The Springfield Three--missing since June 1992 - #5

[Missouri Mule]

Mule,
I recall reading some interview with Mrs. McCall where she made a real point of saying that she had not given Stacy Permission to stay at Suzie's house. The implication was that she never would have allowed her to stay there; presumably because she didn't feel comfortable with the people Suzie and Sherrill associated with. I got the impression that the McCalls considered themselves of high Social Class than the Sherrill and Suzie and were convinced that what happened that night involved the sketchy characters that traveled in their circle.

I think that quote was attributable to Mr. McCall rather than Mrs. McCall. In any event no explanation was given for such a prohibition. One could draw the conclusion you have. What I was trying to get at was why no logical explanation was ever given for the lack of an overnight bag for Stacy. Even if they were to return that day, she still needed a change of clothing. And if it was always her intention to return home before leaving for Branson, the McCalls had to know she was missing before they went to the park for the boat races. I don't think they showed up at the Levitt home until late in the evening. So I really don't understand this at all.

 

[Trooogrit]

Mule,
I recall reading some interview with Mrs. McCall where she made a real point of saying that she had not given Stacy Permission to stay at Suzie's house. The implication was that she never would have allowed her to stay there; presumably because she didn't feel comfortable with the people Suzie and Sherrill associated with. I got the impression that the McCalls considered themselves of high Social Class than the Sherrill and Suzie and were convinced that what happened that night involved the sketchy characters that traveled in their circle.

That impression is not accurate, Suzie and Sherrill lived in the same upscale neighborhoods when Sherrill was married. Mrs. McCall also stated that graduation night was an open time of doing what they wanted to. She gave her permission to go to branson and stay in a motel, obviously this was not a night where curfews or the normal rules would be enforced. No Stacy and Suzie were not really close in high school, but had been friends since childhood.

 

[Trooogrit]

I think that quote was attributable to Mr. McCall rather than Mrs. McCall. In any event no explanation was given for such a prohibition. One could draw the conclusion you have. What I was trying to get at was why no logical explanation was ever given for the lack of an overnight bag for Stacy. Even if they were to return that day, she still needed a change of clothing. And if it was always her intention to return home before leaving for Branson, the McCalls had to know she was missing before they went to the park for the boat races. I don't think they showed up at the Levitt home until late in the evening. So I really don't understand this at all.

The Branson trip was planned before graduation and somewhere is quote that said the Mrs. McCall said she wished they would not go that night, and SHerrill said that I think their minds are made up or something to that effect, so the overnight bag, is just never discussed, was it in her car? If so then Mrs. McCall could have clearly still made the statements she made.

 

[Missouri Mule]

The Branson trip was planned before graduation and somewhere is quote that said the Mrs. McCall said she wished they would not go that night, and SHerrill said that I think their minds are made up or something to that effect, so the overnight bag, is just never discussed, was it in her car? If so then Mrs. McCall could have clearly still made the statements she made.

Your recollection is correct. I guess that is the only possible answer. However, in order to have made that statement she would have had to go to the car to look inside the bag, would she not? And would she necessarily have known if all of the shorts that were packed were still in the bag? That is to say, Stacy might have worn a pair down to Branson and then another pair on the return trip. During overnight trips I usually pack two pairs of shorts in the summer, just in case. It's a niggling point but it just seems odd for some reason -- at least to me.

 

[Trooogrit]

Well we do not know exactly when she made the statement? They searched around the house for phone numbers of people to call and try to locate them. I would think that the chance of her going to her car and looking in it would be pretty good. She knew what Stacy left wearing. So that would be the logical conclusion I guess.

 

[Jaya]

I had a thought about the overnight bag. This might be way out there, but it is a new thought as to why the bag was never discussed as part of the case publicly.

One of my friends and I took a weekend trip last week. She is still carrying the overnight bag and toiletry bag set she got for her high-school graduation, a designer set that was very expensive. I got to thinking about this and remembered that many of my friends received expensive/designer luggage, weekend bags, or backpacks as graduation presents. What if Stacy had received such an overnight bag that had value and it was never found at the Streeter home? It would make sense that LE would instruct the McCalls and others to not mention the bag if they were keeping an eye on area pawn shops and consignment stores for it as a way to track down someone who may have been involved, similar to what is often done with jewelry or watches of missing individuals.

Of course, there is one big flaw in this idea in that if they were going to swipe a bag that could be pawned for a few hundred bucks, why not take wallets when the purses were in plain sight?

Again, I realize this is a stretch, but there has always been something odd to me about the fact that one of the girls who disappeared did so on a night that she planned to not be spending at home, and there was never any official mention of the things that she would have been expected to have with her for such an evening.

 

[Missouri Mule]

That's a worthy theory and possible. However, if we assume the forensic crew did their job properly, is why nothing in the way of DNA or other evidence was found in the home where the bag was found. Also the purses were left behind with the money.

I would suggest that the abductions took place outside the home and that they never entered the home. As to the purses, I suspect that one or more of the visitors simply piled them up together when looking for something that might help locate them, such as phone number, etc.

I try not to repeat myself too often but we have to remember that five critical things were not done that should have been done and this lends credence to the theory that the abductor(s) did not actually enter the house. 1) TV on, 2) Purses left behind, 3) Door unlocked, 4) Porch light left on, and 5) the broken globe left broken on the porch. Logically, none of these "oversights" would be to the benefit to the abductor(s) especially the unlocked door. Had the door been locked there wouldn't have been all those people going traipsing through the house. It is entirely possible the crime scene could have been discovered much earlier than it would have been had it been locked. In an ironic twist, it was the visitors to the home that destroyed the crime scene but that could not have been anticipated by the abductor(s).

So I think that Trooogrit's explanation that Mrs. McCall looked in Stacy's car and determined that she had not changed her clothing and it was left in the car in the rush to go to bed that late evening. One has to assume that Mrs. McCall knew what was in the bag to have made the statement that Stacy left the house in her underwear. Otherwise it is an unanswered mystery.

 

[kemo]

I recall reading somewhere that Stacy's mother was certain that Stacy was in her underwear when abducted becase her pants were in Suzie's room and Suzie's pants wouldn't have fit Stacy (she was bigger and taller). I don't recall her addressing the issue of any overnight bag but what she says precludes Stacy having any overnight bag with her in the house..

I've always thought the fact that Stacy was not wearing pants (and shoes I believe) was a given. That would pretty much rule out an abduction from the driveway. If the abduction occured in the house, we are left to wonder how the Perp(s) got in and how they were able to pull it off with minimal disruption to the inside of the house and otherwise leaving evidence of their presence.

Certainly, this leaves open the possibility; perhaps probability, that someone in the the house let him/them in, he/they were able to gain control of the situation easily, and the women left with them without struggle.

If Stacy was wearing pants, that opens up a lot of possibilities but how likely was that?

 

[Missouri Mule]

I recall reading somewhere that Stacy's mother was certain that Stacy was in her underwear when abducted becase her pants were in Suzie's room and Suzie's pants wouldn't have fit Stacy (she was bigger and taller). I don't recall her addressing the issue of any overnight bag but what she says precludes Stacy having any overnight bag with her in the house..

I've always thought the fact that Stacy was not wearing pants (and shoes I believe) was a given. That would pretty much rule out an abduction from the driveway. If the abduction occured in the house, we are left to wonder how the Perp(s) got in and how they were able to pull it off with minimal disruption to the inside of the house and otherwise leaving evidence of their presence.

Certainly, this leaves open the possibility; perhaps probability, that someone in the the house let him/them in, he/they were able to gain control of the situation easily, and the women left with them without struggle.

If Stacy was wearing pants, that opens up a lot of possibilities but how likely was that?

This is my personal opinion but the fact, or apparent fact, that no DNA or other forensic material was found in the home from someone not in the home previously leads me to believe that the person or persons did not come into the house. The fact that the lights were on, the television on, the door unlocked, the broken globe was not cleaned up, and the purses left behind also tells me that. The abductor(s) wanted to get out of Dodge immediately.

I'm not sure how any woman would have left the home without her outer garment to go with anyone, even if they knew them well.

But I would like to go back to my original problem. If she didn't have an overnight bag inside the house, since it has never been mentioned in the newspapers or media, when was she going to get it? When she left for Branson? At the McCall residence? Or was it in the car and she merely had neglected to bring it inside? Or was that never really their plans to go to Branson? My bottom line point is that if they were truly going to go to Branson, she had to have one, either with her or she was going to go home and get one but why would she leave the home with a bag already planning to go to Branson that night before she called her mother late to inform her that she was staying with Jannelle that night. I'm just not understanding this nor any reason why such information would be withheld from the public unless the police determined that she was never going to Branson and they keyed on someone, perhaps a boyfriend who didn't have an alibi for his whereabouts.

 

[former central time]

But I would like to go back to my original problem. If she didn't have an overnight bag inside the house, since it has never been mentioned in the newspapers or media, when was she going to get it? When she left for Branson? At the McCall residence? Or was it in the car and she merely had neglected to bring it inside? Or was that never really their plans to go to Branson? My bottom line point is that if they were truly going to go to Branson, she had to have one, either with her or she was going to go home and get one but why would she leave the home with a bag already planning to go to Branson that night before she called her mother late to inform her that she was staying with Jannelle that night. I'm just not understanding this nor any reason why such information would be withheld from the public unless the police determined that she was never going to Branson and they keyed on someone, perhaps a boyfriend who didn't have an alibi for his whereabouts.

This is another reason why I've been skeptical of the 'First Responders.' The casual line from Jannelle, when coming and leaving the vacant Levitt house, '...guess they went to Branson.' If Stacy didn't have a bag, was she going to go to Branson anyway ? Particularly if Suzie had one or could pack one one the fly from home ? Not that the previous Saturday was Jannelle's day to watch Stacy, but couple this with all we know about the empty house that Sunday morning; the cars parked, purses, smokes and so on. Mrs. McCall's basic published statement was to the effect that Stacy was out there in '...just her panties...' meaning she had nothing else with her (not even her medicine). With all these changes, in front of Jannelle's eyes the previous day, would Stacy not have to stop by her home to 'get ready' ?

Maybe, from Jannelle's perspective, Stacy's mom came by the Levitt house real early to pick her AND Suzie up...but Sherill too ? She was going to Branson ? Then given all the physical evidence in the house, they would leave that behind ? It appears real clear to me that, however casual, the plans were pretty firm on the trip to Branson. But, given what was left and what wasn't part of the equation, it doesn't add up.

For Stacy's part, and this was raised before, she might have left the house in a rush, grabbing, maybe Sherill's bathrobe or something. I believe it's been established there was a footprint of hers in the living room of the house facing out the front door.

 

[Missouri Mule]

If it had already been decided by 8:00 pm when the two girls left their respective homes that they were not going to Branson that night why would Stacy take a bag with her? It would certainly explain why Suzie's was found at home. The original plans were to drive to Branson as early as 6:30 pm when graduation ceremonies were over. That obviously didn't happen so plans could have changed as early as 6:15 when the ceremonies were over. I think Stacy planned and expected to return to her own home to sleep that night but did not tell her mom because she didn't want Janis to set a curfew for her.

All of these plans were the plans of teenagers and were fluid and constantly changing. Nothing was so regimental that it had to happen with military precision.

I don't really want to have a disagreement but in reading over your post it appears to be speculation. Correct me if I am wrong, but I had thought that Stacy had phoned her mother at about 10:30 PM and told her at that time that she was over nighting at Branson. Am I given to understand that this decision was made much earlier than that? I just keep thinking that if she left the McCall house and the McCalls believing she was going to Branson that night she would have had to have an overnight bag.

Mrs. McCall called Jannelle's home at 10:30 AM on Sunday believing that Stacy was there. To my knowledge she had no reason to believe that Stacy was going to Branson in her street clothes to use the water slide down there and return soaking wet in those same clothes. Wouldn't she of necessity have had to have had an overnight bag? What am I missing here? Stated differently, even if she had told her mother at 6 PM that she had a change of plans, there had to have been the extra clothes and swim suit. Where am I wrong?

If the speculation is that she was going to return to her parent's home it would make sense she didn't take an overnight bag. But wouldn't it also be logical to think that her mother would have noticed this?

 

[Luzer]

I don't really want to have a disagreement but in reading over your post it appears to be speculation. Correct me if I am wrong, but I had thought that Stacy had phoned her mother at about 10:30 PM and told her at that time that she was over nighting at Branson. Am I given to understand that this decision was made much earlier than that? I just keep thinking that if she left the McCall house and the McCalls believing she was going to Branson that night she would have had to have an overnight bag.

Mrs. McCall called Jannelle's home at 10:30 AM on Sunday believing that Stacy was there. To my knowledge she had no reason to believe that Stacy was going to Branson in her street clothes to use the water slide down there and return soaking wet in those same clothes. Wouldn't she of necessity have had to have had an overnight bag? What am I missing here? Stated differently, even if she had told her mother at 6 PM that she had a change of plans, there had to have been the extra clothes and swim suit. Where am I wrong?

If the speculation is that she was going to return to her parent's home it would make sense she didn't take an overnight bag. But wouldn't it also be logical to think that her mother would have noticed this?

Mule, you are speculating as well. Here is my speculation: Stacy tells her Mom "I don't need a bag, I'm going to buy a new suit at Whitewater". Her makeup and meds were in her purse. Or, she used a plastic bag to carry her suit and a towel in. Leaving Whitewater, those items would be wet and you would not want to put them in a nice overnight bag, but something disposable.

 

[Missouri Mule]

Mule, you are speculating as well. Here is my speculation: Stacy tells her Mom "I don't need a bag, I'm going to buy a new suit at Whitewater". Her makeup and meds were in her purse. Or, she used a plastic bag to carry her suit and a towel in. Leaving Whitewater, those items would be wet and you would not want to put them in a nice overnight bag, but something disposable.

That is plausible. But she could put the plastic bag with the wet clothes into an overnight bag as well, which is what I would recommend.

Let me throw this out for discussion. Either Susie or Sherrill goes to the front door and one thing leads to another and Stacy overhears this. She becomes alarmed and fearing for her life as well as the others grabs her overnight bag and ducks out the side door intending to reach safety, put on a clean pair of shorts and get to somewhere where she can report what is happening and get the police over there. But she is trapped in the backyard; makes a mad dash for the front where she is captured. She has the bag in her hand and she along with Susie and Sherrill are thrown into the van.

Now I realize this is speculation. But it makes sense to me. Tear me apart.

 

[Luzer]

That is plausible. But she could put the plastic bag with the wet clothes into an overnight bag as well, which is what I would recommend.

Let me throw this out for discussion. Either Susie or Sherrill goes to the front door and one thing leads to another and Stacy overhears this. She becomes alarmed and fearing for her life as well as the others grabs her overnight bag and ducks out the side door intending to reach safety, put on a clean pair of shorts and get to somewhere where she can report what is happening and get the police over there. But she is trapped in the backyard; makes a mad dash for the front where she is captured. She has the bag in her hand and she along with Susie and Sherrill are thrown into the van.

Now I realize this is speculation. But it makes sense to me. Tear me apart.

Wouldn't she grab her purse as well? Meds aren't cheap or easy to replace. Nor is makeup.

 

[Missouri Mule]

Wouldn't she grab her purse as well? Meds aren't cheap or easy to replace. Nor is makeup.

I would think her last concern would be those items. If she were successful in getting out of the house safely and to somewhere safe, and if the police responded, those items would still be there. And indeed they were when the crime scene was first discovered which leads us to believe the perps never entered the house.

 

[Luzer]

A purse is a woman's home away from home. A purse is not intentionally left behind. If I were facing the scenario you posted, I would want my purse which has my keys so I could try to drive. I would not go out a side door to a fenced-in yard.

 

[Missouri Mule]

A purse is a woman's home away from home. A purse is not intentionally left behind. If I were facing the scenario you posted, I would want my purse which has my keys so I could try to drive. I would not go out a side door to a fenced-in yard.

According to Jannelle's account, this was the first time that Stacy and Suzie had ever been together as friends. (I think I have that right) It was always with Jannelle or other common friends. We don't know that Stacy knew the layout of the backyard and frankly I don't know what it was either as I have not been there. But if it were enclosed she had no choice except to go back into the house and hope the perp(s) didn't deduce with her car in the driveway that she was in the house and would have heard any commotion on the front porch. Logically, she would have tried to make a mad dash to escape around the east side of Sherrill's car. So far as I know that was her only escape route. (Again, I stand to be corrected if there was another.)

She couldn't have gone out the front door because that was where the problem lay. The side door was the only way out, wasn't it. (I'm not sure about any other exit so I stand to be corrected.)

Again, if she were able to obtain help, the car and keys would still be there as they were when found.

 

[former central time]

Let me throw this out for discussion. Either Susie or Sherrill goes to the front door and one thing leads to another and Stacy overhears this. She becomes alarmed and fearing for her life as well as the others grabs her overnight bag and ducks out the side door intending to reach safety, put on a clean pair of shorts and get to somewhere where she can report what is happening and get the police over there. But she is trapped in the backyard; makes a mad dash for the front where she is captured. She has the bag in her hand and she along with Susie and Sherrill are thrown into the van.

Now I realize this is speculation. But it makes sense to me. Tear me apart.

I think in spirit, your scenario is plausible, but doesn't make the overnight bag exclusive. It's been widely reported Stacy's shorts were 'neatly folded' next to where she slept. If some crisis as such occurred, and she needed to dash outside, she had the option of her shorts to rush outside. IF that's where she was when it dawned on her what was up. Footware I'm unclear on. As for the purses, I can see abandoning that to escape danger.

Further, would Mrs. McCall know if Stacy was missing a bag ? I have never heard or read a finite point to this. Buying a swimsuit on 'the fly' for her trip is unusual from my experience. Not to say people don't do it, but I think it's more likely Stacy had the intension to stop by her house, pick-up some stuff in a few and head to Branson. We know the constant changing of plans the night before and it appears to me the Branson overnight trip was nixed by early that evening. The fact that Stacy stayed at Jannelle's or Suzie's would be irrelevant to her trip home to 'pick up some swimware and bag,' the next morning. Her mother wouldn't have known then where she spent the night. Only when things went wrong was that jig up.

The purses being left I think underscores the franticness of this dash. Not using cold, calculating logic we might, she jumped on impulse (fight or flight), grabing ANYTHING she could lay her hands on; a sheet, a bedcover, towel, whatever, or nothing at all, and left the house. I don't know if anyone has a complete enough inventory of the house to prove or disprove what's missing or not.

 

[Luzer]

I think in spirit, your scenario is plausible, but doesn't make the overnight bag exclusive. It's been widely reported Stacy's shorts were 'neatly folded' next to where she slept. If some crisis as such occurred, and she needed to dash outside, she had the option of her shorts to rush outside. IF that's where she was when it dawned on her what was up. Footware I'm unclear on. As for the purses, I can see abandoning that to escape danger.

Further, would Mrs. McCall know if Stacy was missing a bag ? I have never heard or read a finite point to this. Buying a swimsuit on 'the fly' for her trip is unusual from my experience. Not to say people don't do it, but I think it's more likely Stacy had the intension to stop by her house, pick-up some stuff in a few and head to Branson. We know the constant changing of plans the night before and it appears to me the Branson overnight trip was nixed by early that evening. The fact that Stacy stayed at Jannelle's or Suzie's would be irrelevant to her trip home to 'pick up some swimware and bag,' the next morning. Her mother wouldn't have known then where she spent the night. Only when things went wrong was that jig up.

The purses being left I think underscores the franticness of this dash. Not using cold, calculating logic we might, she jumped on impulse (fight or flight), grabing ANYTHING she could lay her hands on; a sheet, a bedcover, towel, whatever, or nothing at all, and left the house. I don't know if anyone has a complete enough inventory of the house to prove or disprove what's missing or not.

It doesn't make sense at all that Suzie's bag and all three purses were left behind, but Stacy's alleged bag went missing. There was nothing published (that I can find) stating Stacy had a bag.

As for buying the suit at Whitewater, I can see three reasons. 1) It would serve as a memento to Stacy for her graduation weekend. 2) She could buy the kind of suit she wanted instead of having to have her parent's approval. 3) New summer, new suit time and she had not had time to shop beforehand.

The published reports were that the girls were going to Branson after the party Saturday evening. It is quite possible Stacy was to have gone home to get an overnight bag before leaving, but she instead called to say she would stay at Janelle's.

 

[former central time]

A purse is a woman's home away from home. A purse is not intentionally left behind.

Hummm...I think we're on to something there. :waitasec:

To me the purses, empty house, three cars and so on screams 9-1-1. But it took a score of family and friends most of Sunday to get around to it.