http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/s/streeter_suzanne.htmlSuzanne E. Streeter
Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: June 7, 1992 from Springfield, Missouri
Classification: Endangered Missing
Date Of Birth: March 9, 1973
Age at time of disappearance: 19 years old
Height and Weight: 5'2 - 5'5, 102 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian female. Bleached blonde hair, brown eyes. Suzanne has a scar on her upper right forearm. She has a small tumor on the left corner of her mouth which gives the appearance of chewing tobacco. Suzanne has large-sized teeth with no previous dental work. Both of her ears are pierced; Suzanne's left ear is pierced twice, including a hole in the upper portion of her ear. Her nickname is Suzie.
Clothing/Jewelry Description: A white t-shirt, jeans and pink shoes.
Details of Disappearance
Suzanne and her mother, Sherrill Levitt, resided in the 1700 block of East Delmar Street in Springfield, Missouri in 1992. Suzanne graduated from Kickapoo High School during the evening of June 6, 1992. She spent the early part of the evening having dinner at home with her mother. Suzanne and her friend Stacy McCall planned to spend the night at a hotel in Branson, Missouri. They decided to stay at another friend's home in Battlefield, Missouri instead; Suzanne called Sherrill at approximately 10:30 p.m. to discuss their plans.
Sherrill telephoned a friend at approximately 11:15 p.m. that evening. She was painting a chest of drawers at the time and gave no indication that anything was amiss inside her residence. Suzanne and McCall returned to Sherrill's residence at approximately 2:15 a.m. on June 7 after deciding that their friend's home was too crowded. They planned to meet other friends at White Water amusement park in Branson later in the day. The girls drove their separate vehicles back to Sherrill's house. Suzanne, Sherrill and McCall have never been heard from again. Neighbors did not hear any suspicious activity near Sherrill's home during the overnight hours.
One of the girls' friends phoned and visited Sherrill's residence several times during the day in an attempt to locate the three women. McCall's family alerted authorities about the disappearances during the evening of June 7. All of the women's personal belongings were discovered inside the house; their vehicles were also parked at the home. Sherrill's bed appeared to have been slept in during the previous night. Her eyeglasses were beside her bed and a book had been turned over, indicating that Sherrill may have been interrupted while reading. The family's Yorkshire Terrier, Cinnamon, was still inside the house and appeared to be anxious. All of Sherrill's personal belongings were untouched and the television was turned on. There was no sign of a struggle at the residence, but the porch light had been shattered. No additional physical evidence was discovered at the scene. Authorities now believe that the broken glass from the porch light may have provided clues about the disappearances. A friend of the girls swept the shards into the garbage, unaware that he was discarding possible evidence at the time.
Investigators noted that Sherrill and Suzanne's cigarettes and lighters were still inside the house. The three women's purses were placed together on the stairs. The blinds in Suzanne's room were pulled apart, as if someone had been looking outside. Authorities later admitted that the crime scene had possibly been tainted by the 20 or so loved ones who visited Sherrill's house after their disappearances were reported. No one realized the seriousness of the situation until nearly 24 hours had passed. Officers left a note on Sherrill's door, asking her to call the police department and cancel the missing persons' reports when she and the girls returned home.
An extensive search of the surrounding areas produced no clues as to the women's whereabouts. Robert Craig Cox, a convicted robber serving time on unrelated charges in a Texas prison, was identified as a possible suspect in the case. Cox initially told investigators that he was not in the Springfield area on June 7, but later recanted his statement. Cox also told a journalist that he knew the women had been murdered and buried near Levitt's home, but he claimed that their remains would never be discovered. Authorities are uncertain if Cox was involved in the case or if he is seeking attention by issuing false statements. Cox has never been charged in connection with the disappearances.
A witness reported observing a woman matching Suzanne's description driving an older model moss green Dodge van later during the day on June 7. The witness claimed that the woman appeared terrified as an unseen male voice told her "Don't do anything stupid." The witness did not contact investigators with her account until several days had passed. Additional witnesses reported seeing the Dodge van in different areas of Springfield after the women's disappearances. A man told authorities that he saw the blonde female sitting in the driver's seat of a similar vehicle in the parking lot of a local grocery store. The individual said that he wrote the van's license plate number on a newspaper, as the vehicle seemed suspicious. The man threw the paper away before contacting investigators. Law enforcement officials agreed to hypnotize the man, but he was only able to provide the plate's first three digits. Authorities have been unable to determine if a van was involved in the women's cases. A photo of a similar vehicle is posted below this case summary.
A server at George's Steakhouse, one of Sherrill's favorite Springfield restaurants, reported seeing the women in the establishment between 1:00 and 3:00 a.m. on June 7. The employee claimed that Sherrill, Suzanne and McCall arrived and departed together. She said that Suzanne appeared to be intoxicated as the group left the restaurant and Sherrill was attempting to calm her down. Investigators have never confirmed the possible sighting and it is not clear if the women visited the eatery before their disappearances.
Other witnesses reported hearing a woman's screams and the squeal of tires in eastern Greene County, Missouri during the early hours of June 7. Officials searched the area, but no evidence related to the case was located. A composite sketch of an unidentified transient man was released in the days proceeding the disappearances. The individual was allegedly spotted near Sherrill and Suzanne's residence in early June 1992. Authorities do not know if the man was involved in the case. Sherrill's son and Suzanne's older brother, Bartt Streeter, and one of Suzanne's former boyfriends were ruled out as suspects in the case early in the investigation.
An anonymous caller phoned America's Most Wanted's hotline after the program profiled the women's case in late December 1992. The caller was disconnected before he could speak to Springfield investigators. Authorities believe that the person held vital information connected to the disappearances. Despite public pleas for assistance, the individual never contacted authorities again.
Investigators searched an area of land in Webster County, Missouri in August 1993. Authorities refused to announce what was located at the site and if anything pertained to the disappearances. Investigators received a tip from two women in 2002 that led officials back to the same county for an additional search. The women said that two men were employed at the local concrete company that once owned the site near Marshfield, Missouri. The tipsters said that the individuals drove a van similar to the vehicle that may have been used in the missing women's cases. The informants claimed that the men departed Springfield shortly after Sherrill, Suzanne and McCall vanished. Investigators determined that two men did work at the company in 1992, but they were unable to identify the individuals or confirm that they drove a van. Cadaver dogs located two possible areas of interest at the site in late July 2002. Authorities cautioned that the dogs' indications did not prove human remains were buried in the area. Investigators also stated that it was unlikely the sites were related to the women's disappearances.
Several officials charged the former chief of police of impeding their investigation into the case in the late 1990s. Others dispute that contention and said that little evidence was available in the case from its onset. One of the original investigators theorized that the women's assailant(s) took Cinnamon out of Sherrill's yard during the overnight hours of June 7 in an effort to gain access to the residence. The officer speculated that the attacker(s) knocked on the door, pretending to have rescued the dog after he wandered away from the home. The investigator theorized that one of the women may have opened the door to retrieve Cinnamon and was overpowered by the assailant(s).
Sherrill's background was investigated as other leads proved futile. She and Suzanne moved to the Springfield area in 1980 from Seattle, Washington. Sherrill divorced her first husband, Brentt Streeter, shortly after Suzanne's birth. She told friends that Brentt believed they should divorce and continue living together. His plan would allow Sherrill to qualify for welfare assistance. Sherrill decided to end the relationship instead. She moved into an apartment complex in Seattle and stayed home with Suzanne and Bartt for six months after Suzanne's birth. Sherrill received free rent while performing repair work around the complex.
Sherrill and Suzanne moved into their home on East Delmar Street in April 1992, two months before their disappearances. Sherrill's 1989 divorce from her second husband, Don Levitt, impacted her finances and she elected to relocate to the smaller residence with her daughter. Don's creditors began asking Sherrill to pay his debts after their divorce. She hired an attorney to locate him without success.
Sherrill was employed at New Attitudes Hair Salon on West Sunshine Street in Springfield in 1992. She had 250 clients at the time of her disappearance and was considered a model employee. Sherrill's family members describe her as a private person who had a close relationship with Streeter in 1992.
Suzanne was employed at a local movie theater in 1992. She planned to enroll in cosmetology school in the fall of that year. Suzanne had difficulty reading and was placed in classes designed for those with learning disabilities. A friend speculated that Suzanne may have been dyslexic. She never lived with her father and rarely spoke about him or her stepfather.
Sherrill and Suzanne's relatives had them both declared legally deceased in 1997, five years after their disappearances. A bench was dedicated to the women in Victims Memorial Garden in Springfield's Phelps Grove Park the same year. Their cases remain unsolved.
Above: Van similar to the vehicle possibly involved in the case
Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Springfield Police Department
417-864-1810
OR
Springfield CrimeStoppers
417-869-TIPS
