Disappearance of Susan Smalley and Stacie Madison

Susan Renee Smalley (born September 19, 1969)^[1] and Stacie Elisabeth Madison (born June 17, 1970)^[2] were two young women from Carrollton, Texas, United States who disappeared on the morning of March 20, 1988.^[3][4][5]

Disappearance

Stacie Madison worked as a receptionist, with plans to study business at the University of North Texas. On the evening of March 19, 1988, Madison stayed at her friend Susan Smalley's house overnight. They both briefly left the house for a short time in Smalley's car, a 1967 Ford Mustang convertible that Smalley had recently purchased with the money she had earned from working two jobs, which was painted the same colors as their high school.^[6] Later, the girls were both seen attempting to purchase alcohol at a 7-Eleven, but it was not sold to them since they were minors.

Madison and Smalley had returned to the house again, where Smalley phoned a friend at around midnight.^[7] The girls left left the house again shortly after, because the car that belonged to Madison was no longer parked in front of the house where they were staying. The last time anyone saw the girls was at restaurant called The Steak and Ale, which is also where Smalley worked as a waitress. An employee there told investigators that Smalley had been talking to another co-worker, during which time Madison waited in the parked car.

The next morning, the girls were reported as missing. The Mustang that they were riding in was found abandoned in a parking lot of a Dallas shopping center, inside which were the personal belongings of both girls.^[8] When last seen, Madison was wearing white cotton pants, a long sleeved white sweatshirt with a pink and orange logo, and white tennis shoes, and Smalley was wearing a white sweater, blue jeans, and was also carrying a navy blue shoulder bag with camel trim.^[9]

Investigation and aftermath

About two months after Madison and Smalley went missing, Smalley's boyfriend told a girl that he was dating that he had killed both girls and dumped their bodies in a nearby cemetery. After the girlfriend called the police, Smalley's boyfriend underwent and passed a polygraph test. He later settled in Florida, where he moved from town to town for over a decade. Attempts to contact him have been unsuccessful. The police also asked a psychic about the case, and he told the detectives that the girls were murdered by a white male who was between the ages 28 of 34, had blond hair and glasses, and that he had dumped them near Grapevine Lake. However, nothing was found when a search of that area was conducted.^[10] The case is still active.^{[11][12][13][14][15]}

In 2009, Shawn Sutherland, who grew up in Carrollton and was 24 at the time of the disappearance, self-published a book entitled This Night Wounds Time: The Mysterious Disappearances of Stacie Madison and Susan Smalley.^[16] According to Sgt. Joel Payne, lead detective with the Carrollton police, the book caused the investigation to be renewed "start[ing] from scratch," both in Carrollton and in neighboring Denton County.^[12][17]

See also

• List of people who disappeared

References