I read it and had my own disagreements, mostly based on my standards for nonfiction writing, e.g., writers don't get to make up dialogue. Or present hypothetical scenarios as the truth. The notion that a motorcycle club would have 2 women murdered who may or may not have known anything about drug deal from old boyfriends and who may or may not have been asked about drug crimes in relation to a legal proceeding that had nothing to do with the gang or drugs is not credible. By that logic, the grave robbers would have been the targets. I also like a book that proceeds in some sort of orderly fashion. Moreover, the notion that his main suspect, Garrison, would kill three women for this nebulous motive but would not follow his demonstrated interest in sexual assault doesn't make sense.

That said, it's intriguing that the results of the property searches that were done in response to tips are under seal. This case deserves a really good book, based on whatever evidence is out there. Thanks for the response. I wondered what others thought about the book.

I totally agree!! It would be nice to have a "Good Book" written about the case that is based on known facts, and inconsistencies.

 

[Ibiz]

I re-read a lot of the old stuff here last night after seeing the Disappeared episode again on youtube. I guess it's just this time of year that brings thought of Suzie and Stacy, new graduates, and Suzie's mom, Sherrill, who was no doubt proud of her daughter moving into adulthood. I saw this article from a few years ago online. http://ozarksentinel.com/springfield-missing-three/
It's a pretty good summary of what was known 6 or 7 years ago. Right now, there's a clock at the top of the page, clicking through the seconds showing how long the three women have been missing. There's also a reference to a book on the case, which I hadn't heard about.

That article seems to name a good suspect. He had the same type of van and so-on.

 

[monkeymann]

That article seems to name a good suspect. He had the same type of van and so-on.

Which suspect are you referring to that also had the van? The article didn't mention which suspect had a van right???

 

[fullmoon]

Twenty-four years ago today! Still no answers. I'm afraid the only way to get LE to dust off the case files in their basement archives is for Springfield residents to pressure Springfield City Council members to appropriate funds in their budget to hire a cold case investigator. There are also government grants available for cold case investigations. I think there should be some law that limits the time in which LE can keep cold case information from the public. If LE can't solve a case after, for example, 25 years, then the public should be allowed to access the files. The cold cases of Jacob Wetterling and the Keddie murders moved closer to getting solved recently due to the power of public message boards. A poster on Websleuths used to say that nobody on message boards has ever solved a cold case, but that may not be the case anymore. I truly believe the police do not know who is responsible for the Springfield 3 crime. They've forgotten about it because the investigation was botched early on and they don't want to be reminded of it. Give the public access to the files. Maybe they can move this case forward.

 

[TexasT]

Unless the suspect / suspects are deceased someone knows something . They need some philanthropist to offer a million dollar reward . Some guy paid 4.3M for " basketball rules" . What are 3 lives worth ?

TT


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[pittsburghgirl]

I agree on all points. And I would love to see a GREAT book on this case by a serious writer. See the work James Renner did on the Maura Murray case, for example. This case is not at all analogous, as I don't see the resolution being in some past secrets of any of the three missing women, but a thorough dig with FOIA requests by a cold case investigator who can write might move things forward.

 

[dexter75]

I agree on all points. And I would love to see a GREAT book on this case by a serious writer. See the work James Renner did on the Maura Murray case, for example. This case is not at all analogous, as I don't see the resolution being in some past secrets of any of the three missing women, but a thorough dig with FOIA requests by a cold case investigator who can write might move things forward.

James Renner has done an excellent job, IMO

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[dexter75]

Twenty-four years ago today! Still no answers. I'm afraid the only way to get LE to dust off the case files in their basement archives is for Springfield residents to pressure Springfield City Council members to appropriate funds in their budget to hire a cold case investigator. There are also government grants available for cold case investigations. I think there should be some law that limits the time in which LE can keep cold case information from the public. If LE can't solve a case after, for example, 25 years, then the public should be allowed to access the files. The cold cases of Jacob Wetterling and the Keddie murders moved closer to getting solved recently due to the power of public message boards. A poster on Websleuths used to say that nobody on message boards has ever solved a cold case, but that may not be the case anymore. I truly believe the police do not know who is responsible for the Springfield 3 crime. They've forgotten about it because the investigation was botched early on and they don't want to be reminded of it. Give the public access to the files. Maybe they can move this case forward.

I absolutely agree with this! It WAS us sleuthers, who gave Tammy Alexander her identity if I recall correctly.

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