175: House of Secrets: 3 Women Disappear

On June 6, 1992, a chilling case unfolded in Springfield, Missouri, when three high school graduates, Susie Streeter, Stacey McCall, and Cheryl Streeter went missing under mysterious circumstances. Despite extensive investigations, their whereabouts remain unknown, leading the community to anguish and wonder what happened to the Springfield Three.

On June 6, 1992, three high school graduates went missing from Susie and Cheryl's home in Springfield, Missouri.

The three women were last seen at around 2 AM on June 7th after returning from a graduation party.

Susie, Stacey, and their friend Janelle Kirby attended a night of celebrations spurred by their graduation from Kickapoo High School. Susie and Cheryl had spent a quiet day together before the festivities, with Susie planning to join her friends later on. Overwhelmed by the graduation's excitement, Stacey longed for a brief respite and looked forward to attending Missouri State University, confirmed by her recent acceptance letter.

They had made plans to go to a water park in Branson, Missouri the next day but never showed up.

The girls' original plan was to stay at Janelle's house in preparation for their trip to a Branson water park. However, finding no space to sleep there, they opted to stay at Susie and Cheryl's house. When morning came, Janelle and her boyfriend waited to meet up with Susie and Stacey to head to the water park, but they never arrived. Repeated calls to the house went unanswered.

Susie and Cheryl were declared legally dead in 1997, but Stacey's family has refused to give up hope and she is still considered a missing person.

The house presented an eerie scene—neat and tidy, with no signs of a struggle, but subtle abnormalities raised concern. A broken porch light, nervous dog behavior, and cigarettes left out were out of character for Susie and her mother, both regu ...

The police investigation of the disappearance of the Springfield Three was marred by criticism for lack of progress, mismanagement, numerous leads, and overlooked suspects.

The police investigation was criticized for its lack of progress and mismanagement by the police chief.

Police Chief Terry Knowles faced scrutiny for his micromanagement of the investigation, which many feared resulted in missed information and ineffective follow-up on leads. Officers were required to report to Knowles before pursuing tips. Knowles was also known for his transparency with the media, which may have compromised the investigation by revealing too much information. The exhaustive search across 21 states strained the department's budget and yielded no results, prompting frustration among the families and investigators.

Numerous leads and tips were followed, including investigating a van sighting and two potential suspects (Dustin Rechla and Bart Streeter), but no concrete didn't find much trumping them to the crime.

Investigators followed a tip about a young blonde woman, thought to be Susie, seen driving a van, but despite extensive searches, no substantial links were found. Susie Streeter's ex-boyfriend, Dustin Rechla, was a person of interest because Susie had been a witness against him in a grave-robbing case. However, after Dustin and his group passed polygraph tests and no hard evidence emerged, they were dropped as suspects. Bart Streester, Cheryl's son, also faced scrutiny due to his lack of an alibi and volatile behavior, but he too was dismissed as a suspect after a polygraph test.

A key suspect, Robert Cox, who lived across the street from Susie and Cheryl, was never properly investigated by the police despite having a history of violent crime.

Robert Craig Cox, a previously convicted murderer and kidnapper, lived across from Cheryl and Susie and was not thoroughly investigated despite his violent past and proximity. Cox was convicted of killing a 19-year-old named Sharon Zellers years before and had a history of violent offenses, yet the Springfield police did not follow up on him in this case. When the Springfield police were alerted by Sharon's family about Cox's background, the department promised to look into it but no substantial action was documented.

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The unresolved disappearances of Stacey, Susie, and Cheryl continue to haunt their families and friends, leaving them in a state of anguish and hope for over three decades.

The families of the missing women have maintained hope that they may still be alive, with Stacey's parents refusing to declare her legally dead.

Stacey's mother, Janice, has vowed to continue calling her daughter "missing" rather than deceased, clinging to the possibility that she may one day return home.

Janice, Stacey's mother, experienced a heart-wrenching moment when the police asked her for her daughter's dental records, forcing her to confront the grim possibility that Stacey might be dead. However, that first moment of reality did not extinguish her hope. Janice had been relieved when Stacey decided not to drive at night and instead planned an overnight stay at her friend Janelle's house, intending to head to a water park the following day. Stacey had promised to call her the next day before going to the water park, a call that Janice was expecting but never came. Despite the passage of time and the lack of clues, Janice has not given up and has vowed to keep referring to Stacey as "missing", hoping for her daughter's return.

Susie and Cheryl's best friend, Janelle, also still believes they may be alive despite the passage of over 30 years.

Janelle, the best friend of Stacey and Susie, echoes this sentiment of hope against the odds. She has articulated her refusal to believe that they are ...