April Nicole Geyer & Roseanna Marie Forcum-Missing 15 Years

 Roseanna "Rose" Forcum (L) & April Geyer (R) Photo Credit: CharleyProject.org

ON August 12 of 1998, 15 year-old Roseanna "Rosie" Marie Forcum was at home in her father's apartment in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Her mother had moved away to Texas in 1997, and her father was a single parent trying to raise her and her younger sister. Rosie's father had asked her to do the dishes, and she refused. She left her family's apartment with her close friend, 21 year-old April Nicole Geyer. From there, April and Rosie were last known to be leaving April's residence in Milaca, Minnesota on August 14, 1998. Both the girls had a history of disappearing together, sometimes for days, without giving a warning. Both girls would always call their families to let them know they were safe every time, but in August of 1998, both girls were never heard from or seen again.

April was 5'2" tall and weighed 140 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. She has a peace symbol tattooed on her left middle finger and a tattoo of a winged heart on her left shoulder. April usually wears her hair tied at the nape of her neck or pinned back. She was possibly last wearing a black over-sized T-shirt with biker or denim shorts. At the time of her disappearance, April also had a history of abusing alcohol and methamphetamine. Her birthday is on July 9, 1977.

Roseanna was 5'5"-5'6" tall when she vanished, and she weighed 110 pounds. She has brown hair and brown eyes, and both of her ears are pierced. It is unknown what she was wearing when she vanished, but she goes by the nicknames "Rosie" and "Rose". Her birthday is December 3, 1982.

For weeks, no one knew what happened to either of the girls. Authorities initially believed the two had runaway, given their history of leaving together without warning. Roseanna's friends also claimed that she had spoken about running away to California. However, this does not fit both girls' pattern of always calling their parents to at least let them know they were okay.
The theory that the girls left of their own accord got discarded when an informant came forward in late January of 2000, who claimed he was involved in both the girls' disappearance. He claimed the girls went to a party during the evening of August 14, 1998 in St. Cloud. It is possible April and Rosie were attempting to hitch hike home after the party when they met up with two men, one being the informant. He claimed his friend had strangled both the girls shortly in his apartment in St. Paul, Minnesota after they picked them up. The informant claimed he had helped his friend bury the two girls near farmland in Wadena County, Minnesota near Leaf River. 

An informant claims Roseanna and April attended a party in St. Cloud on August 14, 1998. It's unknown if this is true. (Photo Credit: CharleyProject.org)

 Shortly after, with the guidance of the informant, police tried to search the area he claimed the girls were buried at in Wadena, 150 miles northwest of the Twin Cities. There were three or four searches conducted in the area, with cadaver dogs. According to CityPages.com, spokesperson for the St. Paul Police Department Michael Jordan claims the Department of Natural Resources were upset because the search had dug up so much ground, that a stream was diverted in the search area. The search came to a stop because of snow and ice. It was rumored that the search uncovered something Roseanna Forcum owned, but authorities are holding close what information they have since it is an ongoing investigation.

Dru Sjodin was abducted as she was entering her car after her shift at Victoria's Secret. Although her case has no relation to April or Roseanna, her case is an example how of searching during a different season can help. Her remains were missed during searches in the winter time, but was unearthed after snow melted. (Photo Credit: crime.about.com)

The biggest question here is, was this informant lying? What made him come forward a few years after these girls vanished? Was he genuine with a guilty conscience, or was he facing jail time for a different offense, using supposed knowledge of the girls' disappearance to get a deal? I am also wondering what became of the guy the informant claimed strangled the two girls. Was he interviewed? Did he deny the claims? Does he have a criminal history, and was he into drugs?
I do believe it is possible to miss a grave site, especially if it is in an area that is frequently flooded. Dru Sjodin, a young college student who was abducted from the Columbia Mall parking lot in Grand Forks, North Dakota. She was leaving her shift at Victoria's Secret when she was taken by sex offender Alfonso Rodriguez, Jr. Her remains were found months later in Crookston, Minnesota, after the snow melted. This was an area that was searched months before, but the snowy and icy conditions made it all too easy for her to be missed. The search for Rosie and April was also initially conducted in the winter time, because that is when the informant came forward. I'm wondering if any other searches were ever conducted in the spring or summer time? Maybe something important that was missed years back would still be there.

Besides the main theory provided by the informant, I am wondering the girls' disappearances were related to drugs. I wonder if any one can confirm what party the girls were at, if they were at one at all that night. Were there drugs there? I'm not saying that Rosie was involved in anything drug-related, but maybe she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. April's "hook" or drug supplier for methamphetamine would be someone also good to talk to, to clear up that the disappearances were not drug-related.

An image of Leaf River in Wadena County. An area by this river was searched for April and Rosie. (Photo Credit: en.wikipedia.org)

 Also, I am wondering if the girls drank at the party, and if they had a clear head. I have heard one too many stories about young girls getting "roofied", or having stuff slipped in their drinks by others there. This is actually one of the tactics used on a girl forced into sex trafficking up in the Twin Cities of Minnesota. Even if this happened with no initial intention of harming the girls, something could have happened at the party that is vital to the investigation. Memories fade over time, so hopefully majority of the people at this party were interviewed to cancel out any wrong-doings that may have happened there, or led to something happening afterwards.
 I cannot tell you how many girls I have on here who were teens like Rosie, who left to go to a party, only never to come back. Rachel Garden from Newton, New Hampshire was 15 years old when she was last seen buying smokes at a supermarket. It is believed she went to a party with two boys who picked her up from there, only to have it go wrong. Jennifer Fay was 16 years old when she skipped out baby-sitting for a night out with friends. She was never seen again. Cynthia and Jackie Leslie from Mesa, Arizona were also last seen walking to a party that was three blocks from their home, and they were never seen again. Also, Stacie Madison and Susie Smalley were last seen having a night out together. It is believed they went to a local teen hang out at Forrest Lane where people would drag race. Neither were seen again, and Stacie's Mustang was found abandoned at a parking lot. I only bring these other cases up to show it is not uncommon for young women to go missing from parties, and things like drugs and alcohol make them especially susceptible to be victimized during or after the party. It also does not help that predators use events and parties to find their next target.

I searched states Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and Illinois for any other missing persons cases that are similar to Rosie and April's between January 1980-December 2001. The two cases I found that were interesting were both in Minnesota.

Carla Anderson vanished outside of her apartment in Wadena, MN on November 10, 1987. (Photo Credit: CharleyProject.org)

  First, there is the disappearance of 23 year-old Carla Beth Anderson, from Wadena, Minnesota. Carla was employed at a Hardee's restaurant, and was named employee of the month. Her family had taken her out that night to Taco John's to celebrate on November 10, 1987. She was dropped off to her Greenwood apartment between 7:30 PM and 8:00 PM by her family. It was established she made it inside her apartment that evening. She was carrying a cup full of soda when she was dropped off, and it was found empty in her apartment. Her apartment door was locked from the outside, and her keys were missing. The apartment itself usually has a security lock, but the door was left propped open that night because new tenants were moving in. A video she had earlier rented that day was also in the VCR, but Carla was nowhere to be seen.
That night, a fire started in the swamp by Carla's apartment. It is theorized that she may have went outside to see what was going on, and she may have been attacked. Carla had a mild disability, but she led a normal life. Her family and boyfriend were all ruled out as suspects in her disappearance. That same evening, a brown Plymouth Horizon was stolen from the area and never recovered. It is unknown if it had any relation to Carla's disappearance.

Susan Swedell vanished after her car overheated and she parked it at a gas station. An unknown man offered her a ride, and she was never seen again. (Photo Credit: CharleyProject.org)

Second, is the case of 19 year-old Susan Anne Swedell, who was leaving her work place in Oak Grove Heights on January 19, 1988. She was a clerk at Kmart, and she had phoned her family at 4 PM to say she was going straight home after work to watch a movie. Her vehicle overheated during her drive back home, and she pulled over to a gas station on the corner of Highway 5, approximately one mile from her home in Lake Elmo, Minnesota. Susan parked her car at the gas station, and left with an unknown man. The man appeared to be waiting for her at the gas station. He had curly long, curly hair and was well built. The man was tall and unshaven, and wore a leather jacket at the time. Susan was never seen again.
After Susan's car was in the repair shop, authorities searched it and found her driver's license in the car. They also found something wrong with the car that concerned them. The petcock on the radiator had been loosened, and the car had no water in it, which is why it overheated. Investigators believe the man may have loosened the petcock on the radiator, and followed Susan from her place of work, waiting for her car to malfunction so he could offer her a ride.

Carla's disappearance was suspicious to me because it happened in the Wadena area. If the rumors are true, I wonder if the man suspected in Rosie and April's disappearances has been investigated in Carla's. I wonder if he had any connections in Wadena, or if he may have lived their prior to his residence in St. Paul. I do agree police's theory that she left her apartment to see the fire, and was grabbed as she was outside. Wadena is the area that was searched for the remains of Rosie and April. However, I can also see the connection between her case and the girls may not exist, because there were reports that Carla was being harassed by people in the community due to her disability. I think someone saw her as vulnerable, and targeted her for that reason, which would make it less similar to Rosie's and April's.
For Susan Swedell, her case and the girls' are very similar in many ways, despite being ten years apart. Investigators believe someone messed with Susan's car to make her in need of a ride when it stalled out. Investigators believe that Rosie and Susan were taken by someone who offered them a ride home from the party they were at. Lake Elmo is only one hour and 22 minutes from St. Cloud, where the girls supposedly went to the party. Also, Lake Elmo is only 21 minutes (18.6 miles) from St. Paul, where the man who is accused of killing April and Rosie lives. Is it possible these cases are connected? I am not sure, but there has not been many known leads in either, so anything would be good to follow up on. If a man can kill two girls (if it really happened), I believe he has to have some kind of prior offense or experience in crimes similar to this before he would be bold enough to take two girls and kill them. I also wonder why this person would choose the Wadena area, over two hours away from St. Paul. Does it hold some kind of significance, and does he have knowledge of the area?

This is an image of the playing cards the BCA has released to bring more awareness to cold cases in MN. April and Roseanna are both featured in the cards. (PhotoCredit: BCA)

I am not sure what theory to believe. I wish there would be more things that lined up with what the informant is claiming, but so far his claims have not panned out, that the public knows of. I also wish we knew of any accounts about the party, but that may be under wraps due to the investigation. Establishing if they were really at a party is what would help confirm so much of this puzzle that is missing so many pieces. I also do not believe the girls ran away, even though that is a happier alternative.
Both these girls did not get the media attention they deserve, and I believe it was because they weren't picture-perfect students.They both were going through a lot. At the time of her disappearance, Rosie attended her junior high classes irregularly, and she was eventually transferred to an alternative learning center. Rosie also had brushes with the law, and was sent to a camp for youths with behavioral problems. She finished up her probation term before she went missing. Her mother also moved to Texas a year prior to her disappearance. For April, things were not any easier. In 1997, her boyfriend drowned, and it devastated her. April dealt with depression and a battle with drugs and alcohol. Despite all this, I do believe these girls did not disappear voluntarily. With that in mind, I want all my readers to share the story of April and Roseanna. We have theories, but no evidence to back any of it up. They could still be out there. Please show their pictures and tell people about them. Both the families still search for their daughters, and hope to recover them so they may find peace and begin to heal. Her father has made a Facebook Page for her. You can also view her family photos on here. She was an adorable child, and highly resembles her mother in looks.

If you have any information about the disappearance of April Geyer and Roseanna Forcum, please contact:

 An age progression of Roseanna (L) and an image of April (R). Photo Credit: CharleyProject.org

 Mill Lacs County Sheriff's Office

320-983-8250

If you have any information about the disappearance of Susan Swedell, please contact:

Susan Anne Swedell (Photo Credit: CharleyProject.org)

 Washington County Sheriff's Office

651-430-7850

If you have any information about the disappearance of Carla Beth Anderson, please contact:

Carla Beth Anderson (Photo Credit: CharleyProject.org)

 Wadena Police Department

218-631-7700

Sources:
Rosie & April:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/116261716312/
'https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/bca/bca-divisions/administrative/Documents/ForcumRoseanna.pdf'
http://www.communitywalk.com/map/list/279541?order=0
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/f/forcum_roseanna.html
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/g/geyer_april.html
Susan Swedell
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/s/swedell_susan.html
Carla Anderson
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/a/anderson_carla.html
Others Missing:http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/g/garden_rachael.html
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/f/fay_jennifer.html
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/l/leslie_jackie.html
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/m/madison_stacie.html
http://www.drusvoice.com/