Springfield Three facts for kids
Quick facts for kids 
Excerpt from missing persons flyer
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| Date | June 7, 1992 |
|---|---|
| Duration | Missing for 33 years and 1 month |
| Location | 1717 E. Delmar Street Springfield, Missouri, U.S. |
| Type | Disappearance |
| Missing |
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| Website | Springfield Police Dept. |
The Springfield Three is the name for a mystery that started on June 7, 1992. On that day, three women disappeared from a home in Springfield, Missouri. The missing people were friends Suzanne "Suzie" Streeter and Stacy McCall. Suzie's mother, Sherrill Levitt, also vanished.
All their personal items, like cars and purses, were left behind. There were no signs of a fight. A broken porch light was the only unusual thing. Police found a message on an answering machine. They thought it might help solve the mystery. Sadly, the message was accidentally erased. The women have never been found.
Contents
The Disappearance Story
The Last Time They Were Seen
Suzie Streeter and Stacy McCall finished high school on June 6, 1992. They were last seen around 2:00 a.m. on June 7. They had been at several graduation parties that night. At some point, they were also seen in Battlefield.
The girls planned to stay at their friend Janelle Kirby's house. But Janelle's house was too full. So, they decided to go to Suzie's home instead. This was also Sherrill Levitt's home. It was located at 1717 East Delmar Street.
It is believed they arrived at the house. Their clothes, jewelry, purses, and cars were all there the next day. Sherrill Levitt was last heard from at 11:15 p.m. on June 6. She was talking to a friend on the phone about painting furniture.
What Was Found the Next Morning
Around 9 a.m. the next day, Janelle Kirby and her boyfriend visited the house. Suzie and Stacy had not shown up at Janelle's home. They had planned to go to a water park together.
Janelle found the front door unlocked and went inside. She did not see Suzie, Stacy, or Sherrill. All three women's cars were parked outside. Janelle told police that the glass cover on the porch light was broken. The lightbulb itself was still working.
Janelle's boyfriend helped her sweep the broken glass. Police later realized this might have removed important clues. Inside the house, Janelle found Sherrill and Suzie's dog. It was a Yorkshire Terrier named Cinnamon. The dog seemed upset.
While inside, Janelle answered a "strange and disturbing call." It was from an unknown man. She hung up and immediately got another call. She hung up again.
The Police Are Called
Several hours later, Stacy McCall's mother, Janis, also visited the house. She had tried to call her daughter many times. Inside, she saw all three women's purses on the living room floor. She also saw her daughter's clothes neatly folded. Sherrill and Suzie's cigarettes were also left inside.
Janis quickly called the police from the home's phone. She reported the three women missing. After calling, she checked the answering machine. She heard a "strange message." But it was accidentally erased from the tape.
Police were very interested in this call. They believed it "may have contained a clue." They did not think it was connected to the prank calls Janelle received.
Stacy's parents contacted police more than sixteen hours after the women were last seen. Other worried friends and family also called and visited the home. Police later guessed that ten to twenty people had been inside the house. This might have changed the scene. When officers arrived, there were no signs of a struggle. Only the broken porch light was unusual. Police also noticed Sherrill's bed had been slept in. All personal items were left behind. This included purses, money, cars, keys, and the family dog.
Later Information in the Case
On December 31, 1992, a man called the America's Most Wanted TV show hotline. He had information about the women's disappearance. But the call ended when the operator tried to connect him with Springfield investigators. Police said the caller knew important things. They asked him to call them again, but he never did.
Sherrill Levitt and Suzie Streeter were declared missing for a very long time in 1997. However, their case files are still officially listed as "missing."
Looking for Clues Underground
Investigators received a tip. Someone said the women's bodies were buried under a parking garage. This was at Cox Hospital. In 2007, a reporter named Kathee Baird asked Rick Norland, an engineer, to scan the garage. He used ground-penetrating radar (GPR).
Norland found three unusual spots. He said they were "roughly the same size." He thought they looked like a "grave site location." Two spots were side-by-side, and one was at a right angle.
Lisa Cox, a police spokesperson, said the person who gave the tip had no proof. She also said the parking garage was built in September 1993. This was over a year after the women disappeared. She explained that digging up the area would be very expensive. Without good reason to believe the bodies were there, it made no sense to dig. Police decided this tip was not reliable.
A Possible Suspect
In 1997, a man named Robert Craig Cox was in prison in Texas. He was there for kidnapping and robbery. He was also suspected in a murder in Florida. Cox told reporters that he knew the three women were murdered. He claimed their bodies would never be found.
In 1992, Cox had lived in Springfield. When police first questioned him, he said he was with his girlfriend at church. This was the morning after the women disappeared. His girlfriend confirmed his story. However, she later changed her statement. She said Cox had asked her to lie. Cox also said he was at his parents' home the night of the disappearance. His parents confirmed this.
Authorities were not sure if Cox was truly involved. They wondered if he was just trying to get attention. Cox told police and reporters he would share what happened after his mother passed away.
The Case in Media
The case is still unsolved as of 2022. More than 5,000 tips have been given by the public. In June 1997, a special bench was placed in Phelps Grove Park in Springfield. It was dedicated to the women.
The case has been shown on TV programs. These include 48 Hours and America's Most Wanted. The channel Investigation Discovery showed "The Springfield Three" on its Disappeared series. In 2019, the same channel's People Magazine Investigates featured an episode called "The Springfield Three."
In 2021, journalist Anne Roderique-Jones started a podcast. It is called The Springfield Three: A Small-Town Disappearance.
Sherrill Levitt's son and Suzanne Streeter's brother, Bartt Streeter, used to have a blog about the case. It was called Streeter Family Blogg [sic]. Mr. Streeter gave the blog to his daughter, Dee Streeter, in 2013.
See also
In Spanish: El trío de Springfield para niños
