CA CA - Susan Robin Bender, 15, abducted, Modesto, 25 Apr 1986

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[h=1]Susan Robin Bender[/h]
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  • susan_robin_bender_2.jpg
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Susan, circa 1986; Age-progression to age 45 (circa 2015);




  • Missing Since 04/25/1986
  • Missing From Modesto, California
  • Classification Non-Family Abduction
  • Date of Birth 11/27/1970 (47)
  • Age 15 years old
  • Height and Weight 5'5, 130 pounds
  • Clothing/Jewelry Description A light blue skirt with multi-colored dots, a light-colored blouse, a white vest and a gold bracelet.
  • Distinguishing Characteristics Multiracial female. Black hair, brown eyes. Susan has freckles. Her ears are pierced. She is of Caucasian, Hispanic and Native American descent.


[h=3]Details of Disappearance[/h] Susan left her family's home in Modesto, California on April 25, 1986 to stay with friends in Carmel, California. She was last seen at the former Greyhound bus depot on 10th Street and G Street in Modesto, making a phone call. Susan did not board a bus; instead, she was seen entering an unidentified full-sized olive-green 1977 Ford van outside of the station during the day. Susan has never been seen again.

Susan's diary, address book and some items of her clothing were located at a suspect's home after she vanished. The person was questioned by investigators, but released due to a lack of evidence.

Wesley Howard Shermantine Jr. and Loren Joseph Herzog, the so-called "Speed Freak Killers," are possible suspects in Susan's case. They were arrested in 2000 and ultimately convicted of murdering several females in the 1980s and 1990s; authorities believe they had as many as fifteen victims. Photographs of both men are posted with this case summary.

Shermantine is on death row. Herzog's sentence was reduced from 78 years to 14 years after the court ruled his confession had been coerced. He was paroled in 2010 and then committed suicide in January 2012, after he found out his former partner had begun cooperating with authorities and had offered to reveal the location of victims' bodies in exchange for a payment of $33,000.

Shermantine led investigators to the skeletal remains of Chevelle Wheeler and Cyndi Vanderheiden, who'd been missing since 1985 and 1998 respectively. He also pointed out an abandoned well in Linden, California that contained some 300 human bones and personal items. Shermantine stated the well contains up to twenty victims. He blames Herzog for all the murders and says he only helped with disposing the bodies. Authorities are in the process of sorting out the contents of the well and attempting to identify the bones.

Shermantine and Herzog are being investigated in other missing persons' cases, including Phillip Martin, Michaela Garecht, Sylvia Standly, Gayle Marks and Ruth Leamon. Victims Kimberly Billy, a 19-year-old who disappeared in 1984, and Joann Hobson, a 16-year-old who disappeared in 1985, have already been identified.

Foul play is suspected in Susan's case; it remains unsolved.

http://charleyproject.org/case/susan-robin-bender

https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/5841/
 
Hi,
I am new to this forum and I apologize in advance for just starting a new thread without any contribution. It’s not polite nor is it considerate but I have been waiting for something like this to exist for a very long time. I want to share my story and ad a few more details that I have learned over the years. I’ll get on to it.

I can remember from a young age about a relative who went missing two years before I was born. She is a relative of mine not by blood, but by marriage. I can remember my first nightmare at the age of 3 1/2, and can certainly recall details from the ages of five and seven. I will always remember a few relatives of mine (who are deceased now) would discuss a missing girl from 1985 who was terribly neglected as a child. Her mother was a known prostitute and PCP user from the late 70s until probably now. The mother neglected her little girl so much that her nickname was (or is) Booger’s.

I remember the stories about the little girl, Susan, having snot and booger’s stuffed in her nostrils and around her mouth. This young girl was doomed from the beginning, I always thought. To fast forward a bit, the most haunting story or conversation piece I overheard was how at the age of 15, the young woman was tragically murdered - strangled - and dumped somewhere in the Santa Cruz mountains. That recollection still gives me the chills and gives me night terrors to this day.

Fast forward again, about 25 years after I heard the story for the first time, I decided to look up the name of this missing relative. I found her on Google. No surprise really since you can pretty much look up anyone and get some kind of information. What shocked me the most is what I read on her page on the website, Charleyproject.org. The poster claimed that she was only missing - last seen at a Greyhound bus station on G street in Modesto. No mention of her being a runaway, nothing about being strangled, and certainly nothing about her being murdered.

Why did this relative reveal in her story that this girl was murdered and not just missing? I decided to do some research again online, and contacted distinct relatives on Facebook and other social media. The information I received was somewhat startling.

According to this woman I met on social media, the mother of the missing girl did not report her as a missing person until ONE year later. Also, she was uncooperative with a Modesto Detective (the same detective who received a lot of publicity for solving the Lacy Peterson case in 2003) and would only tell the detective that her daughter planned a trip to Carmel to visit relatives. The real reason she left was to run away and hop on the Greyhound as fast as she could.

Modesto police department claim that they have enough evidence to believe she is dead, but will not release any names since it is an ongoing investigation. I can understand how law enforcement feels to a certain degree - if the mother is unwilling to spit out the truth and give the police a SUSPICION on why she was kidnapped, that would frustrate me as well.

However, the evidence in this case is all there and I believe Susan deserves justice regardless of how a detective might feel about an addict. First of all, Susan was last seen entering a green van from the Greyhound station on G street. Second, the Modesto police located a suspect who was a family friend who owned a green van. Third, and most compelling, this suspect had possession of Susan’s diary, clothes and other personal belongings inside his green van. The Modesto police released him without any solid evidence.

Learning about all this is troubling but what is most troubling is that the suspect with the green van was found guilty of aggravated sodomy and child molestation in 1996 - 11 years after Susan went missing. Apparently, he keeps changing his name and has relocated to the state of Missouri.

Nobody really seems to care about this topic - certainly not the hotline 1-800-the missing. They scoffed at me because the case is considered so old now. I see a lot of television programs and YouTube videos of unsolved and solved missing persons cases everyday.

I feel that justice is deserved to matter how old or trivial it may seem. A child at the age of 15 is presumably dead but no real questions have been answered. Maybe you know something?
 

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Welcome to WS, that is a compelling first post , I hope you find some answers here. You may want to check on the speed freak killers, might give you some leads. LE worked with a bounty Hunter on locating victims after Shermantine started talking Lake and Ng also approx time period still have unidentified victims, I believe. Best of luck I !
 
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I believe I am the relative you contacted on FB. Susan is my cousin. The man whom we believe to have a hand in her dissapearance is Raymond Stafford but has since changed his name to Gregg Jon Tunningley. He has moved all over the place since getting out of prison for continual sexual abuse of a minor. Last state I had him in is Texas. Modesto Police Department has no interest in trying to solve this case. I was in Ca. last year & tried speaking with them & no one was available to speak with me. I believe they know what happened to her & he gave them something they wanted or need more to let him walk away. I am curious as to how your relative came upon the information of her being strangled & dumped in Santa Cruz. And did they say who the person was that did this. I pray one day we will find her & someone will be brought to justice.
 
Oct 13 2021
Missing California teen's cold case reopened after 36 years
https%3A%2F%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2Ffs%2F31444b78-6fc4-4663-bdf6-210535c4029a

Susan Bender hasn't been seen since 1986. (Modesto Police)

"She had this electric personality about her."
Susan, who was 15 at the time, was last seen at a Modesto bus station in 1986.''

''Investigators with Modesto PD have reopened the case in hopes that new technology and will answer old questions.''

''Modesto Police would not discuss any previous or current suspects in the case but Modesto Police Department Police Detective Josh Grant issued this statement:
"Given the circumstances of the crime, we also believe there may be individuals (previously unidentified) who may have pertinent information surrounding Susan's disappearance."
 
If found, Susan Robin Bender would now be 51 years old.

A 36-year-old missing person’s case is being reopened by the Modesto Police Department in California, CBS News reported.

Susan Robin Bender, then-15 years old, was last seen getting into a green van at the Greyhound Bus Depot on April 25, 1986, in Modesto, according to police. Authorities are asking the public for help in order to close the case and give the family and friends piece of mind knowing what happened to their loved one...

... Modesto Police Detective Josh Grant issued a statement to CBS News saying: "Given the circumstances of the crime, we also believe there may be individuals (previously unidentified) who may have pertinent information surrounding Susan's disappearance."

Modesto Police teamed up with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) and released an age progression photo of Bender.

screen_shot_2021-10-12_at_10.57.37_am.png

An age progression of Susan Bender - Modesto PD / NCMEC
Anyone with information to the case is urged to call the Modesto Police Department at (209) 572-9500 and reference Case Number: 86-27782.

LINK:

Cops Reopen Missing Persons Case 36 Years After Going Cold
 
[URL='https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AbaavzkrQ08/XG6NDYr8cPI/AAAAAAAACZw/t5Ett1qf2D0HWZ1i9Op3rgzGARuEL9-vQCLcBGAs/s1600/5841_216632.jpg'][URL='http://charleyproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/susan_robin_bender_2.jpg'][/URL][/URL]
Susan Robin Bender, age 15
Missing since April 25, 1986 from Modesto, Stanislaus County, California
Classification: Non-Family Abduction

Vital Statistics
    • Date Of Birth: November 27, 1970
    • Age at Time of Disappearance: 15 years old
    • Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'5; 130 pounds
    • Distinguishing Characteristics: White/Hispanic female. Black or dark-brown, long hair; brown eyes. Some freckles. Both of her ears are pierced.
    • Clothing: A light blue skirt with multicolored dots, a light colored blouse and a white vest.
    • Jewelry: Gold bracelet
    • Dentals: Available
    • DNA: Available
Circumstances of Disappearance

Susan Bender left her Modesto home headed for a stay with friends in Carmel. Bender was last seen at the Greyhound bus depot in Modesto, California on April 25, 1986. She did not board a bus; instead, she entered an unidentified green van at the depot. She never arrived in Carmel. She has never been seen again. Bender had run away twice before, but each time she called her mother and returned home within a couple of days. Foul play is suspected in her case.
Some of her personal belongings, such as a diary, phone book and clothing, were found in a suspect's home. He was questioned by police, then released due to lack of evidence.

Investigators
If you have any information concerning Bender's case, please contact:
Modesto Police Department
Missing Persons Unit
Detective Craig Grogan
209-572-9551


Agency Case Number: 86-27782
NCMEC #: NCMC600289
NCIC Number: M-204183911

Source Information:

The National Center For Missing and Exploited Children
California Department of Justice
Modesto Police Department
Operation Lookout
The Doe Network: Case File 205DFCA
 
Shermantine is on death row.....he pointed out an abandoned well in Linden, CA that contained some 300 human bones and personal items. Shermantine stated the well contains up to twenty victims. Authorities are in the process of sorting out the contents of the well and attempting to identify the bones.

Oh my!! Can you just imagine the depravity of it all?
Using an abandoned well as a trash can for....... people?!?
:eek:
 
Hi,
I am new to this forum and I apologize in advance for just starting a new thread without any contribution. It’s not polite nor is it considerate but I have been waiting for something like this to exist for a very long time. I want to share my story and ad a few more details that I have learned over the years. I’ll get on to it.

I can remember from a young age about a relative who went missing two years before I was born. She is a relative of mine not by blood, but by marriage. I can remember my first nightmare at the age of 3 1/2, and can certainly recall details from the ages of five and seven. I will always remember a few relatives of mine (who are deceased now) would discuss a missing girl from 1985 who was terribly neglected as a child. Her mother was a known prostitute and PCP user from the late 70s until probably now. The mother neglected her little girl so much that her nickname was (or is) Booger’s.

I remember the stories about the little girl, Susan, having snot and booger’s stuffed in her nostrils and around her mouth. This young girl was doomed from the beginning, I always thought. To fast forward a bit, the most haunting story or conversation piece I overheard was how at the age of 15, the young woman was tragically murdered - strangled - and dumped somewhere in the Santa Cruz mountains. That recollection still gives me the chills and gives me night terrors to this day.

Fast forward again, about 25 years after I heard the story for the first time, I decided to look up the name of this missing relative. I found her on Google. No surprise really since you can pretty much look up anyone and get some kind of information. What shocked me the most is what I read on her page on the website, Charleyproject.org. The poster claimed that she was only missing - last seen at a Greyhound bus station on G street in Modesto. No mention of her being a runaway, nothing about being strangled, and certainly nothing about her being murdered.

Why did this relative reveal in her story that this girl was murdered and not just missing? I decided to do some research again online, and contacted distinct relatives on Facebook and other social media. The information I received was somewhat startling.

According to this woman I met on social media, the mother of the missing girl did not report her as a missing person until ONE year later. Also, she was uncooperative with a Modesto Detective (the same detective who received a lot of publicity for solving the Lacy Peterson case in 2003) and would only tell the detective that her daughter planned a trip to Carmel to visit relatives. The real reason she left was to run away and hop on the Greyhound as fast as she could.

Modesto police department claim that they have enough evidence to believe she is dead, but will not release any names since it is an ongoing investigation. I can understand how law enforcement feels to a certain degree - if the mother is unwilling to spit out the truth and give the police a SUSPICION on why she was kidnapped, that would frustrate me as well.

However, the evidence in this case is all there and I believe Susan deserves justice regardless of how a detective might feel about an addict. First of all, Susan was last seen entering a green van from the Greyhound station on G street. Second, the Modesto police located a suspect who was a family friend who owned a green van. Third, and most compelling, this suspect had possession of Susan’s diary, clothes and other personal belongings inside his green van. The Modesto police released him without any solid evidence.

Learning about all this is troubling but what is most troubling is that the suspect with the green van was found guilty of aggravated sodomy and child molestation in 1996 - 11 years after Susan went missing. Apparently, he keeps changing his name and has relocated to the state of Missouri.

Nobody really seems to care about this topic - certainly not the hotline 1-800-the missing. They scoffed at me because the case is considered so old now. I see a lot of television programs and YouTube videos of unsolved and solved missing persons cases everyday.

I feel that justice is deserved to matter how old or trivial it may seem. A child at the age of 15 is presumably dead but no real questions have been answered. Maybe you know something?
I am responding late and I hope you see this post @Jakk_Runt.
Questions regarding your post, if you or anyone else know the answers:

1. Do you know for sure that the relative who went missing and Susan are one in the same? Or are you not sure?

2. Does anyone know if Susan’s mom was a known drug user and prostitute?

3. Was Susan known to be neglected?

4. Does Susan’s family or friends confirm that her knickname was booger?

5. A family friend had a green van and was found to have her possessions in his home? What does her family and friends say about this? Her mom might not be talking, but what about everyone else?

My biggest question with all of this is, is Susan the same girl you are taking about in your story? For sure?

Thank you!
 

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