http://www.glendaleaz.com/police/ColdCase_SusanMarieSchmidt.cfm
http://www.phoenixmag.com/lifestyle/valley-news/201007/remembering-susan-marie-schmidt/1/
http://www.azcentral.com/specials/special14/articles/0718coldcase0718.html
http://www.phoenixmag.com/lifestyle/valley-news/201007/remembering-susan-marie-schmidt/1/
http://www.azcentral.com/specials/special14/articles/0718coldcase0718.html
Susan Marie Schmidt, 21, a Glendale resident and honors student at Arizona State University, was murdered on her way home from a trip to a mall at 59th and Northern avenues in Glendale.
The aspiring probation officer was shot several times with a .22-caliber weapon after she had pulled out of the mall parking lot, investigators said.
Her vehicle, a blue 1976 Toyota Celica, was found in a neighborhood on 55th Avenue, south of Northern, with Schmidt, a former cheerleader at Glendale High School, slumped over the steering wheel, according to police.
The murder occurred more than 30 years ago on March 22, 1978. Throughout the years, Glendale police have insisted the case can be solved but that things haven't come together.
Investigators have suspected Schmidt may have been killed in a chance encounter with the murderer, who was possibly out shopping. The gun has not been found.
Police ruled out robbery as a motive because Schmidt's purse and purchases were undisturbed. However, her car keys were missing and have never been found.
In addition, police believe that Schmidt knew the killer, likely a male, because she had stopped in the roadway and let the person get close enough to shoot her at point-blank range.
Apparently, she didn't view the person as a threat until it was too late, police said.
In 2003, to mark the silver anniversary of their daughter's death, her parents, Ernest and Ruth Schmidt, urging the killer to step forward.
The Schmidts, former Payson residents now living in Goodyear, issued a statement making this plea, "You know who you are, and only you can finish this anguish not only for her family but for yourself."
Trace evidence, including hair fibers, was gathered at the scene and preserved, Geisler said. Now, DNA analysis is being done to determine if the evidence can be linked to somebody, he said.
How you can help: To offer help, e-mail coldcase@glendaleaz.com or phone the Glendale police tip hotline at 623-930-3399. Anonymous calls also can be made to Silent Witness at 1-800-343-TIPS.