30 years after the Springfield 3 vanished, here’s what to know about the missing women cold case
It has been 30 years since the disappearance of Stacy McCall, Suzanne "Suzie" Streeter and Suzie's mother Sherrill Levitt in Springfield. The case of the Three Missing Women remains unsolved, but over the last three decades, theories continue to circle in the Ozarks.
McCall and Streeter, both Kickapoo High School graduates, celebrated the evening after their graduation ceremony in June 1992 by attending several house parties, before retiring back to the home where Streeter lived with Levitt.
Early the next morning of June 7, 1992, was the last time they were seen.
What happened the night of June 6, 1992?
During the day of Saturday, June 6, 1992, McCall, 18, and Streeter, 19, graduated from Kickapoo High School. The two, along with several others, had plans to hop around from party to party that night in celebration. They even had plans to drive to Branson at the end of the night, as a group of graduates was going to White Water, a water park, the following day.
Around 10:30 p.m. that night, Janis McCall, Stacy's mother, received a call from her daughter informing her that the group had decided to make the drive to Branson the next morning. Instead, she and Streeter were going to stay at their friend Janelle Kirby's house. This was the last time Janis spoke to her daughter.
The two did go to Kirby's house but ultimately retreated to Streeter's a little after 2 a.m. They drove from Kirby's, in their separate vehicles, to Streeter's house at 1717 E. Delmar St.
It was between the time McCall called home and the girls left Kirby's house that Levitt, 47, was last heard from. Around 11:15 p.m. that night she was on the phone with a friend, painting a chest of drawers.
The girls seem to have arrived at Streeter's house, as their vehicles were parked out front and their personal belongings, including the clothes they wore that day, were inside. But when Kirby called the house the next morning, around 8 a.m., to inquire what time they would drive to Branson, no one answered.
A long Sunday full of confusion, dread
After calling Streeter's house several times, Kirby and her boyfriend visited the house on Delmar Street around 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, June 7. Nothing seemed too out of the ordinary, except the front porch light was broken. As a courtesy to Levitt, Kirby's boyfriend swept up the broken porch light, which some believe was possible evidence.
The front door was also unlocked, but this was common for some Springfield residents in the '90s.
During this time, cases of kidnapping and murder were rare in Springfield. Unlike today, true crime television shows, movies and podcasts weren't prevalent. The idea that the women were missing — at this time — didn't cross minds.
Kirby and her boyfriend let themselves into the house and found a desolate scene. It appeared as if the women had vanished in thin air: the house was tidy, personal belongings were inside and even Streeter's bed looked as if the girls had climbed into it only hours before.
Three Missing Women: Podcast uncovers new perspectives about Springfield's Three Missing Women, 30 years later
However, Streeter and Levitt's dog, Cinnamon, was more jumpy than usual when the two entered the home. And Kirby found packs of cigarettes left behind, which she found unusual, as Streeter and Levitt were known to be smokers.
After scanning the house, finding no trace of the women. Kirby and her boyfriend began calling friends who they thought might know where the women went. But no one had answers.
By midday, Janis McCall was becoming distraught. She hadn't heard from her daughter since the night before, which was unusual. Stacy was known for calling her parents, giving them updates on her whereabouts. It was through Kirby's sister that Janis learned her daughter had not stayed at their house but instead went to Streeter's.
Like Kirby, Janis left several messages on the Delmar Street home's answering machine. And with no word from her daughter, she decided to visit the home herself that evening.
Janis wasn't the only one to visit Streeter and Levitt's home that night. About 10 other curious people filled the house.
In a society saturated with stories about missing women and children, it can be difficult to remember that in 1992 Springfield, this wasn't the case. Folks didn't think they were "tampering" with a potential crime scene as they scoured each bedroom, listened to messages on the answering machine or thought about making coffee in the kitchen.
As the evening pressed on, Janis decided to call the police, per recommendation from her husband. She didn't want to call 911, as that was for "emergencies only." This couldn't possibly be an emergency, she thought.
Rather, she called the police department's number, who directed her to 911.
It wasn't long before Springfield Police Department Officer Rick Bookout arrived at 1717 E. Delmar St.
"(The police department) gets a lot of missing person calls, and when people are adults, they can come and go as they please," said Bookout, who is now retired. "My first reaction was, 'Well, maybe they've gone somewhere.'"
As Janis led Bookout through the house, "things then started to add up," he said. The cars out front, purses lined up in Streeter's room and cigarettes left behind made him think the women did not leave on their own accord.
After Bookout did his walk-through of the home, he asked Janis a question she didn't expect: if she could obtain her daughter's dental records. Dental records can play a key role in identifying found remains.
As folks began to empty the house that Sunday evening, Bookout locked the front door and left a note asking the women to call the police department when they returned to cancel the report. That call was never made.
As weeks turned to months, tips streamed in
The first week of the women's disappearance was unlike any other for local law enforcement and news organizations.
Within two days, the case received national attention when CBS' "48 Hours," a program investigating crime and justice cases, featured the case in an episode. Throughout the course of the year, the case would also be broadcast on Fox's "America's Most Wanted" and "The Oprah Winfrey Show."
The FBI was called onto the case Tuesday, June 9, just days after the women's disappearance.
By Wednesday, June 10, more than 20,000 missing-persons posters were hung throughout Springfield. Some of these posters remain in storefronts today.
During the first two weeks, Springfield was hopeful, but every lead led to a dead end.
Community-wide searches were conducted, divers inspected Lake Springfield and a stretch of the James River, and polygraph tests were run on those close to the women.
From 2019: Springfield's 3 Missing Women case featured in People magazine, cable TV show
As days turned into weeks, and weeks into months, tips continued to stream in.
For months, a small rectangular box depicting how many days the women were missing was featured on the front page of the News-Leader. The number just continued to climb.
Theories on what happened to Suzie Streeter, Stacy McCall and Sherill Levitt
There are countless theories about what happened to McCall, Streeter and Levitt.
Some believe the women were targeted, either by an ex-boyfriend or someone from Levitt's past. Others think they were buried underneath the Cox South Hospital parking garage or killed at Winoka Lodge, known for hosting Camp Winoka near Lake Springfield. And while some of these theories have been investigated by police, none provided answers.
The News-Leader reached out to SPD for a comment on May 19 and was directed to a press release posted on May 16. Along with recounting the case, it said "an extensive investigation into the lives of the missing women has been conducted and the investigation is ongoing concerning their disappearance."
Vigil to honor the women, 30 years later
As three decades have passed since McCall, Streeter and Levitt went missing, family, friends and community members continue to grieve.
Bookout remained at SPD for 17 more years after his initial visit to the Delmar house in '92. Thirty years later, the case is still prevalent in his mind.
"When you spend 20 years in a career working many, many calls, (this) one just doesn't go away," he said. "It was and still is there for me."
The McCall family is hosting a vigil for the women at the Victims Memorial Garden in Phelps Grove Park, located at 950 E. Bennett St., on June 7 at 7:30 p.m. Attendees are welcome to bring a blanket, chair, and battery-operated or safe candle.
SPD has labeled the Three Missing Women as a cold case. Anyone with information about the disappearance is requested to contact SPD at 417-864-1810 or Crime Stoppers at 417-869-8477 or P3tips.com.
This story utilizes previous reporting conducted by the News-Leader.
Greta Cross is the trending topics reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @gretacrossphoto. Story idea? Email her at gcross@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: What we know about Springfield's Three Missing Women cold case
