Missouri - The Springfield Three - missing since 7 June 1992 - #16

[Catmommy]

People seem to underestimate the persuasive power of a gun pointed directly at you, your daughter and their friend. The perp could have waited until late to be certain Sherrill would be alone. It could have been someone she recognized and opened the door for. The drama was still unfolding when the girls arrived unexpectedly. A gun is a strong coercive tool. One person could have been made to tie up and gag the others. Two people could have been made to carry a third out. All three, secured in a vehicle, could have been driven states away before their disappearance was even discovered. Lots of could'ves are possible even ones we haven't thought of yet. The fact remains that this perp was successful whatever his motive, whoever was his target and however he did it. That, and the fact they've never been found is the heartbreaker.

 

[lee sumner]

I agree with all the first two points 100%, but to the last point, I don't think the perp/s were waiting for all three of them to be together, I just think they were waiting for at least Suzie and/or Stacy to be somewhere away from the parties. Sherrill's background was extensively looked at and no one could come up with a suitor, a boyfriend, etc. And I can't see Sherrill opening the door for someone she knew casually after 11:15 p.m. that night/morning. But I can see Suzie and/or Stacy going outside to meet someone they knew pulling into the driveway, especially if this was someone from one of the parties. I think the perp/s were trying to get Suzie and/or Stacy to go with them to continue partying. When there was resistance or hesitation, a gun was drawn and things escalated from there.

carey stayner carried out triple abduction. prior to this he did not even have a criminal record. CS killed carol sund in the hotel room then moved her body to her vehicle. he then took daughter julie and her friend silvana out of the hotel room. all part of his fantasy. so point 1 is possible.

 

[lee sumner]

I still think it's possible no one was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Consider that there are lots of people around at the parties and there may have been discussion about the possible criminal cases coming up. All it would take is someone talking with or overhearing a discussion about what Suzie knew. And that Suzie had talked with her mother and now Stacy. And the same person knew they would all be together after hearing that part of the conversation.
Even though the crimes ended up not being such a big deal, people could easily over react. I doubt anyone from the parties followed them, someone could have made a simple phone call, like "Watch out, Suzie told her Mom and Stacy everything." "Yes, they just left for Suzie's house." I doubt the original intent was murder, more like intimidation but it somehow escalated. I think it's quite possible all three went outside to meet an arrival, someone they knew at least casually. The incident could have escalated outside where the light globe got broken.
I've come to this conclusion because:

• It made no sense for a random serial killer to remove all three women alive. Or remove the bodies if killed there.
• The house showed no real signs of any struggles, and I think there would have been if Sherrill was attacked before the girls arrived.
• If one or two of the victims were intended it made no sense to wait for all three to be together.

This is just my opinion after years of studying the case.

the girls clothes were at the side of the bed. i doubt they would go outside in there underwear to meet someone and if this was argument got out of hand, why were there bodies never found.

 

[TheCars1986]

If the perp/s were in the house with Sherrill when the girls arrived, this would suggest to me that the perp/s arrived shortly before the girls came home. So why would Sherrill open the door for anyone at around 2 in the morning? And if the perp/s arrived shortly after Sherrill's last phone call, what exactly where they doing inside the house for 2-3 hours? Nothing inside the home indicated a struggle. The only evidence of a possible struggle was outside with the broken globe. The book being found in Sherrill's bed indicates that she was reading when something interrupted her. The VCR and cable box being on in the living room as well as VHS tapes being lined on the coffee table suggest that Sherrill watched a movie that night.

IMO, Suzie and/or Stacy go outside to meet someone they knew, an argument quickly escalates, Sherrill hears it and comes to the door, and then a gun/s is drawn and boom...now the perp/s has control of all 3 of the women. And they wouldn't even have to enter the house.

 

[TheCars1986]

the girls clothes were at the side of the bed. i doubt they would go outside in there underwear to meet someone and if this was argument got out of hand, why were there bodies never found.

Because whoever took them already had an isolated place in mind to take them. We also have no way of knowing, despite what Janis has said over the years, if Stacy didn't throw something on of Suzie's really quick.

 

[lee sumner]

Because whoever took them already had an isolated place in mind to take them. We also have no way of knowing, despite what Janis has said over the years, if Stacy didn't throw something on of Suzie's really quick.

mccall would just reach for her own clothes if she felt unsafe in some way. streeter clothes were in basket in bedroom. it appears they were taken out of house in a fast controlled manner.

 

[lee sumner]

If the perp/s were in the house with Sherrill when the girls arrived, this would suggest to me that the perp/s arrived shortly before the girls came home. So why would Sherrill open the door for anyone at around 2 in the morning? And if the perp/s arrived shortly after Sherrill's last phone call, what exactly where they doing inside the house for 2-3 hours? Nothing inside the home indicated a struggle. The only evidence of a possible struggle was outside with the broken globe. The book being found in Sherrill's bed indicates that she was reading when something interrupted her. The VCR and cable box being on in the living room as well as VHS tapes being lined on the coffee table suggest that Sherrill watched a movie that night.

IMO, Suzie and/or Stacy go outside to meet someone they knew, an argument quickly escalates, Sherrill hears it and comes to the door, and then a gun/s is drawn and boom...now the perp/s has control of all 3 of the women. And they wouldn't even have to enter the house.

who said levitt opened door willingly. perp used ruse to get her outside. like breaking light cover beside the door.

 

[lee sumner]

Because whoever took them already had an isolated place in mind to take them. We also have no way of knowing, despite what Janis has said over the years, if Stacy didn't throw something on of Suzie's really quick.

there not the same size clothes wise.

 

[lee sumner]

You mentioned the invitation from Mrs. Elders for Stacy to stay there. Perhaps we should ask why Stacy turned down that invitation. Also, how come that invitation wasn't extended to Suzie? Could the Elder party have been the last party both girls went to that night?

teen not calling home is not strange.

 

[lee sumner]

Good for writing, Bartt! I hope someone will answer you. I will try and see if I can find the original person who said the prosecution would be difficult. I would definitely mention Asher and all that he said in the 2019 tv episode where he lied. I would mention in the letters that everyone who attended the graduation parties on June 6 needs to be interviewed again as well as any living parents of the then teenagers. It would probably be impossible, but I also think the phone records need to be checked to verify someone called while Janelle was in the house. Her and Mike's actions are still questionable to me. I would also write about Kathy Kirby and the way she threw shade at you in the second newspaper. I would also mention that Michelle Elder's wanted Stacy to spend the night with her at the last minute for some reason. If they still have any bed sheets or anything else perhaps it could be tested again. Do you know if their cars were ever dusted for prints? I would also mention looking into Dale. I wish you well, Bartt. You're a good guy and you have my full support. Whoever did this could very easily be 65+ by now. Time will eventually solve this case. I truly believe it.

cold cases do get solved yrs later, but there is no DNA in this case. hope it will get solved one day.

 

[snooptroop88]

If the perp/s were in the house with Sherrill when the girls arrived, this would suggest to me that the perp/s arrived shortly before the girls came home. So why would Sherrill open the door for anyone at around 2 in the morning? And if the perp/s arrived shortly after Sherrill's last phone call, what exactly where they doing inside the house for 2-3 hours? Nothing inside the home indicated a struggle. The only evidence of a possible struggle was outside with the broken globe. The book being found in Sherrill's bed indicates that she was reading when something interrupted her. The VCR and cable box being on in the living room as well as VHS tapes being lined on the coffee table suggest that Sherrill watched a movie that night.

IMO, Suzie and/or Stacy go outside to meet someone they knew, an argument quickly escalates, Sherrill hears it and comes to the door, and then a gun/s is drawn and boom...now the perp/s has control of all 3 of the women. And they wouldn't even have to enter the house.

Because whoever took them already had an isolated place in mind to take them. We also have no way of knowing, despite what Janis has said over the years, if Stacy didn't throw something on of Suzie's really quick.

It's all possible, honestly. This well could have been the way it happened, we don't know. But Sherrill's book down the way it is-- I'm not getting her being interrupted from that or a movie. She could have just put it down like that, turned the light out, and gone to sleep. The VCR being left on, not getting anything from that necessarily. Someone just left it on at some point, could have been anytime. Also, I don't think this person necessarily had to come around 2, it could have any time been after her phone call. The time the perp had in the house-- maybe he left and was watching the house from some other point nearby, maybe sifting through belongings so he would know what to expect... If he felt more secure watching from some point nearby, he could have taken a key, left a door unlocked.

If there was some argument outside, that escalates the chances of witnesses for the perp, and the perp would be less inclined to do what he ultimately appears to have done. Drawing a gun outside escalates the chances even further. And one of the girls wearing just underwear and a shirt outside-- even more of a problem for the perp.

I really and truly do think Suzie and Stacy called and left a message on that machine, and that he was there when it came in. Either that or he already knew about Suzie through casing the place earlier, gown/cap, cake,.. and he decided to wait for a while, maybe till day broke, taking his chances she'd arrive back. The way the three women were taken out was so controlled that I fear they were all homicide victims by the time that house was empty.

 

[TheCars1986]

mccall would just reach for her own clothes if she felt unsafe in some way. streeter clothes were in basket in bedroom. it appears they were taken out of house in a fast controlled manner.

Stacy planned on spending the night somewhere other than her home. We know she would have packed a swimsuit. It stands to reason she would have also packed some sleep clothes. Was she going to sleep at Janelle's or Brian Joy's in her underwear? Doubtful.

who said levitt opened door willingly. perp used ruse to get her outside. like breaking light cover beside the door.

The phone was working. They would have called the cops. I'm a dude and if I hear a glass shatter on the porch there's no way I'm opening the door for anyone unless it was a very close relative.

 

[TheCars1986]

But Sherrill's book down the way it is-- I'm not getting her being interrupted from that or a movie. She could have just put it down like that, turned the light out, and gone to sleep. The VCR being left on, not getting anything from that necessarily. Someone just left it on at some point, could have been anytime.

I don't think Sherrill was interrupted by someone inside the house. I think she heard something, put the book down and went out to see what it was. The VCR being on combined with the VHS tapes being laid out on the coffee table means someone watched a movie or two in that house that day. The cable box and VCR were both on according to Janis. I could see leaving one on, but both?

If there was some argument outside, that escalates the chances of witnesses for the perp, and the perp would be less inclined to do what he ultimately appears to have done. Drawing a gun outside escalates the chances even further. And one of the girls wearing just underwear and a shirt outside-- even more of a problem for the perp.

Their neighbor directly next to them was not home that night. They had an empty business building across the street and an empty dentist office next to them. They were pretty isolated in terms of neighbors. An argument wouldn't have to have gotten loud, and an introduction of a gun is an easy form of control and a way to keep things quiet. Stacy would have packed her swimsuit to go to the water park, and she planned on spending the night somewhere other than her home that night. She probably packed sleep clothes too. I doubt that she would have slept in her underwear at Janelle's house or Brian Joy's. Janis just assumed she was in her underwear because her pants that she wore post graduation were found in Suzie's room.

 

[TheCars1986]

carey stayner carried out triple abduction. prior to this he did not even have a criminal record. CS killed carol sund in the hotel room then moved her body to her vehicle. he then took daughter julie and her friend silvana out of the hotel room. all part of his fantasy. so point 1 is possible.

Stayner gained entry into their hotel room because he was a maintenance worker there and claimed there was a leak in the room above them. Then he pulled a gun on the three when inside the room. A hotel worker gaining entry to a hotel room under the ruse of a water leak is a lot easier than gaining access to someone's home sometime after midnight.

 

[lee sumner]

I can recall that the girls went to Brian Joy's house around 8-9 pm and they asked Joy if they could stay the night there and he said yes. The story goes that, at 2am, Brian changed his mind and the girls coudn´t stay there (more people had been invited to spend the night at his house. And I assume they slept there, so I wonder why the rest could stay but not the girls) . This is the official story (told by the friends). The truth is that Stacy called her mom at 10pm and she told Janis she would sleep at Janelle´s. This contradicts the official story. Why would Stacy call her mom to say she would stay at Janelle´s place if she had already agreed to stay at Brian´s house? If Stacy was telling the truth, why the friends would lie? If she was not telling the truth to Janis for some reason, why she would even bother to call her mom saying she was not going to that hotel? Last minute decisions led Suzie and Stacy to their final destination? Or was something planned?

Stayner gained entry into their hotel room because he was a maintenance worker there and claimed there was a leak in the room above them. Then he pulled a gun on the three when inside the room. A hotel worker gaining entry to a hotel room under the ruse of a water leak is a lot easier than gaining access to someone's home sometime after midnight.

true, but to go from no record to triple abduction is not what most profilers would say.

 

[lee sumner]

Stacy planned on spending the night somewhere other than her home. We know she would have packed a swimsuit. It stands to reason she would have also packed some sleep clothes. Was she going to sleep at Janelle's or Brian Joy's in her underwear? Doubtful.



The phone was working. They would have called the cops. I'm a dude and if I hear a glass shatter on the porch there's no way I'm opening the door for anyone unless it was a very close relative.

swimsuit in her car. not wear it to bed.