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

[TheCars1986]

What if Sherrill didn't happen to wake up that night, though?

My guess is Cinnamon would've been taken off to bed with Suzie and Stacy if Sherrill's door was closed, and Sherrill might've been left to sleep. Believe me, I trust that Suzie always would say goodnight to her. But it's an unusual night, I'm wondering if maybe Sherrill were asleep (or appeared to be) with all the lights off, Cinnamon yapping...

Did they call Sherrill and tell her they were coming? Asking for a very particular reason.

According to Janis McCall, when she went in the house she saw Sherrill's bed and it appeared that it had not been slept in. The TV being on could also be Sherrill falling asleep in the living room watching TV, but that wouldn't explain the book found in her bedroom and glasses. Sherrill never received a phone call from Suzie that night/morning. The last phone call was at 11:15 p.m. and that was to a friend and was a brief phone call.

 

[snooptroop88]

I put this post on Reddit a long time ago now and I stand by it, and here's the reason why I'm asking these questions, am truncating this post:

I don't know if this house's (Sherrill's) landscaping has changed significantly since the time of the event, but when I "streetviewed" this house, it looked like a serial killer's dream. It is juxtaposed to a little business commercial building on one side and directly across from this home is a huge complex with a gigantic driveway, these are all closed at night. That huge complex has been there since 1986. The neighbor's house on the other side of Sherrill's house has the neighbor's garage butted at the side of Sherrill's home. There are massive trees outside her house, this house hides in a tiny corner, I almost missed the house entirely on the streetview. There are multiple points of entry from the outside to within this home. That could be (jmo) an out of town serial killer who does plenty of traveling who stumbled across that house-- somehow. Who knows how, maybe also in town for graduations, maybe at one of the parties, and/or maybe he saw the attractive woman out late at night painting a piece of furniture and (correctly) guessed no man in the house. Or maybe he spotted Suzie with "Sweetr" and followed her at some point earlier to that house. Maybe both these scenarios. So my theory is he knocked or rang bell when Sherrill was laying down, she answered the door, and he gained entry by displaying a gun. He convinced her he'd leave her alive, but then strangled her to death (no blood at crime scene/no noise). He left Sherrill's body in the bed thinking if he left all the lights off, Suzie (who I think he anticipated) would not wake Sherrill up when she came home and would just peek through the door at most. He either sedated the dog or fed the dog-- secured the dog in some way. Perhaps shut Sherrill's door and let the dog run free. He got Sherrill's key to the home and/or left unlocked one of the many doors in that house so he could regain entry. The girls returned home, got ready for bed, went to bed. He re-entered, that's why they hear the dog barking at 3 or 4 am next door. The girls have been partying, they don't wake up. It's a kingsized waterbed, he strangled the girls silently in the bed, very careful not to wake either of them. He then wrapped them in materials he has in a vehicle which I'm guessing may at that point have been parked in the carport. Maybe rugs, if not, something along those lines. I believe he broke the globe on the porch light when he slung the bodies over his shoulder to place them in his vehicle. He purposely left that light on at the porch because he'd be able to tell later if someone had finally entered the house after he'd left. He went through those purses figuring out some names and personal info for his victims, probably took the phone number and possibly made obscene calls later.

I came up with his theory by trying to figure out how some serial killer that travels frequently could have committed this crime. I'm not saying "this is the way it happened." I've got no flipping idea. But certainly, it's a way it could've happened. I've always suspected all these women were dead by the time they exited that home, and I still do think that was probably the case. Such a scenario actually wouldn't have necessitated multiple actors. One could have done the job.

 

[TheCars1986]

An unknown killer would not know if there was a man present inside the house. Also wouldn't know if they had any weapons for self defense. Someone known to them would know that however. And I also think it's possible that the abductor/s never went inside the house that night.

 

[Catmommy]

The girls were not supposed to go there at all. Sherrill, for all intent and purposes, was supposed to be and expected to be alone. No one called the house to let her know the girls' plans had changed. While lovely young teenagers seem like the intended victims, there were two of them which automatically decreases, though not omits, the probability of them being the initial targets. We don't know how many people knew Sherrill wasn't expecting her daughter back, but she wasn't, much less with another girl accompanying her. A woman alone without any expectation of an interruption seems like the more logical focus of a bad player. My thought is that Sherrill was already compromised by the intruder when the girls showed up and the bad guy was forced into damage control. He might have had a gun, or binding of some sort. Sherrill could have easily been coerced to cooperate with an abduction in fear for her daughter's safety if she didn't. Likewise, Suzie, in fear for her mom's. Who, how and why? Of course, I don't know. I just think that ruling out Sherrill as the real target with the girls being unintended collateral victims ignores an avenue of investigation that could be expanded.

 

[TheCars1986]

I can see any one of the three being the actual target or a combination of two. But who would know that Sherrill was going to be alone that night other than the people she spoke with on the phone? And if Stacy and Suzie came back while something was being done to Sherrill, why didn't this person wait for them to go to sleep and leave undetected with Sherrill? Suzie's blinds in her bedroom were pulled down, and the only way that happens is if she hears something or sees headlights pulling into the driveway behind her mother's car, which would mean everything happened after Suzie and Stacy got home.

 

[snooptroop88]

I can see any one of the three being the actual target or a combination of two. But who would know that Sherrill was going to be alone that night other than the people she spoke with on the phone? And if Stacy and Suzie came back while something was being done to Sherrill, why didn't this person wait for them to go to sleep and leave undetected with Sherrill? Suzie's blinds in her bedroom were pulled down, and the only way that happens is if she hears something or sees headlights pulling into the driveway behind her mother's car, which would mean everything happened after Suzie and Stacy got home.

This perp was watching Sherrill, jmo, he probably saw her outside working on that large piece of furniture and assumed there was no man in the house. So the antenna went up for him, then he probably noticed Suzie with "sweetr," but pure speculation, all of it. I believe this person did wait for them to go to sleep, but jmo, he is a murderer with a penchant for petite women. I don't know what to make of the blinds, but if the perp's in the house, he himself would have very good reason to be messing with the blinds.

Also, have been wondering on this: What if Stacy and Suzie actually did call Sherrill? For the longest time, I assumed they had, I mean they called Stacy's mom, why would they not call Sherrill, who wasn't even expecting them and they're heading to her house? And getting no answer, they might have assumed Sherrill had somehow fallen into a deep sleep. So... could that have happened, could they have called? Then theoretically, they left a message for Sherrill not to be shocked when they showed up? And did the killer hear it, and delete it, and was Sherrill already dead? Because how would we know where they called from, provided they actually did call? They were hopping around from party to party. They could've called from anywhere, including a payphone. If LE couldn't track the obscene call they know for a fact was received in the house (subsequently message from that # erased), I doubt they could track this hypothetical call made by Stacy and Suzie, either (if it had been made). Another possibility is that the killer while inside that house saw graduation gown, cap, maybe cake in the fridge, graduation card, pics on wall... and whatever the reality was in terms of Suzie and Stacy coming there that night, he took his chances that a young female should be coming home relatively soon. He could always leave if she didn't. (And jmo, he may not even have waited inside the house, he may have returned.)

Also, evidently Sherrill's bed didn't seem slept in. It could have looked unslept in because she hadn't been in it for hours and hours by the time LE saw it.

Nothing would make me happier if all of this was flat-out wrong, and all the speculation about the women having been murdered is just--wrong. But I just can't picture that happening after all these years.

 

[TheCars1986]

Also, evidently Sherrill's bed didn't seem slept in. It could have looked unslept in because she hadn't been in it for hours and hours by the time LE saw it.

Or she fell asleep in the living room watching a movie. The TV was on and staticky, indicating someone watched a movie that night. And since Suzie and Stacy wouldn't have gotten back until close to 3 a.m., I think Sherrill would have been the one in the living room watching a movie that night.

 

[snooptroop88]

IIRC in one of the earlier threads Bartt said that Suzie would always say goodnight to her mother. I would also wager that Sherrill probably woke up when they came home that night because there was a book near (or on) Sherrill's bed as if she were reading. And if she were sleeping when they came in and was woken up by the person/s who abducted them, that wouldn't explain the book.

Or she fell asleep in the living room watching a movie. The TV was on and staticky, indicating someone watched a movie that night. And since Suzie and Stacy wouldn't have gotten back until close to 3 a.m., I think Sherrill would have been the one in the living room watching a movie that night.

The perp's the one that woke Sherrill post book, jmo. Someone woke her, I think it was the perp, but it's jmo, and may well be wrong.

The TV's on because Sherrill left it on for the dog (yes, this can be "a thing") or the girls turned it on when they got home. Maybe to watch something, maybe to keep Cinnamon appeased if they didn't plan on taking Cinnamon into bed. Cinnamon had a doggie door, the little thing may have been allowed to kind of roam at night. If the volume was relatively low, I'd think a Cinnamon comfort. If the volume's normal, would guess they may have watched something and left it on for Cinnamon (again, a Cinnamon comfort) and just were exhausted and were going to be able to sleep regardless of the volume. If the volume's fairly loud, the perp turned it on.

 

[TheCars1986]

The perp's the one that woke Sherrill post book, jmo. Someone woke her, I think it was the perp, but it's jmo, and may well be wrong.

I don't see Sherrill opening the door for anyone other than someone she knew well that night and there were no signs of a forced entry. IMO, everything happened after Stacy and Suzie returned home. They were inside the house long enough to remove makeup, jewelry, and change into sleep clothes (both Suzie and Stacy's clothes that they wore to the parties was found in Suzie's room), and that isn't something that takes a few seconds to do.

The girls coming in and interrupting something has never made sense because if you look at the layout of the house, Suzie's bedroom was in the back while Sherrill's bedroom and the living room were in the front of the house.

 

[snooptroop88]

I don't see Sherrill opening the door for anyone other than someone she knew well that night and there were no signs of a forced entry. IMO, everything happened after Stacy and Suzie returned home. They were inside the house long enough to remove makeup, jewelry, and change into sleep clothes (both Suzie and Stacy's clothes that they wore to the parties was found in Suzie's room), and that isn't something that takes a few seconds to do.

The girls coming in and interrupting something has never made sense because if you look at the layout of the house, Suzie's bedroom was in the back while Sherrill's bedroom and the living room were in the front of the house. View attachment 638618

Super grateful for this little map. I don't think the way the book's found necessarily indicated Sherrill was "interrupted." She possibly just put it down that way and went to sleep, but jmo.

How'd he get in? Ideas, all speculation:
-Sherrill didn't open just window/s in one room, (SPECULATION) there were other open windows in that house because of the varnish, that's an in for him; don't think he'd have attempted coming thru window where someone is visible to him and sleeping, she might be a light sleeper
-Sherrill was expecting someone (100% speculation, and I don't think this is what happened, but it is possible) & this someone is the murderer/abductor
-perp was watching them for a time and Sherrill & Suzie kept a spare key (guessing only), located somewhere on that porch "just in case" someone gets locked out (pure speculation) he may have witnessed someone retrieving that spare emergency key; this situation becomes even more grim if there's a spare somewhere near the carport door
-can't picture him trying doors to see if any of the doors were open, but he might have, and he especially might have tried a door if there's an entry door from the carport/if that was open, he's got another in; he might also have checked the slider in Suzie's room, sliders are vulnerable points and easy to breach; although we know that probably didn't happen (no signs of forced entry), important to note, sliders are also quite often left unlocked
-he had a fake badge, made up a story
-brandished weapon at the door & demanded entry

Most likely, jmo: Probably another open window somewhere throughout the house, but have always suspected carport's involved, would be almost certain based on pics of the home's interior that there's a door leading in from that carport. It's dark, it's shadowy. It's been a busy day, would be extremely concerned somebody left that door unlocked (if it exists, and I'd bet it does). Whether he got in that way or not, would guess the perp made use of the carport, and a gun.

 

[snooptroop88]

Am researching again now, this thread's been closed since I joined the forum. Found a very good review of facts in the case done as another thread, and I'm glad I did because it got me back into researching, and there's one particular fact I need to make a correction on.

WAS Sherrill painting/varnishing that armoire outside? This is what I remembered, and I figured it's summer, the smell's permeated into the house, probably on her clothes. (I've done varnishing/painting myself, the stuff reeks,) I can't imagine doing it in a room where you're going to sleep shortly thereafter. But now, I cannot find a single source saying any of this was done outside, it's all done-- "in her bedroom," where she's going to be sleeping (?). So first, let me apologize for potentially causing any confusion, there's already so much of it where this case is concerned as it is. My distorted recollection may have been caused by the fact that Suzie and Sherrill just recently moved into that house, and obviously lots of heavy furniture was being moved at that time. Or maybe it's just because I just know for myself I'd never varnish something that close to bedtime in my bedroom (not a big piece).

This leaves my theory, though, with something of a hole, I was so positive the abductor/killer had spotted Sherrill outside with that furniture. But no source I can find now indicates that's in any way the case that this piece was outside (and I'm still looking through sources now). These sources are all saying "armoire in the bedroom" (some mention a chair, confusing me further). But... do they mean that's the room the armoire's usually in, or that's where she's actually doing the varnishing/painting? The stuff reeks, I would think it would be incredibly uncomfortable for her trying to sleep with that reek, which still had to be pretty pungent. And Stacy had that migraine medication. I mean, the reek of the stuff might trigger a migraine, seriously.

All of this has me thinking again because I mean... I still think whatever she was varnishing (if large, maybe a chair ok inside) had to be outside at some point. Why? I don't think she'd be able to sleep if the process itself was done inside, she may have ended up trying to drag it outside (or at least different room) later. They're tall, too, in some cases, some are tall and narrow.

That's a way to break a porch light, depending on the build of the furniture. Okay, and as I research further, it looks like there's SPECULATION as to whether the painting was done inside or outside. I should definitely be labeling this idea of the armoire being outside as SPECULATION. I may have thought in error it was a fact, it is not. I can't find a single source confirming that piece was ever outside. But so long as on the subject, if she really DID do this inside, could she have relocated to a different bedroom to get away from the smell? And she'd have left her own bedroom window open...? I'm a small built woman who also varnishes and paints furniture on occasion, and under the circumstances, jmo-- something/someone moved. I don't know if the furniture was dragged out earlier or later, or if Sherrill herself relocated elsewhere in the house, but there's no way I think she'd be able to stand that smell trying to sleep, window open or not. Apologies on all these lengthy posts.

 

[sundancekid]

Has anyone read reprisals posts, I think his name was reprisal. His theory is worth listening too. I have no idea if he has fabricated a bunch of lies or if it is true but it is certainly interesting. What do you lot think of it? Lies? Has anybody local heard of the same? Is there anyone local to the area, if so what are the rumours? Surely people still talk about the women.

If it is true Suzie was to testify (was this ever confirmed?) then naturally you have to start there. What I believe happened was the perps wanted her and her mum silenced (as she most likely told her mom what she knew) so they waited for a specific time that they would be together, it just happened to be the night Stacy was there.


I think the girls made it back to the house, Sherrill was already asleep, Stacy starts to get changed and ready for bed. The Perps set their plan in action, reverse the van up to the car port, the girls notice the brake/tail light shine in the window and then one of them takes a look through the window (this explains the separated slats in Suzies blinds). Suzie either goes to check the lock on the door or wake her mum and at this point the perps come through the door, the last perp slams the door shut so no one can see/hear what’s going on inside, this is when I believe the globe smashes. A few minutes later they are out and in the van, this explains the lack of anything at the scene, they were there for minutes.

It annoys me when I read the purses were in line, they weren’t. 2 were together and one was on top of a bag. The wallets however were lined up, and I reckon this was because the perps were from out of town and paid to do a job. I reckon they didn’t know any of the victims so they needed to check the IDs in the wallet to see which of the 3 Suzie and Sherill were. If theft isn’t the motive, which it obviously wasn’t, there is zero reason to take the time to go through the wallets.

Unfortunately I think the girls completely froze when the perps entered and who can blame them. I just wish they made a little mess, maybe smash a glass or spill a drink. Something that would have made Janelle or Janis call the police a lot earlier. It could of changed everything. The poor girls would of been scared stiff.

PS I notice Stacy’s father died not long ago, I’m actually happy for him as he will now know what happened. RIP.

 

[TheCars1986]

If it is true Suzie was to testify (was this ever confirmed?) then naturally you have to start there. What I believe happened was the perps wanted her and her mum silenced (as she most likely told her mom what she knew) so they waited for a specific time that they would be together, it just happened to be the night Stacy was there.

The Garrison angle of this case is overblown, IMO. He dated Dustin Recla's (Suzie's ex-boyfriend) girlfriend's mother for a short period of time in 1992. However, he did not get out of prison until mid May, making it extremely unlikely that he would have had any interactions with any of the grave robbers and have been able to be convinced to help them make Suzie disappear.

As for the grave robbers, Joseph Riedel drunkenly ran his mouth at a birthday party for Dustin Recla. A few days later an anonymous tip was called into the Crime Stoppers tip line, as well as the pawn shop owner calling the police to let them know that Dustin Recla had came into his shop and pawned some gold teeth for $30 and thought it could be related to the grave robbery reported in the paper. The next day, on March 4th, Dustin Recla came into the police station and admitted everything. On March 5th, Suzie gave a statement as well as Joseph Riedel where he admitted to his role in the grave robbery. The idea that Suzie was going to provide some earth shattering testimony at their trials is ludicrous. They had 2 of the 3 admitting guilt already. Why abduct Suzie 3 months after the fact when at that point none of the men had been charged with a crime? It wasn't until after the women went missing did the cops issue warrants for their arrests. IMO, they thought one of them would confess and roll on the others if they had anything to do with the missing women. None of them did, and all of them were cooperative.

As to the idea that Suzie became privy to something even more nefarious through her connections to the grave robbers....why would these criminal masterminds go after the ex-boyfriend of the person who was the one who was making her privy to said information? Why wouldn't they just make Recla and company disappear?

 

[Valiant]

I don't think we have any idea what the motive really was and I don't think authorities know either. That's why the crime is unsolved.
* Was someone sexually interested in one of them and the other two were collateral? Just because plans changed doesn't rule out someone stalking them and overhearing a conversation or phone call about the change in plans.
* Was a serial killer looking for victims? Possible, but the clean removal from the scene really puzzles me.
* Was someone worried about that they might know and a visit to intimidate them into silence got out control?
* Was it for revenge for some (perceived) infraction we know nothing about?

 

[TheCars1986]

The circle above is where the bathroom was located in the house. The black lines are the pathways Suzie and Stacy would have taken from the driveway to either the bathroom (to remove makeup) or to Suzie's bedroom. We know the girls made it to Suzie's bedroom because Stacy's shorts and flip flops were found in Suzie's room, along with her jewelry and her graduation present (a watch) being found in the shorts pockets. Suzie's clothes that she wore to the parties was found in her room as well. We know they came back to the house and prepared for bed.

I ultimately think the TV being on and staticky in the living room as well as Suzie's TV being on with the volume turned down is a clue to where Sherrill was that night. If she was restoring a piece of furniture in her bedroom, the fumes would have made sleeping in there unbearable, so she opens the window and closes the door and goes into the living room, which would explain the staticky TV: she probably fell asleep watching a movie. Suzie and Stacy return home, waking Sherrill and there's small talk before Suzie and Stacy get ready for bed.

I don't think if this perpetrator/s were in the house when Suzie and Stacy came home that they wouldn't have noticed, unless this person was already in Sherrill's bedroom with her, or in the spare room. But that begs the question: if this were the case, why didn't this person leave with Sherrill after Suzie and Stacy went to bed? If the sole target was Sherrill and the perp/s already had her incapacitated in some way, why take Suzie and Stacy? IMO, someone arrived at that house just as the girls were preparing to go to bed and Suzie noticed them pulling into the driveway.