Human remains from 1974 ID’d as Florida teen Susan Poole
Human remains of a teen woman found in Florida nearly 50 years in the past had been lastly recognized — and probably linked to a serial killer, based on authorities.
Susan Poole, 15, who was reported lacking in 1972, was linked to skeletal remains present in 1974, however not matched to DNA till lately, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Detective William Springer mentioned during a press conference Thursday.
“She was tied up in the mangroves with wire to a tree,” Springer mentioned. “She was skeletal remains, totally nothing left of her except bones.”
The case turned chilly after authorities couldn’t determine the physique present in north Palm Beach and nonetheless turned up nothing in 2015 when her DNA was submitted to a nationwide lacking individuals database, he mentioned.
Authorities made a computer composite of the sufferer, primarily based on what they believed she would have regarded like in an attempt to identify her remains. But, sadly, nobody acknowledged the picture.
The case was lastly cracked when Othram, a Texas-based forensics lab that builds DNA profiles, supplied names of the sufferer’s mom and siblings. Poole’s mom, nonetheless alive and in her 90s, supplied a DNA pattern and it was a match for the remains Springer mentioned.
Poole was reported lacking simply earlier than Christmas in 1972. She was residing with household in a trailer park and with a buddy in close by Fort Lauderdale condominium, Springer mentioned.
“The family was happy to know what happen,ed” he mentioned. “You know it’s been a long time waiting to see what happened to their sister.”
Springer believes Poole might’ve been killed by serial killer Gerard Schaefer, who was discovered responsible within the slaying of two women, 16 and 17. Both had been discovered mutilated and decapitated in April 1973.
Schaefer, who was killed in jail in 1995, was implicated in as much as 30 deaths. He was an area police officer and sheriff’s deputy in Marin County.
Springer referred to as Schaefer the “best suspect” in Poole’s dying as a result of the 2 murders he was convicted of had been much like Poole’s dying. Any proof in opposition to Schaefer could be circumstantial.
“Other than the MO that she’s in the mangroves and she’s tied up in the mangroves,” Springer mentioned. “I mean not many people were doing that in the 70s except him.”
Springer mentioned he needs to speak to associates of Poole who lived in the identical trailer park to determine her ultimate days in hopes of firmly putting the blame on Schaefer.
“What I’m trying to do is piece together her last weeks, what her activities were,” he mentioned. “She did not go to school, her mother said she had dropped out of school so I need to find out what her activities were.”
With Post wires
