The Springfield Three--missing since June 1992 - #1

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That just makes no sense, to disregard any possible leads in this case. Any new information given should be followed up on, EVERY tip investigated, leave no stone unturned.

Even the parking garage dig, I don't put a lot of stock in psychics either but it still should be checked out.

I don't think there is any mass conspiracy going on in this case, but the fact that the Springfield PD could not be following up on leads makes it sound like there is some sort of coverup going on.

I've spent hundreds if not thousands of hours looking at this case. That may sound like a stretch but it's not. As I understand the case, there are three scenarios that come to mind. Two easily dovetail with the available information. The third scenario is much more sinister in that it would require a police coverup but it can't be ruled out of hand as implausible. Without going into detail, there is another famous murder case that remains unsolved that might be compared to understand the case. When I first heard this theory put forth I thought it was as far fetched as the idea of aliens from Mars. I'm no longer sure.

The actions of the SPD can best be summed up by their very best investigator (now retired) who ever worked this case when he said this case was worked like no other case he had ever seen worked. I think that speaks volumes.

There is no reason under the sun why the coring of the slab should not be done to put this issue aside. None, except inexplicable stubborness by the SPD and prosecutor. The question is why? I do not personally believe the remains are to be found there but to rule it out of hand violates the very statement of the SPD that every tip and clue will be worked to ground. In this case there seems to be an exception.
 
Thanks, Liz, for the link. Can't wait to read it even though you and MM say there is nothing new. I am updating the link for others since "front page" has changed.

www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007706070375

You're welcome, and thanks for updating the front page. Here is another link noting the anniversary. It says basically the same as other articles, but if you click on where it says "watch" right after the heading, Three Missing Women: 15 Years Later, you can see a video of the story which includes clips of Stacy McCall and Suzie Streeter.

http://ozarksfirst.com/content/fulltext/?cid=8217
 
You're welcome, and thanks for updating the front page. Here is another link noting the anniversary. It says basically the same as other articles, but if you click on where it says "watch" right after the heading, Three Missing Women: 15 Years Later, you can see a video of the story which includes clips of Stacy McCall and Suzie Streeter.

http://ozarksfirst.com/content/fulltext/?cid=8217

I hadn't read or watched that video until now. That was very helpful. Appreciate it. The business about the dig costing "thousands" of dollars is pure fiction, however. It was already costed out to be about $400 and a volunteer has offered to pay for it. So there would be no cost at all to the taxpayers or to Cox Hospital. It would entail only a coring of the concrete to see if anything is there and then reconcreted over. Not that big a deal. Not digging because of excessive cost is purely a red herring.

Since I last commented in detail about this case, some new thinking and analysis has come to my attention. Some of it is pretty bizarre but not out of the realm of possibility. The one thing I am 99.9% certain, however, is that the van in question was not the "moss green" van displayed on the police lawn. It was dirty white/tea stained as made clear by the reports coming out right after the abductions. Both the K.C. Star and the Springfield News-Leader reported such a van cruising the neighborhood some three weeks prior to the abductions. When they disappeared, so did the van. This is a question I would like to ask someone in the SPD but they aren't talking or volunteering information. Anyone's guess is as good as mine. But it does go to the bizarrness of the case and the subsequent investigation.
 
I hadn't read or watched that video until now. That was very helpful. Appreciate it. The business about the dig costing "thousands" of dollars is pure fiction, however. It was already costed out to be about $400 and a volunteer has offered to pay for it. So there would be no cost at all to the taxpayers or to Cox Hospital. It would entail only a coring of the concrete to see if anything is there and then reconcreted over. Not that big a deal. Not digging because of excessive cost is purely a red herring.

Since I last commented in detail about this case, some new thinking and analysis has come to my attention. Some of it is pretty bizarre but not out of the realm of possibility. The one thing I am 99.9% certain, however, is that the van in question was not the "moss green" van displayed on the police lawn. It was dirty white/tea stained as made clear by the reports coming out right after the abductions. Both the K.C. Star and the Springfield News-Leader reported such a van cruising the neighborhood some three weeks prior to the abductions. When they disappeared, so did the van. This is a question I would like to ask someone in the SPD but they aren't talking or volunteering information. Anyone's guess is as good as mine. But it does go to the bizarrness of the case and the subsequent investigation.

Wow, I can't believe it would cost so little to do the dig and police won't let it happen even with a volunteer to pay for it! Would they actually need police permission for this or would Cox Hospital be the one who could decide? It would seem to me if it's on the grounds of the hospital, they would be the ones who would have to grant permission. Of course, I'm sure even if the hospital did say it was okay, the police would have the final word about it.

I made of my mind months ago after reading posts on here, over at airalex and all the old newpaper articles that the van was white/tea-stained and not green. I read in one of the newspaper articles that there had been a white van seen cruising around there in the weeks leading up to the abduction and then all of a sudden police were saying "moss green". That was something that never made sense to me and I thought it was either misinformation from the SPD or, whoever saw the van in the early morning hours when it was still somewhat dark, was wrong about the color due to the time of day.
 
Wow, I can't believe it would cost so little to do the dig and police won't let it happen even with a volunteer to pay for it! Would they actually need police permission for this or would Cox Hospital be the one who could decide? It would seem to me if it's on the grounds of the hospital, they would be the ones who would have to grant permission. Of course, I'm sure even if the hospital did say it was okay, the police would have the final word about it.

I made of my mind months ago after reading posts on here, over at airalex and all the old newpaper articles that the van was white/tea-stained and not green. I read in one of the newspaper articles that there had been a white van seen cruising around there in the weeks leading up to the abduction and then all of a sudden police were saying "moss green". That was something that never made sense to me and I thought it was either misinformation from the SPD or, whoever saw the van in the early morning hours when it was still somewhat dark, was wrong about the color due to the time of day.

I deduce the SPD and prosecuting attorney are stonewalling the investigation. There is no other logical reason for not doing this. In fact, several people have offered to pay for this. It is a patently fraudulent statement to say that it will cost "thousands of dollars."

And the color of the van is inescapable. I can't believe that anyone actually can construct a rational argument that it was "moss green."
This is not inconsequential. I know of credible witnesses who may very well have seen the original white van. But the police are too "busy" to interview them. The obvious question is why? I have no good answers. One can speculate and none of the speculations are particularly comforting.
 
It is my understanding that while the SPD is not willing to investigate the Cox Health parking garage, they are not stopping anyone else that might be willing to pay for this. They simply need to approach Cox. With a good petition of signatures Cox would most likely be willing to cooperate.
 
It is my understanding that while the SPD is not willing to investigate the Cox Health parking garage, they are not stopping anyone else that might be willing to pay for this. They simply need to approach Cox. With a good petition of signatures Cox would most likely be willing to cooperate.

The cost of coring the concrete has already been guaranteed by a third individual but my understanding is that neither the Springfield Police nor the Prosecuting Attorney will allow (or minimally have strongly discouraged) the coring to commence. I believe that Cox Hospital has no objections, however. There may be other objections, as well.

The cost is certainly not a factor here. Why the police and prosecutor are being so evidently obstinate is beyond my understanding since we could then move on to other possibilities. I've never been a big fan of the garage business myself but believe this impasse is preventing the investigation from moving forward. That's why I would do it and move on. I can point to another specific location where I personally believe the remains may to be found. But that won't considered until the parking garage issue is no longer on the table.
 
Does anyone know if these witnesses who came forth have ever been publicly identified; the waitress from George’s Steakhouse, and the man who reported seeing the van in the grocery store lot on the afternoon of June 7th? Even though they were quickly discounted by SPD, have they ever been publicly interviewed?
 
Does anyone know if these witnesses who came forth have ever been publicly identified; the waitress from George’s Steakhouse, and the man who reported seeing the van in the grocery store lot on the afternoon of June 7th? Even though they were quickly discounted by SPD, have they ever been publicly interviewed?

The waitress was shown in the "48 hour" piece years ago, in 1992 and again in 1997 when it was re-released on tape. (still available from CBS). She was interviewed and/or gave her impression of what she viewed. I think it is possible she later had second thoughts and the timeline was pretty iffy. I've never heard the man who saw the van at the grocery store being identified and the woman who saw the van from her home has also never been publically identified so far as I know.

Although I used to believe the witness at George's was highly credible and still do I tend to doubt they were there simply because of the timeline. If the girls left Battlefield at or about 2:15 AM, the trip back simply wouldn't have allowed all three to have gone down there and be there in the 1 PM to 3 PM time frame. Therefore it does not appear possible and additionally, the detectives who initially checked this report seemed to discount it. I tend to go along with that view.

I think the other two witnesses are highly doubtful in my opinion which is why I happen to believe that the "moss green" van is simply not credible. A "dirty white" van cruised the neighborhood for some three weeks prior to the abductions. When they dissappeared, so did the van. I put much more credence to that report, which appeared in both the Springfield News-Leader and Kansas City Star as publically stated by Captain Tony Glenn of the SPD. I tend to go where the facts go myself.
 
Did the two girls leave Battlefield at 2:15am or arrive at the Levitt residence at 2:15am?

If the waitress is firm in her 1:00 – 3:00am timeline as previously stated then it doesn’t leave much time for them to have been there in George’s. A maximum of only about 45 minutes which is probably an average stay in a restaurant, anyway. It does appear that they would have plenty of time to return to the residence and prepare for bed etc., since the van was seen in the area as late (early?) as 4:30am.

I don’t have the tape. I need to order one.

 
Did the two girls leave Battlefield at 2:15am or arrive at the Levitt residence at 2:15am?

If the waitress is firm in her 1:00 – 3:00am timeline as previously stated then it doesn’t leave much time for them to have been there in George’s. A maximum of only about 45 minutes which is probably an average stay in a restaurant, anyway. It does appear that they would have plenty of time to return to the residence and prepare for bed etc., since the van was seen in the area as late (early?) as 4:30am.

I don’t have the tape. I need to order one.

I stand corrected. I checked the "Charley Project" and it said they arrived at the Levitt home at 2:15 AM. I've seen it put at 2:30 AM elsewhere. I'll go with the 2:15 AM time. However, there is the time necessary to get to George's. In those days there would have been no cell phones so they couldn't have called ahead of time. Sherrill's bed showed that she was reading a book and it was turned over so as to keep the place where she was reading. One could logically conclude that she would have been awakened and spoke to the girls for at least a few minutes. Assuming they spoke for at least five minutes and five minutes to drive to Georges that would have put them there no earlier than 2:25 AM. Therefore it would have been theoretically possible to have been there during that period of time of 1:00 AM to 3:00 AM but no more than 35 minutes assuming they "ran" into the restaurant upon parking. There is not a lot of time available for any leeway.

This issue came up fairly early in the investigation; was covered in the "48 hours" piece and in the newspapers and then sort of drifted into the netherworld never to have been mentioned again, much like the color of the van that was raised in the early part and then changed to the "official" moss green version.

Since the police issue no clearifications, we are left to speculate. In my opinion, they likely did not go to George's but it can't be ruled out of hand.
 
Did the two girls leave Battlefield at 2:15am or arrive at the Levitt residence at 2:15am?

If the waitress is firm in her 1:00 – 3:00am timeline as previously stated then it doesn’t leave much time for them to have been there in George’s. A maximum of only about 45 minutes which is probably an average stay in a restaurant, anyway. It does appear that they would have plenty of time to return to the residence and prepare for bed etc., since the van was seen in the area as late (early?) as 4:30am.

I don’t have the tape. I need to order one.

Here is the link again if you want to get a copy of the 48 Hours tape.

http://store.cbs.com/item.php?id=4416&sid=580
 
"In my opinion, they likely did not go to George's but it can't be ruled out of hand."

I agree with your opinion. I’m just trying to see it can be nailed down shut.
 
Here is the link again if you want to get a copy of the 48 Hours tape.

http://store.cbs.com/item.php?id=4416&sid=580

Yes, it is still available. I ordered and received it sometime ago. Always useful to review the facts of the case. I still wonder if we really know much more than we did then since the police seem so reluctant to provide new information to the public. It seems so improbable that well over 5,000 tips and information all turned out to be bogus. It's hard to know what to believe anymore. Perhaps we never will.
 
Do we know what the evidence was that was recovered at the farm in Cassville, and does it really pertain to this case? I remember the DNA tests were from some blood stains found there and it did not match.

What was the final outcome of the bones found in the old house near Mt. Vernon? I seem to recall reading that what they tested was animal bones but that there were a lot of bones from several different sources in there.
 
Do we know what the evidence was that was recovered at the farm in Cassville, and does it really pertain to this case? I remember the DNA tests were from some blood stains found there and it did not match.

What was the final outcome of the bones found in the old house near Mt. Vernon? I seem to recall reading that what they tested was animal bones but that there were a lot of bones from several different sources in there.

As I recall, none of the other digs proved to be fruitful. They were all dry holes so to speak. As I understand the Cassville deal, the individual providing the tip was alleged to have wanted to unburden his soul or something like that, or so I seem to recall being told. But yet it seemed to come of nothing. I believe there was also a dig up near Marshfield that yielded nothing. I have a pretty good idea of where the remains should be looked for and the police have that information but they are not talking. So, we are left to wonder.
 
Missouri Mule –

Even though I tend to agree with your opinion concerning George’s Steakhouse the timeline still makes it a possibility, however remote. And I keep coming back to this comment in the News-Leader of June 8, 2003:

“Back in 1992, three calls came in to police that the three women were seen in the early morning hours at George’s Steakhouse. The callers said they also saw three men with them.”

“Moore wants to know who those three men are, and if they could be related to suspects developed in Barry County.” End quote.

It would be interesting to know if these three witnesses who called in 1992 were all employees of George’s Steakhouse at the time or if some were also customers at that hour.
 
liz325

Thank you for the CBS link concerning the tape. I have ordered one this morning.
 
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