Suzanne Gloria Lyall
 

DOB: 4/6/78
AGE AT TIME OF DISAPPEARANCE: 20
HEIGHT: 5'3"
WEIGHT: 175
HAIR: Light Blonde
EYES: Blue
APPEARANCE: Was last seen wearing blue jeans
black T-shirt, long black denin coat. Long, past the shoulder, hair.
LAST SEEN:March 2nd, 1998
Crossgates Mall Albany

Suzanne Lyall was last seen Monday, March 2, 1998 at 9:45PM exiting a CDTA bus at Collins Circle, on the University at Albany Uptown Campus. Ms. Lyall is 5 feet 3 inches tall, weighs approximately 175 pounds, and has long blond hair and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing a long black trench coat, blue jeans, and a black shirt. She may be carrying a black bookbag or totebag. Ms. Lyall is a sophomore at the University at Albany.

If you have any information regarding Suzanne or the identity of "Nike man", please contact the NYS Police at 1-800-920-4150 or PO Box 38102 Albany, NY 12203-8102

Family website: http://www.hope4them...cfh/page.php?18

Print a Poster: http://www.projectja...uzanneLyall.pdf
 
NCMEC Profile: http://www.missingki...986276/1#poster

 

Missing Since
Mar 2, 1998

 

Missing From
Albany, NY

 

DOB
Apr 6, 1978

 

Age Now
36

 

Sex
Female

 

Race
White

 

Hair Color
Brown

 

Eye Color
Blue

 

Height
5'3"

 

Weight
165 lbs

Age Progressed

Suzanne's photo is shown age-progressed to 33 years. On the evening of March 2, 1998, Suzanne left from her job at a local mall to walk to the bus stop. She is believed to have boarded the bus and was last seen around 9:45 p.m. getting off the bus at Collins Circle in the center of the SUNY-Albany uptown campus heading towards her dorm room. She never arrived at her dorm room and has not been heard from since. She has a mole on her left cheek, moles on her arms, and a mole on her back. She also has pierced ears and a scar on her left foot. Her nickname is Suzy.

Suzanne is on Project Jason's Adopt a Missing Person program. You can play a part in possibly reuniting her family by wearing her photo button and telling others about her. For more information about this program, and how you can help, please see:

http://www.projectjason.org/adopt.html

Thank you and God bless!

Kelly

Here is a video you can see of Suzanne, put together by Jim Viola, husband of missing Pat Viola.

http://patriciaviola....yall_Video.wmv

Thank you, Jim!

Kelly

Taking steps to protect children

Event promotes safety measures and raises funds to publicize search for missing people

By LEIGH HORNBECK, Staff writer
First published: Monday, December 6, 2004

MALTA -- The children who crowded into the Malta Ambulance Corps building left their fingerprints behind as they lined up to see Santa.

"An Afternoon with Santa" was hosted by the Center for HOPE to raise money for an event to honor the 4,000 missing persons in the state, including Suzanne Lyall, a daughter of the center's founders.

In addition to Santa Claus, a magician and a face painter, a State Police trooper was on hand taking fingerprints of children.

Pamela Rossetti of Ballston Spa helped her 5-year-old son, Jonathan, clean ink off his fingers after taking a picture of him getting fingerprinted. She said she teaches her son not to talk to strangers and, according to Jonathan, not to run away from her in stores.

Doug Lyall, Suzanne Lyall's father, explained fingerprints are most often used to identify a corpse but can help police in the crucial first hours after an abduction.

"Our mission is to keep people safe; we're giving out ID kits and working on the preventive side so we can keep someone from becoming a missing person," Lyall said.

They were joined by family members of other local people who have gone missing. A sister-in-law of Audrey May Herron, a Catskill nurse who disappeared Aug. 29, 2002, sold tickets to see Santa; and a cousin of Cassandra Kindlon, the Albany mother of two who was missing for five months before she was found dead in October, also was there.

Jennifer Wagoner, Kindlon's cousin, brought along her boys, ages 4 and 6, for fingerprinting.

"I don't ever want to prepare, but the truth is you have to have everything in order, fingerprints, recent photos. It's scary not to know what is going to happen," Wagoner said.

Suzanne Lyall disappeared March 2, 1998, from the University at Albany. She was 19. Her father said he has a video of his daughter being fingerprinted as a little girl. The prints are an example of something they did right as parents, but learning to search for a missing person has been a history of trial and error, Lyall said.

Recent pictures are important to help the police, but he remembers having a hard time finding photographs after Suzanne disappeared because he and his family were so emotional. It's also important to have missing people listed immediately with the National Crime Information Center so photos and details go out to police around the country, Lyall said.

The Center for HOPE has so far raised $30,000 toward a "remorial" at Empire State Plaza. Lyall said it is called a remorial, not a memorial in the hopes the missing that it honors will be found alive. It is the same reason why names will not be engraved in stone. Instead, a kiosk at the site will show information about missing people throughout the state.

Lyall said Gov. George Pataki has pledged money toward the project, but the center still must raise $70,000.

For more information about the Center for HOPE, go to http://www.hope4themissing.org.

http://www.capitalne....sp?ArID=120202

Anniversary of Suzanne Lyall's disappearance
Updated: 3/2/2005 9:20 PM

By: Jessica Schneider

She was just 19-years-old when police said Suzanne Lyall stepped off a CDTA bus on the UAlbany campus and vanished -- that was in 1998.

"We just went into panic mode because we knew it was not like Susie to disappear," said Mary Lyall.

Her parents, Doug and Mary Lyall, are still keeping hope alive. And state police continue to track every lead.

Chief Investigator Dave Madden said, "We've gotten calls from all over the world as far as this case goes. We pursue them all and we'll follow them as far as we can."

Doug and Mary Lyall said the seven years since Suzanne's disappearance have been terribly painful. Each day they wake up hoping to get the call saying she's OK.

"We try to keep her disappearance out in a public view, but beyond that its a lot of sitting and waiting," said Doug Lyall.

Doug Lyall said among the new leads is a recent e-mail indicating Suzanne may have been harmed by someone she knew.

"We're looking at Susie maybe going with someone that she knew well, or knew well enough to trust, and having that relationship go bad," said Doug Lyall.

Suzanne Lyall has been missing since 1998, when she vanished from the Uptown campus. Now, years later, police said they are still tracking every lead.

In addition to working closely with police, the Lyalls have established the Center for Hope, and they've completed a design for a memorial remembering Suzanne and the hundreds of others like her.

"Yesterday Doug said, "What do you want for your birthday?" and I said I want my daughter back, so that's our hope," said Mary Lyall.

The Lyalls said they even have a new investigation team working on the case. They said it's a fresh group of detectives they hope can crack the case.

http://www.empiresta.../20050406-4.htm


Schumer, Sweeney push for National Missing Person Day

US Senator Charles Schumer and Congressman John Sweeney yesterday each introduced a resolution designating April 6, 2005 as "National Missing Persons Day." The proposed date would be the 27th birthday of Suzanne Lyall, a University at Albany student who has been missing since March 2, 1998. Lyall, a computer science major, was last seen after working a shift at Babbage's Software in the Crossgates Mall.

Schumer and Sweeney said the goal of the resolution is to bring missing persons cases like Suzanne's back into the public eye and ensure that they are not forgotten. In 2001, Governor Pataki designated April 6 as Missing Persons Day in New York State. Schumer and Sweeney's resolution would make the date a national day of awareness.

"Suzanne Lyall reminds us all of the thousands of families in New York aching for a loved one who is missing," Schumer said. "Establishing a National Missing Person's Day is important because dedicating it to those who are missing raises awareness about their cases and reminds their families that their neighbors and communities support them."

"This day is about remembrance," said Sweeney. "I have met Suzanne's parents and seen their tireless efforts to find any information, any small detail about their daughter's disappearance. A National Missing Person's Day will let the Lyall family and all of the other families across the nation that are missing a loved one know that they have our support."

In the years since their daughter's disappearance, Suzanne's parents have become youth-safety advocates, founding a " Center of Hope" in the Capital region geared toward helping families with missing loved ones. Doug and Mary Lyall are working to make the Center of Hope a national organization that would provide information on missing persons and a meeting place for people who have missing family-members or friends.

There are 3,854 people considered missing in New York, including 2,015 over the . Throughout the country, there were over 47,890 missing persons over the reported missing to the police and entered into the FBI's National Crime Information Center (NCIC) in 2004.

In the 107th Congress, Schumer and Sweeney introduced Suzanne's Law, a bill to prohibit law enforcement from imposing a waiting period before accepting reports of missing persons between the ages of 18 and 21. The bill was signed into law in April 2003.

http://www.capitalnews9.com/

Missing Persons Day seminar held in Latham
Updated: 4/11/2005 8:44 AM
By: Capital News 9 web staff


People with missing loved ones are reminding others to never give up hope. Local officials joined families Sunday at the fourth annual Missing Persons Day seminar in Latham.

The event was organized by the Center of Hope. It's an organization created by Doug and Mary Lyall, whose daughter Suzanne has been missing since 1998.

Assemblyman Jim Tedisco was also there to discuss his push for new legislation.

The fourth annual Missing Persons Day seminar was held in Latham on Sunday.

He said, "I'm carrying a piece of legislation called the Assault Free School Zone Act, which we hope to get passed next year. It will increase penalties on and around campuses for any abductions or assaults to make sure they stay away from our college kids."

Tedisco's legislation was prompted by the disappearance of Suzanne Lyall, who was a student at UAlbany.

Times-Union

Families unite in grief and loss
Loved ones attend crime victims' vigils and tell stories of violence and sadness

By LEIGH HORNBECK, Staff writer
First published: Monday, April 11, 2005

COLONIE -- Liza Warner rests in peace, but her mother's pain over her murder is no less raw than that of Doug and Mary Lyall, who still wait for word of their daughter Suzanne, missing for seven years.
On Sunday in Saratoga Springs, at the annual candlelight vigil for crime victims, Martha Lasher-Warner told the story of Liza Warner, who was killed in October by her husband.

In Latham on Sunday, the Lyalls led the fourth annual state Missing Persons' Day. Some of the parents who stood alongside the Lyalls already know the fate of their missing loved one; John and Magi Bish of West Warren, Mass., buried their daughter Molly after she was missing for three years.

Lasher-Warner recounted talking to her daughter the night she was killed. Warner called to tell her mother that she had installed new deadbolts to keep her abusive husband out of their house. After he broke through the back door "with such force, it took the deadbolts off their hinges," Russell Warner shot his 29-year-old wife to death before turning the gun on himself at the couple's home in Princetown, Lasher Warner said.

"At 10 o'clock she said, 'I love you mommy'... by 11 she was dead," she said through tears at the Presbyterian-New England Congregational Church on Circular Street. A scroll inscribed with the names of New York's crime victims was rolled out in front of Lasher-Warner, its length reaching the end of the church pews.

The Lyalls and the Bish family channel their grief into organizations that both help other families of missing people and keep their daughters' faces in the public eye.

While the Lyalls know nothing about their daughter's whereabouts, the Bishes are still looking for Molly Bish's killer.

"Every time we talk to a new family, we relive what happened to us," said Doug Lyall. "But we can offer understanding and advice because we've been there and it makes us feel good about what we're doing, even if in our own situation we're helpless."

John and Magi Bish founded The Molly Bish Center for the Protection of Children and Elderly at Anna Maria College. Magi Bish said they have distributed 90,000 child identification kits.

She carries small cards in her purse inscribed with a prayer and a photograph of her daughter dressed up for a prom, taken shortly before she was abducted. Mother and daughter look alike, sharing the same jaw line and blond hair.

"I cut mine a little shorter, so I would look just a little more like her," Magi Bish said.

Family and friends of Audrey Herron wear her picture on their T-shirts. Herron went missing Aug. 29, 2002. Her husband, Jeff; sister-in-law, Stacy Herron; and mother-in-law, Patricia Conrad, were at Missing Persons Day on Sunday. Stacy Herron is preparing to participate in Sara's Ride for Missing Children, a memorial bicycle trek named for Sara Anne Wood.

http://www.capitalnews9.com

Suzanne Lyall's family reacts to Regan's arrest
11/14/2005 7:36 PM
By: Scott Patterson

Memories come flooding back to Doug and Mary Lyall every time a person disappears, like their daughter Suzanne did in 1998.

And every time someone is arrested for abduction or attempted abduction, police usually get in touch. So it came as no surprise when the Milton couple was contacted about John Regan, the man who has been charged with trying to kidnap a Saratoga Springs high school student.

Suzanne's father Doug Lyall said, "To my knowledge Mr. Regan didn't say a whole lot, and is still not saying anything. I think it's a matter of the police agencies doing a lot of footwork."

Investigators are doing just that, trying to find out if Regan's travels could make him a suspect in Suzanne's disappearance.

Suzanne's Mother Mary Lyall said, "Every time an interview like this happens, we become very numb. It takes us several days to really recover."

It's been seven and a half years since Suzanne Lyall disappeared. She was last seen on the University at Albany campus. Her disappearance changed her parent's lives dramatically, in a way that many will never know.

Mary Lyall said, "You just sit and you wait and try to move on a little bit with your life and there's no way that you can move on."

Reminders like the Regan case don't help. The Lyalls know the chances of Regan holding the answers they've been looking for are slim, but they said anything's possible.

Doug Lyall said, "In the meantime we will kind of continue to wait and we should be used to that, but we're not."

For Doug and Mary, waiting has become a way of life.

http://timesunion.com

Kidnap probe adds Lyall case
State Police checking whether John Regan was in the area when UAlbany student vanished

By KENNETH C. CROWE II, Staff writer
First published: Tuesday, November 15, 2005

SARATOGA SPRINGS -- The three-state probe of a Connecticut man's movements over the last 17 years has police looking into whether he might be tied to the disappearance of Suzanne Lyall and other women, investigators said Monday.
While John F. Regan, 49, remains locked up in a state psychiatric hospital awaiting grand jury action on charges he tried to kidnap a Saratoga Springs High School senior, investigators are establishing a timeline to track his whereabouts as he moved around New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts.

"The information we garnered from the Saratoga Springs Police Department, we're looking at it in the Lyall case and for other missing girls," said Capt. Frank Pace, commander of Troop G Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

Lyall, a 19-year-old sophomore computer science major at the University at Albany, disappeared on March 2, 1998. She is believed to have exited a CDTA bus at Collins Circle on the uptown campus that evening at 9:45 p.m. She has been missing since then.

Pace said investigators have to determine "where he was when Suzanne Lyall disappeared. He may not be the guy."

The police investigation to track Regan and see if he might be a suspect in unsolved abductions will take months, Pace said.

Lyall's parents were briefed by the State Police about Regan's activities. Her father Doug Lyall said, "It sounds like it's going to be a long time. We're really interested in this. We're trying not to get too excited."

A Saratoga County grand jury began hearing evidence last week about Regan's alleged attempt to abduct a 17-year-old girl from Saratoga Springs High School on Oct. 31. Regan of Waterbury, Conn., is being held without bail on an attempted kidnapping charge. He was sent to Central New York Psychiatric Center in Marcy, Oneida County, after he tried to commit suicide by hanging at the Saratoga County Jail.

Regan, the father of three, faces charges for kidnapping, stalking and an attempted sexual assault in Waterbury. Police are looking at him for murders of two prostitutes in the Waterbury area and the abduction of a 16-year-old in Massachusetts.

Regan's arrest in Saratoga Springs triggered the look into his background when he was discovered to be driving a van with Massachusetts plates while living in Connecticut.

"We are still sharing information with other agencies as we have all along," Saratoga Springs Police Chief Edward Moore said.

"We think we gleaned a lot of information in our investigation," Moore said. "We're pretty close to having a complete investigation on our end."

http://timesunion.com/

Police to pool data on suspect

By KENNETH C. CROWE II, Staff writer
First published: Saturday, November 19, 2005

SARATOGA SPRINGS -- Troop G's Major Crimes Unit will meet with investigators from Connecticut and Massachusetts Monday to compare notes and share information about John F. Regan, who is accused of attempting to kidnap a Saratoga Springs High School girl.

"We're going to look at their information and his work records and see how it applies to Suzanne Lyall and the other cases we have open," said Capt. Frank Pace, Troop G's BCI commander.

David Madden, a senior investigator, will attend the conference in Massachusetts. Investigators from local, state and federal agencies in the three states will discuss Regan's work history and records related to his job as a salesman in western Massachusetts.

Regan, 49, of Waterbury, Conn., is facing attempted kidnapping charges for allegedly trying to drag a 17-year-old girl into his van the night of Oct. 31. Regan was in Saratoga Springs to deal with matters related to a relative's estate, according to police.

A Saratoga County grand jury has heard evidence in the attempted kidnapping over the last two weeks. Regan was sent to a state psychiatric hospital last week after he attempted to hang himself in Saratoga County Jail.

He is charged with kidnapping, unlawful restraint and stalking in Waterbury, officials said.

Since his arrest on Oct. 31, investigators said he has become a person of interest to the disappearance of UAlbany student Suzanne Lyall; in the disappearance of lifeguard Molly Bish from western Massachusetts in 2000; and in the murders of two prostitutes near his home in Connecticut.

Pace said Troop G investigators are interested in seeing Regan's work records. State Police and other law enforcement agencies are putting together a timeline to track Regan's movements.

Waterbury police have requested Regan's company credit card, phone and sales records.

Lyalls help focus public on missing persons issues

11/28/2005
The Saratogian

The apparent double life of the Connecticut man accused of trying to abduct a Saratoga Springs teenager has prompted police to take another look at a number of rapes and disappearances in the New England area, raising a mixture of families' hopes and fears.

No family is more attuned to those feelings than the Lyalls, the Milton family whose daughter Suzanne was last seen in 1998, when she was a student at SUNY Albany.

From the heartbreak of a missing child came the Center for HOPE, a nonprofit organization with the mission 'of providing resources to educate, assist and support families and friends to cope with the ambiguous disappearance of a loved one.'

The driving force of the group has been its co-founders, Suzanne's parents Mary and Doug, who in April will realize the goal of dedicating a 'National Remorial for Missing Persons' at the State Museum in Albany.

Fundraising for this 'remorial' includes an event on Dec. 11 in Saratoga Springs -- the second annual 'Afternoon with Santa' from 1 to 5 p.m. at Canfield Casino in Congress Park. Admission is free. There will be crafts, face painting, a bake sale, refreshments and raffles, magician Joseph Didonna, Brisky the Clown and music by Brittany and Zac Kissinger.

Doug and Mary Lyall have dedicated their years of uncertainty to constructively addressing legal, social and personal issues revolving around missing persons and their families.

To begin to appreciate and understand the pervasiveness of missing people and what their loved ones are going through, spend a few minutes on the Center for HOPE's Web site, http://www.hope4themissing.org.

Support the remorial, and keep the faith.

http://www.saratogian.com/

Anniversary of Lyall's disappearance

3/2/2006
By: Capital News 9 Web Staff

It's been eight years since SUNY Albany Student Suzanne Lyall disappeared without a trace from the University campus.

She was last seen March 2, 1998 getting off a bus at the uptown campus.

Since her disappearance her family has helped organize New York State Missing Person's Day. The same day as Suzanne's birthday.

Her parents said every day is difficult, but they never lose hope.

Mary Lyall said, "Hopefully there's going to be that one lead, that one person who's feeling like, you know, we finally need closure. We really do. As you move on in your life, it's so difficult to not have the closure."

The Lyall's have also started the Center for Hope; a place where anyone with a missing person can go for support.

http://www.capitalnews9.com/

The Troy Record, 4/2/06

Without a trace: When a loved one vanishes
By: Ryan T. Fitzpatrick , The Record

ALBANY - They may be missing, but they're not forgotten. They can also make a difference.

The families of several missing people from throughout the Northeast are gathering at the State Museum this weekend.

Saturday kicked off the two-day event with live music, a kiosk to make photo identifications for children and instructive self-defense videos. A ceremony will be held at the Museum Theater today at 1 p.m. with area politicians and prosecutors to speak
along with some families of the missing.
"We're the pre-eminent institute of our kind, so I thought it fitting that this be the headquarters of this kind of event," said Pat Whalen, assistant coordinator for the museum.

He credited the story of Karen Wilson, an area college student who went missing 21 years ago, with inspiring him to organize the event as one of the museum's monthly family-oriented events. He read a story where one of
the last people to see Wilson saw her dancing down the street.

"I found that so poignant. It certainly sounds like she was in good spirits," said Whalen. "The next thing anyone knew, she was just gone." Doug and Mary Lyall set up a table to distribute literature that offers direction to anyone who has a family
member vanish. The Lyalls are the parents of state University at Albany student Suzanne Lyall, who has been missing since 1998.

One of the biggest issues families face, aside from the unsolved mystery, is finding the
resources for support in the event a loved one goes missing, said Doug Lyall.

"This is something that wasn't there for us when we needed it," he said, pointing out the national databases and support centers, such as the National Center for Missing Adults or the Center for Hope, that are available to families of missing people. Much of the responsibility also falls on the family to be proactive, he said.

"We found out that we were where the buck stops," said Lyall. "If it's strictly a case of a person missing, and there is no apparent crime committed, it can very easily be overlooked and very easily be treated casually."

Many college students and other adults can "go missing" for a while but turn out to not have been abducted or harmed, he said. That's why the burden of showing that something is wrong often falls on the family, such as with showing that it is uncharacteristic of the missing person to simply leave on their own.

The Lyalls work as advocates for families of missing people, partly as a way to keep Suzanne's memory alive and partly to bring some good out their situation.

"This is something we can have a little control over," said Lyall. "Beyond that, we're at the mercy of the person responsible to come forward with the information (to locate Suzanne)."

Jim Viola traveled from Bogota, N.J., to share the story of his wife Patricia, who vanished without a trace on Feb. 13, 2001. Viola and other families like the Lyalls share a common bond, he said.

"It's a gathering of families going through the same issues and problems," said Viola. "The worst thing you can do is stick your head in the sand and become a hermit."

Viola is pushing for legislation in New Jersey that would require police to direct families of missing people to resources such as the national database, organizations that can help with creating fliers and other practical items

"The police can only do so much," said Viola. "The families have to carry the ball."

On Thursday, groundbreaking will be held for the state Missing Persons Remembrance, a monument to the missing, in the park next to the museum.

There are over 4,000 missing people in New York state, according to the National Crime Information Center.

Speakers to appear at today's ceremony include the Lyalls, state Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco, Rep.John Sweeney, state Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings, Rensselaer
County District Attorney Patricia DeAngelis and Albany County District Attorney David Soares.

http://www.troyrecord.com/

The Saratogian - News - 04/02/2006 - Family marks Missing Person Day
04/02/2006


Family marks Missing Person Day
JIM KINNEY , The Saratogian


MILTON -- Doug Lyall remembers going to University at Albany police within a day of not hearing from his daughter, Suzanne.
The police there kept telling him that 23 UAlbany students had been reported missing already that year, and they all returned after a few days with some story of a road trip or staying in a friend's room.

'They kept saying she'd come back,' Lyall said. 'But we knew she wasn't the type. She didn't fall asleep in the library.'

Suzanne hasn't come back. Now eight years later, Doug and Mary Lyall have dedicated themselves to helping the families of other missing people, passing laws ensuring that incidents of missing college students are
investigated seriously. They even distribute handbooks for college police officers who deal with missing person's cases.

The investigation into Suzanne's disappearance has been sparse, though. Her father said she was last seen getting off a bus at Collins Circle on the University at Albany's uptown Campus. She'd just left her job at a computer store at Crossgates Mall. Another woman getting on the bus recognized Suzanne from their dorm, Doug said.

'We've talked to her over the years. I don't know if she knew Suzy's name,' he said.
Since then, state police have released photos of Suzanne Lyall's jewelry and, in 2005, a computer aged photo.

Police still interview people. Doug Lyall said Suzanne's boyfriend and his family no longer cooperate with investigators, though.
'I don't know why,' he said. 'All the questions are to find out if anyone remembers anything.'
The Lyalls also work with many people who find themselves members of the same, awful club of people with missing loved ones.

This is a busy time for the Lyalls. They mark Missing Person Day at 1 p.m. today in the auditorium at the State Museum in Albany. They will break ground for 'Remembrance,' a monument to the estimated 4,000 people
listed as missing in New York state. When it opens in the fall, it'll be the first of its kind in the nation.

'We've been to one in Ireland,' Doug Lyall said.

Mary Lyall said she's invited hundreds of people with missing family members to today's ceremony, which coincides with Suzanne's birthday. It has become an annual event over the past several years. Politicians and a bagpiper will attend, too.

At one point, family members will step forward and take a yellow rose representing their missing loved one.

Relatives who have learned, generally because remains have been found, that their missing loved ones are dead take a single red rose.

'It's very emotional,' Mary Lyall said. 'Some people can't participate. Some people come one time and can't come back.' She said she invited the family of Christina N. White.
'I don't know if she'll be able to come,' Lyall said.

White disappeared from Milton last July at the age of 19. Her skeleton was found March 10 in Daketown State Forest. She'd been stabbed. The Saratoga County Sheriff's Office is investigating the case as a homicide.

'Closure is a bad word,' Mary Lyall said. 'You never get closure; you get answers. When you talk to someone where they have found a loved one's remains, they'll tell you, 'Well, I have one answer.' '

The pain people in this situation go through is palpable in postings to the Web site at the Lyalls' Center for HOPE.

One reads:
'Missing son, 21 yrs. 6-2 135 lbs... last spoke dec. 05. Please call r u ok? need help? Where are u. u need to know we love you. god bless. any help?'

Ballston Spa Mayor John Romano says it amazes him how Doug and Mary Lyall can work with people going through this pain when they have suffered such a loss themselves.

'When you talk to them, they are just calm, kind, gentle people,' Romano said. 'You don't sense any anger.'

Doug Lyall said some people in his situation do feel a lot of anger, sometimes directed at police for not doing enough. Other people direct that anger inward.

Mary Lyall said, 'This situation breaks up marriages. It ruins families. Sometimes it brings out medical problems. I think it's the stress.'

It's one reason the Lyalls have put out a pamphlet of advice, 'What do I do if my loved one is missing.' It tells people, yes, they can have a missing persons report filed and to insist that police file a report. Because of
Suzanne's Law, a federal statute passed in 2003 and named for Suzanne Lyall, every police agency is required to enter a missing person under the age of 21 into the National Crime Investigation Center. That way, if a missing college student gets pulled over or shows up at a hospital or morgue without
identification, police will know.

Lyall said it took three days for UAlbany Campus police to bring in state police investigators.

'They just weren't set up to deal with it,' he said.

He also said it took too long for the University to put up missing posters around campus. He blames it on being March, a time when families tour with prospective freshmen.
'It's not the best PR,' he said. 'It's a business and I understand that.'

The Lyalls have worked with the state to develop a handbook for police officer. The phonebook-sized document covers everything from how to use dogs and helicopters to how best to set up missing posters.

Lyall said he's shown it to police around the country. 'Everybody who sees it wants a copy,' he said. 'We're hoping that they take a look at it and use it.'

Saratoga County District Attorney James A. Murphy III said changing the way police deal with cases of missing college students is probably the Lyalls' greatest accomplishment.

'We hope that they will be able to continue working with all of us in law enforcement,' Murphy said.

The Center for HOPE is at 20 Prospect St., Ballston Spa. The phone number is 884-8761.

http://www.capitalcentral.com/

http://www.capitalne....sp?ArID=174810

Groundbreaking for Missing Persons Remembrance monument

Updated: 4/6/2006 5:12 PM
By: Steve Ference

Lt. Governor Mary Donohue said, "In 2005, over 21,000 children, 6,500 adults were missing."

State Criminal Justice Director Chauncey Parker said, "One missing person is one too many."

Mary Lyall said, "You never think it can happen to you."

State and local leaders joined Mary Lyall at the future site of the New York State Missing Persons Remembrance in Albany. The groundbreaking took place on Lyall's missing daughter's 28th birthday.

Lyall said, "28 years ago I never envisioned that I would be here and not somewhere baking a cake for my daughter. So this is wonderful."

Lyall's daughter Suzanne has been missing since 1998, last seen on the UAlbany campus. The Remembrance will be a place for thousands who are missing loved ones to reflect.

"My hope is that this memorial is going to make people more aware, make people call and tell the police and the media where some of these missing people are," Lyall.

The main feature at the Remembrance is an eternal flame -- one of only two like it in the country. The other one is at Arlington National Cemetery.

Thousands of people are reported missing each year in New York, and with help from a state grant, one family that knows how painful it can be believes a Missing Persons Remembrance monument will bring hope to others.

Parker said, "That will be a reminder to all family and friends of loved ones who have been missing and hopefully also light the way home."

It's not just a Remembrance, but tools that Lyall hopes will make a difference -- like a kiosk with links to the Internet to help find missing persons.

Lyall said, "I just feel like we're blessed. With this memorial and the computers set up in the Empire Plaza, we're going to have people returning. I just know it."

The Lyalls are calling for tougher penalties for crimes committed on school grounds.

Lyall said, "We want to have Suzanne's Law passed. We really do. It just passed the other day in the Senate."

Lyall is also holding tight to hope that if it's not her daughter who comes home, perhaps her efforts will help make other families whole again.

http://timesunion.co....sdate=4/7/2006

Hope for missing loved ones burns bright
Parents of Suzanne Lyall, who vanished in 1998, help break ground for state monument

By CAROL DeMARE, Staff writer
Click byline for more stories by writer.
First published: Friday, April 7, 2006

ALBANY -- State officials broke ground Thursday for a monument to missing persons with an eternal flame showing the way home. But the day was bittersweet for Doug and Mary Lyall.
Thursday marked the 28th birthday of their daughter, Suzanne Gloria Lyall, who disappeared eight years ago after getting off a bus at the University at Albany, where she was a 19-year-old sophomore.

Twice, Mary Lyall choked up, tears welling in her eyes. Once, as she addressed more than 100 guests at the ceremony -- law enforcement, families of missing persons and officials who supported the monument -- and again in response to reporters' questions.

"I'm just so overwhelmed," she said to the media after turning over the dirt. "I can't believe it's happening. It's been so long.'

She then mentioned her daughter, Suzy. "I can't believe I'm here instead of home baking a cake."

Thursday was Missing Persons Day, designated as such by Gov. George Pataki in 2001 in recognition of Suzy Lyall's birthday.

On March 2, 1998, the computer science major from Ballston Spa is believed to have stepped off a CDTA bus at Collins Circle on the uptown campus at 9:45 p.m. after working at a computer store at Crossgates Mall. She has not been seen since. State Police, the lead agency on the case, have pursued thousands of leads.

The monument, known as the New York State Missing Persons Remembrance, will be constructed at the southeast corner of Madison and Swan streets at the Empire State Plaza with a $250,000 grant commissioned by Pataki last year.

A 20-foot-tall stainless steel sculpture will be mounted on a 10-square-foot gray granite base. The top of the sculpture will support the flame.

Engraved on the base will be: "As A Symbol of Our Eternal Hope May this Flame Light Their Way Home." To reach the site, visitors will walk through a scattering of evergreens.

The Lyalls' Center for Hope in Ballston Spa, dedicated to supporting those whose loved ones have disappeared, is a partner in the project and has raised $40,000 for it, Doug Lyall said.

State Office of General Services Commissioner Daniel D. Hogan, whose office will oversee the construction, said the total project will come in at just under $250,000.

What's left will pay for extra landscaping, he said. The work should be completed by September and will then be dedicated, he said.

The site was the last available spot in a park of memorials adjacent to the State Museum and "appropriately on the top of the hill," Hogan said.

In addition to the monument, touch-screen computers are being set up in state buildings that attract visitors, such as the museum and the Concourse, for accessing data about missing persons. Eventually, the Lyalls would like to see computers statewide in high-traffic areas, such as Thruway rest stops.

Hogan commended the couple for their determination, and said, "The flame will literally and figuratively provide the guiding light home."

Mary Lyall said the continuously burning flame would be the second of its type in the United States; the other is at the grave of President John F. Kennedy.

Lt. Gov. Mary Donohue said the Lyalls turned their sadness and grief "into efforts to help other people."

She gave staggering statistics compiled by the state Division of Criminal Justice Services. In 2005, there were 21,222 children, under 18, reported missing and 6,564 adults.
Donohue said most at the groundbreaking would never fully understand what people who lose loved ones endure, that all one can do is show empathy.

She urged the Legislature to close criminal-friendly loopholes in state laws and praised the success of DNA in solving cases.

She pushed for the passage of Suzanne's Law, which would "increase penalties for those who commit crimes on schools grounds." The bill got through the state Senate this week and is pending in the Assembly.

"Children shouldn't have to watch their backs," Mary Lyall said. The law's official name is the Assault and Abduction Free School Act.

Eight years ago, the Lyalls "faced what is every parents' nightmare," State Director of Criminal Justice Chauncey G. Parker said. "But rather than curse the darkness, they chose to light a candle."

Mary Lyall likened missing people as slipping into the twilight zone, leaving those behind with "helplessness, frustration, anger and despair."

"Twenty-eight years ago today, we were waiting for her birth," she said, fighting back tears. "I never could have imagined that today I would be here."

Doug Lyall thanked those who helped make the Remembrance a reality. "It's a great day for anyone unlucky enough to become a missing person or have a loved one who becomes a missing person," he said.

News clip provided by Jim Viola:

http://patriciaviola..._Capital_News_9. wmv

National Missing Children's Day
Last Update: 5/25/2006 4:55:24 PM

They may be missing, but they will never be forgotten. That's the message on this National Missing Children's Day.

For Doug and Mary Lyall of Ballston Spa, everyday is Missing Children's Day. Because it's another chance they have to get the word out about their daughter, Suzanne...and to get closer to finding out what happened to her.

Their daughter was 19-clearly not a child-when she mysteriously disappeared eight years ago from the U-Albany campus. But the Llyalls pushed to get a federal law passed-- so that the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children would include those from 19 to 21.

The Lyalls also created the center for hope to help other families cope with the disappearance of loved ones. They also worked tirelessly to raise money to construct a new memorial in downtown Albany dedicated to all those missing around the state. National Missing Children's day is extremely important--but investigators say we should be thinking about those who are missing more than just one day a year.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children says one in six children featured online is found because someone recognized their picture and called police.

http://www.missingkids.com/

http://www.fox23news...4A-53B4FD0CD561

http://www.capitalne...D=3&ArID=182040


Missing Persons Tour
Updated: 6/12/2006 2:14 PM
By: Sean O'Grady


Volunteers from North Carolina's CUE Center for Missing Persons got straight to the point when they pulled up outside Albany's Empire State Plaza.

"The message is awareness on missing persons. Period," said CUE Center founder Monica Caison.

The mission of the CUE volunteers is to spread awareness on a grand scale, by traveling to 16 states in just nine days' time. At each stop, they are recognizing the missing and those affected by their disappearance, like Doug and Mary Lyall. The Lyall's daughter Suzanne disappeared eight years ago, during her sophomore year at UAlbany.

"It's human nature to deal with those things that are hot that has information coming in on, so as soon as there is nothing coming in, it really makes it that much more difficult," said Doug Lyall.

A group from North Carolina is on a 70-stop nationwide tour, and it's all in an effort to raise awareness about the thousands of missing people across the country.

The CUE volunteers will spend one more day in New York State before heading west to Ohio, and finally south towards Florida.

"We have rallies set up all through these sixteen states, just trying to bring media awareness to the public," Caison said.

This is the CUE Center's third annual Missing Persons Tour, but they say it certainly will not be their last.

Suzanne Lyall will be featured on television program "Missing".

http://www.usamissing.com

The show will air the week of July 31, 2006, and in most areas, is shown on the following weekend.

Please check out whick station airs the program in your area by visiting the following link.

http://www.usamissing.com/findus.htm

Then check out the station's site (provided in the above link) for the exact day and time the show airs.

All the following adults and children will be featured on this episode.

Marilyn "Niqui" McCown, Suzanne Lyall, Savanna Todd, Brandy Hanna, Jeremy Alex, Brianna Wilkins, Mark Jackson, Theresa Waldron, Damon Bonds, Rogelio Cerda, Sofia Hernandez, Johan Garcia-Bonilla, Kelly Wilson, Shawn White, Tristen Myers, Vicente Nunez, Karla Coronado, Mary Ann White, James Martin Jr., Oscar Romero, Ekaterina Shcherbakova, Bianca Lebron, Karla Rodriguez, Daniel Ryan.

http://www.usamissin...les/Page733.htm

Invitation from Mary and Doug Lyall:


"On Tuesday, October 3, 2006 at 4:00pm, Governor George E. Pataki will be dedicating New York State’s Missing Persons Remembrance. I would like to invite you to join us, along with family and friends of missing persons, at the Remembrance site for this dedication ceremony.

The New York State Missing Persons Remembrance is located in the Empire State Plaza’s Memorial Park adjacent to the New York State Museum. This site is dedicated to the men and women of New York State who have been reported missing. The Remembrance will provide families and loved ones a place to reflect, remember and join with others in honoring missing persons in New York State.

The Remembrance is being created in partnership with Mary and Doug Lyall and their non-profit organization, the Center for Hope. The Lyall's daughter, Suzanne, has been missing since March 2, 1998. In 2001, Governor Pataki designated April 6th, Suzanne's birthday, as Missing Persons Day in New York State.

The Remembrance stands on a small hill on the southeast corner of Madison and Swan Streets and can be reached by a curving concrete path through a scattering of mature evergreens. It is composed of a 10-foot square gray granite base surmounted by a 20-foot tall stainless steel sculptural frame detailed with a machine-ground finish. The polished face of the granite base is engraved with the signature statement for the Remembrance, "AS A SYMBOL OF OUR ETERNAL HOPE MAY THIS FLAME LIGHT THEIR WAY HOME." The top of the stainless steel sculpture supports an eternal flame, literally and figuratively providing the light home.

Parking will be available in the Madison Avenue and Cathedral parking lots.

Doug and Mary Lyall would also like to invite you to reception which will be held following the ceremony at The New York State Museum.

If you have any questions, please contact 518-474-5987 (NYS Office of General Services). Thank you and we hope to see you on October 3rd at 4:00pm."

NYS Missing Persons Remembrance Dedicated

ALBANY---The New York State Missing Persons Remembrance was official designated Tuesday in Albany, a site that carries a message of hope from all New Yorkers for the safe return of those who are missing.

First Lady Libby Pataki attended the dedication ceremony at Empire State Plaza Memorial Park along with State and local officials, Doug and Mary Lyall, who founded the Center for Hope after their daughter Suzanne became missing, and families and friends of missing persons. The Remembrance, which features an eternal flame atop a stainless steel sculpture, will serve as gathering place and beacon symbolizing the hope that all men, women, and children who have been reported missing will return home safely. NYS Missing Persons Remembrance Dedicated

Capital News 9 | 24 Hour Local News | YOUR NEWS

Missing Persons Memorial
Updated: 10/4/2006 9:27 AM
By: Sumi Somaskanda

A flame to guide the missing home. State officials joined families and friends in a dedication to all the state's missing persons and their loved ones. Congressman John Sweeney said, "We are here today to honor the men, women and children of New York who are still waiting for and hoping they'll come home safely."

The monument to the missing stands in Empire State Plaza's Memorial Park. Mary and Doug Lyall helped the city dedicate the memorial. Their daughter, Suzanne went missing from University of Albany in 1998 when she was 19. The tragedy led the Lyalls to start the Center for Hope - helping families cope with the pain of losing a loved one.

Please continue to read at the link provided.

Suzanne Gloria Lyall
Unknown Circumstances

Age at Disappearance: 19 yrs
Date of Birth: 4/6/1978
Date of Last Contact: 3/2/1998
Race: White
Gender: Female
Height: 5'03"
Weight: 175 lbs
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Brown
Missing From: Albany, NY


Notes: Last seen exiting CDTA bus at SUNY Albany uptown campus wearing long black trench coat, blue jeans & black shirt. May have been carrying a black totebag. Has a mole on left cheek & each arm, pierced ears, scar left foot & wears contact lenses.
Investigating Police Agency: New York State Police Loudonville

If you believe that you have seen this person contact NYS MECC at 1-800-346-3543.

Print a Poster: http://www.projectja...uzanneLyall.pdf

Help us find Suzanne

Come Home Suzy


The town of Ballston Spa held a candlelight vigil for Suzanne. During the ceremony, Ben LaMothe, a long time friend of Suzanne's read an original poem that he wrote for the occasion. The family would like to share it with you here.

Come Home, Suzy

Over the years we have formed a sacred bond
Molded and conditioned it, our spirits woven tightly together by
the strength of our friendship

The long talks, the heavenly strolls through the park
Memories which now comfort me, when I am alone in the dark

The sweet sound of your voice, your long golden hair
The gift of your serenity, the peace you are so willing to share

I often wonder, and pace through life frustrated
Are you still out there? Or has your warmth long since faded

Oh what bliss, spending cherished moments with you
Where am I without you, what am I supposed to do?
But wait

Impatiently I sit, thinking today will be the day
That you come back home to me, to your family and to your friends
But even if not today, know this: our hope, our undying love for
You will never end

Oh Suzy, without you my life is just not the same
Your sunshine, your love, your spirit that refuses to be tamed

Someday we will re-unite
In this life, or in Heaven, the wrongs will be made right

Until then, I'll continue to wait
To pray and to hope, knowing always that our friendship
Has been sealed by fate

And when that day come, you will find me with out-stretched arms
Still loving, still dazed by your own unique charm

Amplified by the candles which we now burn
Are my prayers, my wishes for your safe return

Benjamin LaMothe
April 28, 1998