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

[TheCars1986]

i have always thought the graduation is connected in some way, but i doubt we will ever know.

I agree. I still would like to know more about the male acquaintance who was inside the house on the 7th who had problems remembering where he was on the evening of the 6th and the morning of the 7th. A lot of people have said over the years that "teenagers couldn't have committed the perfect crime" and while I mostly agree with that, we have no idea who was at these various graduation parties. There could have been people visiting graduating relatives not from the area who were present at these parties. IMO, the people attending the parties should be looked at more closely.

 

[TheCars1986]

Also regarding Garrison, he was let out of a Kentucky prison May 15th, 1992. The women went missing on June 7th, 1992. Garrison was arrested again in January of 1993 on a weapons and drug charge, and in the arresting officer's report, he says that immediatley after being cuffed, Garrison started saying he could give information about the three missing women. That does not strike me as someone, if you truly believe the Galloping Goose Motorcycle Club were involved, would do. He immediately was willing to give up potential information about their disappearances. IMO, I think it's possible that Garrison was told by someone he knew that they were involved in the disappearances, but that person had nothing to do with it. Garrison singing like a bird at the drop of a hat doesn't strike me as someone who would be fearful if the GGMC were actually involved in any capacity. I think Garrison used this "information" as leverage to get out of jail (where he would go on to rape an unfortunate victim) on a low bail. The cops thought he could provide them with useful information. It didn't hurt that he had a connection to Dustin Recla; he dated Dustin's girlfriend's mother sometime after the women disappeared. Garrison could not stay out of prison. He likely would have provided more concrete information if he was in fact involved, or knew the people involved. I think he's a road to nowhere.

 

[TheCars1986]

Does anyone have idea who the male acquaintance was mentioned early in one of the News-Leader articles?

 

[littlemissslueth]

Just found out about this case recently, so I apologize if I repeat other people's findings.

I was looking at some of the evidence and wanted to share my theories.

• The small Yorkshire Terrier named Cinnamon (Suzie Streeter's) was found distressed, but unharmed. Most would normally think that there was a break-in of some sort, but that was not the case here. I am thinking that if the victims were kidnapped/abducted, it was by someone they knew and had access to the house.
  • The dog appeared anxious or upset, which was a critical detail in the case. Experts suspect the dog was locked in a room or bathroom during the abduction.
    • Cinnamon's presence indicated that the perpetrator may have been comfortable with dogs or quickly locked it away to prevent disruption, as mentioned on Reddit.
• Broken Porch Light: The glass globe over the front porch light was broken. While initially seen as a sign of a struggle, its significance is debated.
  • This could have possibly been broken when the abductor came into the house. The victims could have heard the glass shatter and put Cinnamon in a room for safety. That's not really the best theory, but still a possibility.
• House Condition: The television was left on and tuned to a fuzzy channel. Beds appeared to have been slept in, and Stacy's clothes from the previous night were found in the house, suggesting the women were abducted after settling in for the night.
  • It could possibly be someone from the graduation that came over?
• Deleted Voicemail: A friend who arrived at the house before police inadvertently deleted a strange, obscene voicemail that may have been left by the perpetrator.
  • A very unlikely possibility, but what if this friend deleted the evidence and was the abductor?
• The "Mother" Claim: In a 1996 interview, Cox told reporters, "I know they are dead. I'll say that. And I know that". He claimed he would disclose where they were buried only after his mother died. As of early 2026, he remains in prison and has not provided any further proof.

~~~
Other evidence:
Fingerprints and Forensic Evidence

• Identified Prints: Nearly all fingerprints found at the residence were successfully identified as belonging to the missing women or the visitors who entered the house before police.
• Unidentified Partial Print: There is reportedly one unidentified partial fingerprint in the case file, though it has never been matched to a suspect.
• DNA and Biological Evidence: No confirmed DNA, blood, or other biological fluids belonging to a perpetrator were ever recovered from the home. In 2003, a search of a farm in Cassville uncovered "possible blood" on a section of a green vehicle, but forensic testing was inconclusive.
• Deleted Voicemail: A potentially crucial "obscene" recording on the answering machine was accidentally deleted by a friend before police could listen to or record it.

---
Timeline:
Timeline of Last Known Locations (June 6–7, 1992)
The window for the abduction is narrow, estimated between 2:15 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. on June 7.
YouTube +1

• 4:00 p.m. (June 6): Suzie and Stacy graduate from Kickapoo High School at the Hammons Student Center.
  Wikipedia +1
• 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.: The girls attend several graduation parties. Sherrill Levitt is at home; she speaks with a friend at 11:15 p.m. about painting furniture.
  YouTube +2
• 2:00 a.m. (June 7): Suzie and Stacy leave a party at Janelle Kirby’s house in Battlefield. They decide to sleep at Suzie's house (1717 E. Delmar) because Janelle's house is crowded with relatives.
  Wikipedia +1
• 2:15 a.m.: Suzie and Stacy arrive at the Delmar house. Their cars are parked in the driveway, and they change out of their party clothes.
  City of Springfield, MO (.gov) +3
• 8:00 a.m.: Janelle Kirby begins calling the house to finalize plans for a trip to a water park, but there is no answer.
• 12:30 p.m.: Janelle and her boyfriend arrive at the house. They find it empty, the door unlocked, and the porch light glass shattered.

Hope that this case gets solved soon ~ no one deserves their story to be untold & forgotten.

 

[TheCars1986]

I've always been confused about the voicemail that was accidentally deleted from the answering machine. When Janelle and Mike first went inside the house on the 7th, she received two obscene phone calls back to back and Janelle described the voice as "teenish". Janis McCall, when listening to the answering machine messages, claims that there was a "strange" message from a man on there and didn't elaborate. Was the voicemail an obscene phone call as well? Because it's never been clear to me that the voicemail was like the two calls Janelle answered. IMO, I think the voicemail is separate from the obscene phone calls.

 

[Cedars]

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.

Sorry to return so late to this, I've been away...plus watched part of a Pat Brown video that raised this question in my mind:

In comparing the two cases, the point could be made that Stayner didn't carry out a triple abduction - he committed double murder in the motel room, and then just a single abduction. Which, altho truly horrific, was probably easier to do/ get away with (if he'd disposed of the vehicle more effectively.)

When detectives checked the motel room - which hadn't been cleaned - they found some odd things like missing linen, but no signs of violence, much less murders.

Could there have been similar murder/murders in the Springfield 3 case, so the perp(s) didn't have to control 3 living victims to leave the home?

If not, how many triple sex-crime abductions from a home has there ever been? It's extremely unusual.

There's a case where 3 women were lured onto a boat. The unsolved case of three female teens who disappeared from a mall. The case with three separate abductions. But 3 at the same time, from a home?

To me, one thing it shows is apparent restraint on the part of the perp(s). Usually, sex-motivated perps act immediately to fulfill their fantasy. They may murder someone who is in the way, so they can get on with their focus. But to take 3 people from the home, and then take them all somewhere, and then what to do with the likely assertive maternal tiger...

Why not kill one of the women and leave her there...?

I don't enjoy this thought process, but it is very unlike more typical abductions.

JMO

 

[JCM]

I feel odd jumping in here, so forgive me.

Because I have followed this case for so, so long, I will occasionally be inspired to just think about it. I don't even know these people. I didn't grow up in Springfield, MO. But at the time of their disappearance, I was roughly the same age as Stacy and Suzie. And, like many, my initial introduction to this case happened with CBS' "48 Hours" news magazine, in 1992. I have the luxury of being able to turn these thoughts off and I do.

As just a simple, ordinary bystander, I think about this case probably more than any other because it touched me all those years ago. However, I cannot begin to imagine the sorrow and desolation that Bartt Streeter, the McCall's and all other friends and family have felt for the last 34 years. Losing them is one thing, not knowing what happened after the early morning hours of June 7th, 1992 is quite another.

Quite often, I'll be reading about or listening to another case detail and my mind will drift back to these women. I feel skeevy even referring to it as a "case." This is their lives. It's as real as the nose on your face. As I tend to do, I'll start looking around to see if something makes sense to me now and it never does. This go-around, I decided to kind of go back to the beginning. I saw a Reddit post about this subject description/sketch and a known person that has been mentioned before.

I assume the grand jury that convened and looked into this individual and nothing came of it (obviously). But, did the Springfield PD ever conclusively tie the sighting of this 'reddish-brown' haired man to Ricky West (aka Ricky Dykes)? It damn near looks like practically modeled for the composite. It's uncanny.

If you dig too far into this, you'll start to see speculation beyond what is known. That's where I try and stop myself. It's cathartic and even helpful to speculate. However, sometimes, that speculation takes on a life of its own and becomes cemented as fact. For instance, I see speculation that West a.k.a. Dykes knew Steve Garrison. Is that true? I haven't a clue.

There's an investigative axiom that goes 'if you can figure out the motive, you can find the offender'. That's just the problem here. What possible motive could there have been to abduct Ms. Streeter, Suzie and Stacy in the middle of the night from a residential dwelling.

I'm asking, of course, semi-rhetorically.

 

[the_p0ssum]

I feel odd jumping in here, so forgive me.

Because I have followed this case for so, so long, I will occasionally be inspired to just think about it. I don't even know these people. I didn't grow up in Springfield, MO. But at the time of their disappearance, I was roughly the same age as Stacy and Suzie. And, like many, my initial introduction to this case happened with CBS' "48 Hours" news magazine, in 1992. I have the luxury of being able to turn these thoughts off and I do.

As just a simple, ordinary bystander, I think about this case probably more than any other because it touched me all those years ago. However, I cannot begin to imagine the sorrow and desolation that Bartt Streeter, the McCall's and all other friends and family have felt for the last 34 years. Losing them is one thing, not knowing what happened after the early morning hours of June 7th, 1992 is quite another.

Quite often, I'll be reading about or listening to another case detail and my mind will drift back to these women. I feel skeevy even referring to it as a "case." This is their lives. It's as real as the nose on your face. As I tend to do, I'll start looking around to see if something makes sense to me now and it never does. This go-around, I decided to kind of go back to the beginning. I saw a Reddit post about this subject description/sketch and a known person that has been mentioned before.

I assume the grand jury that convened and looked into this individual and nothing came of it (obviously). But, did the Springfield PD ever conclusively tie the sighting of this 'reddish-brown' haired man to Ricky West (aka Ricky Dykes)? It damn near looks like practically modeled for the composite. It's uncanny.

If you dig too far into this, you'll start to see speculation beyond what is known. That's where I try and stop myself. It's cathartic and even helpful to speculate. However, sometimes, that speculation takes on a life of its own and becomes cemented as fact. For instance, I see speculation that West a.k.a. Dykes knew Steve Garrison. Is that true? I haven't a clue.

There's an investigative axiom that goes 'if you can figure out the motive, you can find the offender'. That's just the problem here. What possible motive could there have been to abduct Ms. Streeter, Suzie and Stacy in the middle of the night from a residential dwelling.

I'm asking, of course, semi-rhetorically.

View attachment 654646View attachment 654647

Dykes is a different person, not an AKA for West. While not an angel by any means, I believe he's a red herring.

There's otherwise no doubt that West looks like the "transient" drawing. I have no idea as to his living conditions in Springfield at the time, nor what might have brought him around the edges of an otherwise affluent neighborhood. He knew Garrison from their time in KS prisons, and he had a chaotic and violent streak towards the end of 1992. But none of that speaks to me of a precision abdution of three women he really had no cause to cross paths with.

Ultimately, these opinions means nothing, but the overall odds seem low.

 

[JCM]

Dykes is a different person, not an AKA for West. While not an angel by any means, I believe he's a red herring.

There's otherwise no doubt that West looks like the "transient" drawing. I have no idea as to his living conditions in Springfield at the time, nor what might have brought him around the edges of an otherwise affluent neighborhood. He knew Garrison from their time in KS prisons, and he had a chaotic and violent streak towards the end of 1992. But none of that speaks to me of a precision abdution of three women he really had no cause to cross paths with.

Ultimately, these opinions means nothing, but the overall odds seem low.

Thanks for clarifying my Dykes/West snafu.

Regarding Garrison, I'm torn. On the one hand, in 1993, he convinced LE to let him out of jail because he said he had information about the three missing women. Apparently, that led LE to the property in Webster County. He was able to escape custody and then brutally assaulted a young woman. Of course, he was recaptured and tried/convicted for that 1993 assault. Naturally, that had to be quite embarrassing for LE; 'Garrison, a possible suspect in the missing women's case, escapes custody only to assault another'.

Garrison's public defender at the time reportedly (per journalist Ron Davis) told him outright that he didn't think he was smart enough to have pulled off the disappearance of the women. Seemingly, way too indiscreet to have carried this out. Either way, Garrison is still serving his forty-year sentence for the 1993 rape.

Was it Garrison that was tied to the judge's gag order related to the property search in Webster County? If they found nothing there, why is there still a gag order in place 33 years later? It's a head scratcher.

 

[the_p0ssum]

Thanks for clarifying my Dykes/West snafu.

Regarding Garrison, I'm torn. On the one hand, in 1993, he convinced LE to let him out of jail because he said he had information about the three missing women. Apparently, that led LE to the property in Webster County. He was able to escape custody and then brutally assaulted a young woman. Of course, he was recaptured and tried/convicted for that 1993 assault. Naturally, that had to be quite embarrassing for LE; 'Garrison, a possible suspect in the missing women's case, escapes custody only to assault another'.

Garrison's public defender at the time reportedly (per journalist Ron Davis) told him outright that he didn't think he was smart enough to have pulled off the disappearance of the women. Seemingly, way too indiscreet to have carried this out. Either way, Garrison is still serving his forty-year sentence for the 1993 rape.

Was it Garrison that was tied to the judge's gag order related to the property search in Webster County? If they found nothing there, why is there still a gag order in place 33 years later? It's a head scratcher.

Garrison was/is close to the Robbs. Outside of growing up under Sr.'s "wing," he also married into the clan. So, it's always puzzled me why he would "rat" on them and ruin that relationship for what, ultimately, proved to be a false lead. My guess is that whatever was found & sealed was related to another crime, and not our 3MW.

I think Garrison heard something about the 3MW, something unique enough to garner LE interest, but it's also never led to anything more than a failed search and grand jury. So, it's probably closer to a rumor, but one grounded in some percentage of truth.

 

[TheCars1986]

The "grand jury 3" were 3 men who had served time in Kansas prisons who had recently been paroled/released before the abduction of the three women. I believe that Weeks was released in April of 1992, Garrison on May 15th, 1992, and the other man I am unaware of when he was released from prison, but as far as I know he never even had a connection to Missouri. Weeks and Garrison could not stay out of prison. Weeks and Garrison were impulsive career criminals. Garrison had a very tepid connection to Dustin Recla, but did not start dating Dustin's girlfriend's mother until after the women went missing. The only connection between Garrison and the other man in the grand jury 3 was that they had both escaped from a minimum security prison in Kansas together. Weeks's connection to Garrison or the other man has never been established.

The other issue at hand for the people who believe the grand jury 3 were somehow involved is that Sherrill, Suzie, or Stacy would not have opened the door for them that late at night. They weren't going to open the door for "Tattoo Red" or that creep Garrison. Suzie somehow finding out something nefarious that motorcycle gang members were doing from her ex-boyfriend Dustin has never made any sense to me. Why make Suzie disappear, and not Dustin as well? I also keep harking back to the press release the police department gave back on the 20th anniversary of their disappearance:

https://www.springfieldmo.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/2003

"The suspect clearly spent a considerable amount of time out and about from late at night on Saturday, June 6, 1992, into the morning of Sunday, June 7, 1992. The suspect had to have been unaccounted for at the time of the crime. Someone who knew or lived with the suspect in 1992 likely would have been aware of this fact. In addition, in order to explain his whereabouts on the night of the crime, the suspect may have fabricated a story regarding his activities. Around the time of the crime, the suspect may have spent a considerable amount of time in, or may otherwise have been familiar with, the area of the crime, and he may have frequently been out and about at odd hours. The suspect also may have developed an interest in the victims. People who know the suspect may not believe that he is capable of committing this type of crime, and he may not have a history of committing crimes of violence."

This strikes me as the police believing that the perp/s was someone known to one or more of the women, not violent career criminals like Garrison or Weeks. The line about the perp/s being out late at night on the 6th until the morning of the 7th, IMO, would imply the possibility of someone from one of the parties that night. While a lot of people have a hard time believing that one or more young adults or teenagers could have pulled this off, we have to remember that whoever was responsible for their disappearances got insanely lucky because of the 18 people who were in and out of the house on the 7th. IMO, someone from one of the graduation parties knows more.

 

[the_p0ssum]

You can look up the KS DOC records for any of the Grand Jury 3 at this site:

Garrison -- KS DOC # 35552
West -- KS DOC # 42686
Rader -- KS DOC # 50528

As noted, Garrison was released on 05/15/1992, and West on 04/13/1992. Rader was paroled on 10/01/1991, but absconded in early Feb-1992. However, we didn't make it back into KS custody until 1993.

And I tend to agree. Any of these three showing up in the middle of the night is going to warrant a 911 call, not an open door. The lack of a 911 call is something I find interesting.

 

[TheCars1986]

And I tend to agree. Any of these three showing up in the middle of the night is going to warrant a 911 call, not an open door. The lack of a 911 call is something I find interesting.

This is why I believe whoever was responsible for this was someone known to at least one of the women, and they viewed this person as harmless or not a threat. This person could have had other people present with them as well. I've even thought it is possible that a woman was present, which also could have them let their guards down to either open the door or go outside to meet them.

 

[DustysMom]

what do you think about the strange phone calls, and the message on levitt answering machine. are they tied to the abduction.

I don’t think the phone calls are tied to the abduction. Hundreds of teens just graduated and there is a bit of excitement in the air - lots of visitors, parties, drinking, excursions. I can easily envision some stoned kids or young adults making phoney phone calls, especially to a home with 2 single women.
IMO, the MC (Galloping Goose?) targeted SS. Her ex boyfriend, who she was supposed to testify against the following week, could have said something (true or not) that got the attention of the MC. I don’t know what that might be but I’d guess drugs or sex. Their territory, their ‘ethics’ code and their network make it easy for one or more to commit a crime, get rid of evidence and witnesses and keep silent about it. JMO

 

[DustysMom]

This is why I believe whoever was responsible for this was someone known to at least one of the women, and they viewed this person as harmless or not a threat. This person could have had other people present with them as well. I've even thought it is possible that a woman was present, which also could have them let their guards down to either open the door or go outside to meet them.

OR - someone could have broken the porch light and hid around the corner of the house. When the door is opened by Ms Leavitt, the perp(s) rush in with gun in hand.
JMO

 

[lee sumner]

OR - someone could have broken the porch light and hid around the corner of the house. When the door is opened by Ms Leavitt, the perp(s) rush in with gun in hand.
JMO

this was my theory. great minds think alike, ha, ha. perp breaks porch light cover to get levitt to the door. hears sound of breaking glass, then comes out to sweep it up, then perp gains entry. shoulders is way in.