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

[former central time]

It might be Shane who provided the account of the girls getting into their cars and Suzie saying, 'Follow me...' with Stacy, 'Ok...'

Back to Mule's account. Did Janelle ever call Stacy's home ? I would think that would have been first on the list. I presume she never called back to her own home saying to the effect, '...girls aren't here have they called, are they there ?' After all, in the previous night's plans, at least for a time, the girls were to stay at the Kirby house.

One last thing on this. I seem to recall reading an account Janelle thought the girls hit a swimming pool in the neighborhood (being the Levitt neighborhood), any idea who that might have been ? This would be a convenient excuse to be written off of 'that's why the house was empty, unlocked and purses there.' That's not something I would do, nor many women I know, but it might provide a piece of meat to enquiring minds. At my apartment in Springfield, circa mid 90's I locked my place just to pick up the mail.

 

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I take from this account that he lived close to Suzie which might explain why Jannelle and Mike went to see him. I just don't know what the address is. I was trying to piece together some idea of how far Jannelle and Mike drove to and from her home and why they simply didn't go to the McCall's residence. It is not inconceivable that Stacy could have called her parents and they came and took all of them to breakfast that morning and there was no need to take their purses with them if the McCalls were treating them which is probable being that this was her graduation. We know this didn't happen because Janis McCall didn't learn of Stacy's whereabouts until 10:30AM that morning but Jannelle wouldn't have known that, would she? So why go to Shane's home? Not getting that part.

I don't see the big deal here why any of this may have been concealed from the McCalls as with the visitors in from town and a pallet on the floor it would be reasonable to want to spend the night in a comfortable bed with some peace and quiet. It may have been an "unauthorized" change of plans but under the circumstances, perfectly understandable.

So many questions and so few answers. Very puzzling.

This never even occured to me until reading the bolded, but since Suzie & Sherrill had just moved, with all of the different school districts in Springfield, it's entirely possible that Suzie was no longer in the Kickapoo High School District. When looking at the Springfield Public Schools site http://gismaps.springfieldmo.gov/schooldistrict/ the house on Delmar is located in the Parkview High School district. I'm not sure what this means, besides Shane most likely did not live nearby, but I also think it's kind of odd that if they were meeting up with friends that they graduated with early the next morning that they would stay over at the friend's house that lives farthest away. Of course, at 18, you don't have a care in the world, and don't think about the time/gas/logistics

 

[former central time]

It is not inconceivable that Stacy could have called her parents and they came and took all of them to breakfast that morning and there was no need to take their purses with them if the McCalls were treating them which is probable being that this was her graduation. We know this didn't happen because Janis McCall didn't learn of Stacy's whereabouts until 10:30AM that morning but Jannelle wouldn't have known that, would she? So why go to Shane's home? Not getting that part./QUOTE]

I'm having trouble with that for this simple reason. In my 44 years of life as a male, I have RARELY ever seen a woman go anywhere without her purse, even teenagers. It's not a question about paying, money, it's more than that. In this case, not only would the two young women be without purses, but Ms. Levitt as well ? And, casually leaving the house unlocked ? If Suzie had lived with Stacy, alone, I might understand that...kids. But, if this was something like that, with Ms. Levitt going with them, not something adults do so casually. To me, the 'unlocked house' is a problem for anything 'friendly' going on. And I thought the same way when I WAS a teenager too.

 

[_mb_]

It might be Shane who provided the account of the girls getting into their cars and Suzie saying, 'Follow me...' with Stacy, 'Ok...'

Back to Mule's account. Did Janelle ever call Stacy's home ? I would think that would have been first on the list. I presume she never called back to her own home saying to the effect, '...girls aren't here have they called, are they there ?' After all, in the previous night's plans, at least for a time, the girls were to stay at the Kirby house.

One last thing on this. I seem to recall reading an account Janelle thought the girls hit a swimming pool in the neighborhood (being the Levitt neighborhood), any idea who that might have been ? This would be a convenient excuse to be written off of 'that's why the house was empty, unlocked and purses there.' That's not something I would do, nor many women I know, but it might provide a piece of meat to enquiring minds. At my apartment in Springfield, circa mid 90's I locked my place just to pick up the mail.

I agree. I remember trying to meet up with people in the dark ages before cell phones You were a lot more patient back then and waited. Was Shane's house the place that the girls were going to meet up the next day? If not, I see no reason to go over there first. If they were to leave from Janelle's, I don't see why she got worried and left to go find them. They could have been on their way over to her house. They could have been out eating breakfast. They could have been sleeping--they did just get in a few hours before (This is another beef I have with the story--after partying all night, nobody is ready to go to a waterpark at 8am. I don't understand the hurry to get to the waterpark was. Would it even have been open when they arrived?). The SNL link to the original police report is broken, but I'm very curious to see what it says regarding what time Janelle says she started calling vs. what time they got to the house.

And I agree about the purses and the unlocked door. Why alarm bells didn't go off when that stuff is there and your friends are not and there is broken glass on the front step...

 

[Missouri Mule]

I also think it unlikely they would have left their purses there but it is not impossible. If they were asked to go eat down the street and they were famished and if they believed the house was essentially safe to leave their purses and perhaps even thinking they had pulled a locked door behind them it is remotely conceivable. I was trying to offer up an alternate scenario that might explain what happened that morning.

Now we know that the McCalls didn't go there based on their account of the day's activities. But it wouldn't rule out some other trusted person or persons who came knocking on their door and they bolted out the door to get a free meal. Perhaps the girls were taken, and then they came back for Sherrill who was not going. Perhaps she was looking after their belongings. It is not written in granite anywhere that they had to all leave together.

 

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I've thought about the "free meal" theory myself. Load the girls up to go out to a celebratory breakfast (maybe with Sherill, maybe they get her later). Honestly, to me that makes more sense than a stranger, a "utility worker", someone they know who goes from friend to abductor inside the home, etc. Maybe they got the house key and came back in for Sherril, who struggled and knocked out the porch light.

And I didn't think about pulling the door behind them thinking it's locked. It's entirely possible that Sherril or Suzie locked the door and were one of the first ones out and Suzie thought she was doing a favor by locking the door, but actually unlocking it.

 

[Kathee]

People would have been milling around in the neighborhood in the morning and noticed something if they left to go to breakfast with someone.....especially someone leaving for breakfast in a t-shirt and panties.

IMHO, I believe they were all taken at the same time. The perp/s would not have wanted to make a double or triple trip to the crime scene. If they would have made multiple trips to the house, the purses would not have remained there.

 

[Missouri Mule]

People would have been milling around in the neighborhood in the morning and noticed something if they left to go to breakfast with someone.....especially someone leaving for breakfast in a t-shirt and panties.

IMHO, I believe they were all taken at the same time. The perp/s would not have wanted to make a double or triple trip to the crime scene. If they would have made multiple trips to the house, the purses would not have remained there.

I essentially agree with what you have said. I was merely offering up an alternate theory on what might have occurred. Your observation about Stacy not having her shorts on is certainly valid, however, it is possible she left the first time with her shorts on and returned sometime before sun-up at which time she removed them and placed them and her jewelry beside the waterbed.

Do you know where this "Shane" was located? I'm trying to determine approximately how many miles were covered by Janelle and Mike that morning all the while they could have gone directly to the McCall residence. I'm not understanding that part. Janelle could not be said to be at blame if Suzie and Stacy made the decision to go the Levitt home. She was not their guardian or protector so why didn't she take the bull by the horns and short circuit all of this hand wringing and fruitless searching and other dead alleys in looking for them? If I were the police I would want to understand exactly what was going on that morning. It may have absolutely nothing to do with the crime but certainly it ought to be eliminated from consideration.

Just for the record, the addresses were as follows:

The party at 1500 E. Hanover: Broken up by the police at 1:50 AM.

Returned to Battlefield (57 blocks to the west)

Kirby residence: 4961 Butterfield Place Left at 2:20 AM

Neighbor's residence: 5002 Coach Drive (Around the corner from the Kirby residence.)

Levitt residence: 1717 E. Delmar (11 miles from the Kirby residence)

Where did this "Shane" live? Why did Janelle and Mike go there first? I'm not getting this part. Was he the last person to have seen the girls? Was he supposed to have knowledge of their whereabouts? Why? Why would he be the first person that Janelle would want to inquire of? What exactly was his connection to the women?

Note: I have a hard copy of the police report but don't believe that the comings and goings of Janelle to the Levitt home is spelled out in any detail. One of the somewhat surprising statements (to me) on the report is that Janis McCall specifically stated: "Mrs. McCall stated her daughter Stacy Kathleen McCall (4-23-74) was to spend the night at THIS (emphasis mine) location with her girlfriend Suzanne E. Streeter (3-9-73.)"

 

[_mb_]

People would have been milling around in the neighborhood in the morning and noticed something if they left to go to breakfast with someone.....especially someone leaving for breakfast in a t-shirt and panties.

IMHO, I believe they were all taken at the same time. The perp/s would not have wanted to make a double or triple trip to the crime scene. If they would have made multiple trips to the house, the purses would not have remained there.

I keep going back & forth on whether Stacy had pants or not. I have read that her father stated that her swimsuit was at Suzie's house. But I don't know if it was found in the car or in the home. Or what, if any, belongings were found with it. In the theory I had above, I assume she is wearing pants she had packed in an overnight bag and that two actual trips were not made, but once the girls were in the vehicle they were somehow overtaken and someone went back in for Sherril.

This Shane deal doesn't make sense to me. If you search this site (I'm on my phone--copying & pasting is a nightmare), I believe it is Hurricane who states that Shane was driving the girls around that night. I am unable to verify this through articles so far, but I never find anything in Janelles statements that mention him. It's almost like she's hiding the fact they were with him that night. Question is, why?

And I keep wondering if there really were plans to go to a hotel or not. If there were plans who came up with the idea and who was going? If there weren't really plans did Stacy just make up the story so her mom wouldn't worry? We don't know what Suzie told her mom. If there were

 

[Missouri Mule]

The question about "Shane" needs to be cleared up. We know that Janelle goes first to Shane's home (what time?) before she is in touch with the McCalls. From all that we know about the case we can safely assume that Janelle was tight with Stacy. So why not simply call Mrs. McCall and inform her that she can't reach Suzie or Stacy and are they over there instead? All she needed to do was state the facts. They decided to go to Suzie's house because of the accommodations in Battlefield. Nothing unreasonable about that. Janelle was not Stacy's "scheduling clerk" who had to call to the McCall's house at 2 AM in the morning. If she didn't feel comfortable calling the McCall residence why didn't she have her mother or sister call over there? Instead she "calls and calls and calls" and then goes to the Levitt house and then to Shane's house. I'm just not understanding the timeline here at all that make any sense. One would have hoped that the police had pinned down all of the timeline down precisely in their initial investigation. I wonder, however.

I believe the matter of the overnight bag was previously covered in another thread and was established to be in the house based on my recollection. There was the belief that surely Stacy would have had a change of clothing and a bathing suit in it. If not, then she would surely have had to go back to the McCall residence to get those items before going to Branson and there is no indication I am aware of that there was ever any intention of doing so. She must have had an overnight bag with her and it should have been in the house. After a night on the town she surely wouldn't have wanted to wear soiled clothes for a second day. And she would have needed something to put her wet bathing suit in on the way back from Branson.

 

[Jaya]

I wonder if Janelle going to Shane's had to do with her original concern that the girls had left for Branson without her. If Janelle had noticed that Suzie spent most of the evening hanging out with Shane at the parties, he might have been her first "suspect" as to who the girls might have taken off with. I know that this has been discussed elsewhere on the boards, but was it ever established how large of a group was going to Branson? Was it just the 3 girls or were other classmates involved? If more people were going and Shane was one of them, it would have been logical for Janelle to go over there and see if the girls had called him.

Someone had asked about the hours of White Water. It has always opened at 10:00 on the weekends, so planning to leave Springfield at 9:00 would have been just about right if they were wanting to get there right as it opened. If the plan was to meet at 9:00 at someone's house to head out, it would make sense that Janelle had started calling at 8:30 if she hadn't heard from them yet, since they were going to call when they woke up. But that is assuming that the plan was to get there right as it opened. I've always had a hard time thinking that three teenagers who had stayed out until 2:30 drinking and partying were planning on starting the morning early voluntarily.

 

[Missouri Mule]

This post has nothing to do with this case except to this extent. It touches on the inexplicable actions of that day. I just watched "FBI-Criminal Pursuit" regarding the Sandra Cantu murder in California. Although it involves an eight year old girl the perpetrator and motive immediately struck a chord for me. Watch it until the end. I'm sure it will be repeated on channel 192 on Dish and also on Direct TV. I knew who the perp was about 1/2 way into the program but the ending astounded me and I immediately thought of this case.

I also want to directly comment on Jaya's post. I think this post is dead on accurate with the conclusions. Very good observation about the opening time!!

 

[kashmir]

I just wanted to say that this Mother's day I thought of Janice McCall and Sherrill, two Mothers who never got to enjoy the wonderful future possibilities their daughter's future's held. Stacy and Suzie never got to be mothers. Janis never got to attend college "Mom's Day" with Stacy. Sherrill was possibly going to work with her daughter after beauty college. No grandbabies, no lunches with mom, no family vacations, no wedding...just nothing. So very very sad.

When I head up to Springfield for our yearly mass and rememberance at Resurrection Cemetary on Memorial Day, I will have the three on my mind. For what should have been, and what should NEVER have been.

Whose path did they cross? What happened???

 

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I read this earlier today and wondered if Jimmie Lee Mills has any connection to the Springfield/Southern MO area.

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/...cle_96f74d8c-8257-5bfa-ae6e-6037ae72bf32.html

 

[Jaya]

I read this earlier today and wondered if Jimmie Lee Mills has any connection to the Springfield/Southern MO area.

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/...cle_96f74d8c-8257-5bfa-ae6e-6037ae72bf32.html

Since he was convicted as a sex offender in 1973, there should be a record of where he has lived somewhere.

 

[kashmir]

That article can make a person angry. Probation for rape? Are you serious?


Is it confirmed as fact that Cox worked with Stacy's dad? I never knew if that was fact or rumor.

 

[Missouri Mule]

That article can make a person angry. Probation for rape? Are you serious?

Is it confirmed as fact that Cox worked with Stacy's dad? I never knew if that was fact or rumor.

According to the "Disappeared" program they worked for the same dealership or concern but there is no consensus that they had any actual contact with one another. It is possible that Cox may have seen Stacy come to the dealership to meet up with her father but no one that I know of has established that as factual. However, it cannot be ruled out as motive; especially since Sherrill, if she were the target, was vulnerable alone before the girls may have arrived.

Note: I believe it is correct to say that the car lot shown in the program is not actually the one they worked for. It is probably somewhere in the many news items regarding this case but I can't lay my hands on it at this time. I believe it was a larger concern.

 

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That article can make a person angry. Probation for rape? Are you serious?


Is it confirmed as fact that Cox worked with Stacy's dad? I never knew if that was fact or rumor.

I was pretty outraged when I read that as well. The article mentions a couple of other cases that they'd like to link to him, and I wouldn't be surprised if there were several more. His ability to slip by under the radar and not leave any evidence behind is chilling. I hope these families can get some closure soon.

Jaya, he's listed as a non-compliant offender on the MO Sex Offender website. Not sure how much address info we'll be able to find.

 

[kashmir]

WOW. I just watched the Disappeared episode and it really changed my hard set views on a few things. For me, it is hard to ignore the Cox/Cox/Car Dealership connection but I agree that that could be something totally random. But still bizzare. Mechanics do talk to salesmen, but the chaos of that evening and friends makes things hard to place with that theory.


Janis McCall breaks my heart.

 

[Missouri Mule]

WOW. I just watched the Disappeared episode and it really changed my hard set views on a few things. For me, it is hard to ignore the Cox/Cox/Car Dealership connection but I agree that that could be something totally random. But still bizzare. Mechanics do talk to salesmen, but the chaos of that evening and friends makes things hard to place with that theory.

Janis McCall breaks my heart.

Many times first impressions are the correct impressions. I'd be interested in what views you had that were changed. It has always been my belief that one's "gut feelings" are usually correct. Can you elaborate on what views that were changed?