On Susan's way home, her vehicle overheated. She stopped at a gas station along Highway 5 and at the corner of Manning Avenue, which was one mile away from her home in Lake Elmo, Minnesota. The gas station attendant let Susan leave her car there, and observed her leaving with an unidentified man shortly afterwards who had been waiting for her near the station. The man she left with was described as having shoulder length curly hair, tall, unshaven and a well built physique. He was wearing a leather jacket at the time Susan entered his car. Susan has never been seen or heard from since, and the man is still unidentified.
When Susan vanished, she was 5'4" and 100 pounds. She has sandy brown hair and hazel eyes. She has had extensive dental work and both her ears are pierced. She was last seen wearing a winter jacket with earrings in and a short skirt. She goes by "Sue". At the time she vanished, she was working two jobs, and was active at Christ Lutheran Church. She graduated from Stillwater High school, then attended University of Wisconsin at River Falls for a semester. She returned home because she felt she was not ready to live away from home yet. She moved back in with her mother and younger sister.
When Susan's car was found, her driver's license was still inside. Her mother took the vehicle to a repair shop and it was found out the petcock on the radiator was loosened and the car had no water in it, which explains why her car overheated. Law enforcement believes someone deliberately loosened the petcock, and followed Susan in hopes the car would malfunction so they could offer her a ride.
At the time she vanished, her loved ones reported she had been receiving phone calls at work from a man named Dale in 1989. It is not known how he knew Susan, why he was calling her or if he is connected to her disappearance.
Susan's mother believed she made it home that night because the red pantsuit she had changed out of previously at work that day were found balled up on her bed. There were dirty dishes in the sink, as well as the smell of fresh cigarette smoke. There was no sign of Susan herself, and it was unknown if she was ever in her residence that night. In 2006, there was activity on her social security card, but it turned out to be a case of identity theft.
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| Susan was receiving phone calls at her place of work, K-Mart, from a man named Dale when she vanished. |
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| The unknown man Susan was seen leaving with was sporting a leather jacket, more in the "rocker" Bret Michaels style than biker style. |
What should also be noted is that Stillwater Prison is ten minutes away from Lake Elmo. They have a level 4 maximum security, as well as minimum security. It would be interesting to check records to see any Dales who were incarcerated before or after she vanished.
Despite this being a very baffling case, it is still actively pursued today. If you know absolutely anything about the disappearance of Susan, who "Dale" is or know someone who matches the style and physical description of the unknown person who gave her a ride in 1988, please step forward and give her loved ones some peace. There is a $25,000 reward for anything that leads to Susan.
Please Contact:
Washington County Sheriff's Office
651-430-7829
OR
651-430-7850
Sources:
Charley Project
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/s/swedell_susan.html
NAMUS File
https://www.findthemissing.org/cases/335/0/
The Search Goes on for Susan
http://www.startribune.com/printarticle/?id=13842956
DoeNetwork
http://doenetwork.org/cases/343dfmn.html
Did they every rule out the girl that was found in Mount Vernon NY in February 1988? I grew up not far from where her body was found. http://www.needournames.com/1988/02/warning-graphic-ny-female-uid-located.html
ReplyDeleteOther than not knowing who did this to her, its not much of a mystery/puzzle. The call was to cover her bases and instead of going home to watch movies, she dolled up to go out with a guy....and yeah I also believe this guy is the one who likely harmed her.
ReplyDeleteShe likely lived a double life of sorts. Many young women do this. It only becomes a problem when something tragic happens...then the case goes ice cold because there's so little for LE to work with.
There is a prison there...check the list of inmates that had visitors in that time frame and check them out...
ReplyDeleteI have seen different accounts of the Susan Swedell case. I am wondering why the sketch of the man she got into the car with was not age-enhanced (that could be very helpful). Also, whenever they mention the gas station attendant, some do not mention that is was a woman; is she still around? Wouldn't Susan's mother or sister know if she smoked? Did they see what was eaten from the dirty dishes in the sink? One article said her K-Mart clothes were balled up on top of the bed; another article says they were under the bed. If I had been the mother or sister, there is no way I would have cleaned those dishes. I would have put them in a plastic bag using gloves. I also would not want to ever eat off those same plates again. I read that "Dale" (the man who kept calling Susan at work) was a stripper. There have been Chippendale's in Minnesota. A stripper probably has a stage name. I am wondering what the address was of Susan, her mom, and sister, and where they are now. I also know of a man that has been questioned twice by police very recently. This same man took another person for a ride a couple years ago to River Falls (town where Susan went to college). One article said that she was not wearing a coat, but others said she was wearing a black down jacket. The other thing I find strange is the girl in California who used Susan's SS# to get in the army. It would be difficult to get a SS#; you usually see them after someone dies. Perhaps all of these things are being investigated. I noticed that someone said that maybe it was the gas station attendant, but it was a women. Was she the only one working at that time? When they say the man's car was nice but dirty, they must mean the outside that was dirty. If it was the inside, who reported that? I believe that the people working at K-Mart and the mall should be looked up. I don't know if it is possible to get what telephone talk/dating service she called. Not sure if they would have records, but I read there were 4 names Susan wrote down. Not much said about the ex-boyfriend, who cancelled their date due to snow. There are many variables and things left out or told incorrectly. If anyone can comment on what I wrote, please do so. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI agree, an age enhancement of the man would be super helpful. I am not sure why this has not been done. As far as the gas station attendant goes, she must still be around because she was just interviewed for the "Still Missing" podcast about Susan's case. Do the police know about the person you say was questioned (twice) and his trip out to River Falls? Do you think there is a connection between his trip to River Falls and her disappearance? I have heard that the police questioned the CA Identity Theft person heavily (to figure out how she got her hands on that SSN that is most certainly not on the Social Security Deathmaster list), but they could find no link to the disappearance, which I find very strange as well. Also, there were no records of any of the chatline calls, I guess because it was 1988. Is the person you know who was questioned recently someone who lived in AZ ever? I think if you are not sure whether the police know about the River Falls connection, you should call 651-430-7850.
DeleteMark Steven Wallace moved to AZ in March 1988.
ReplyDelete