19-year-old Susan Swedell was last seen in Lake Elmo, Minnesota on January 19, 1988. She disappeared while on her way home from work.

Background

Susan Anne Swedell was born on February 13, 1968. She grew up in Lake Elmo, Minnesota. She has a younger sister and her parents divorced when they were young.

Susan graduated from Stillwater High School and went on to attend University of Wisconsin in River Falls. She studied psychology for a year, but got homesick and eventually returned home.

In 1988, Susan was living with her mother and younger sister in Lake Elmo, Minnesota. She worked two part-time jobs, one at Body and Sole, a small clothing store at St. Croix Mall in Oak Park Heights, and another at a K-Mart store.

Disappearance

On January 19, 1988, Susan Swedell started her day like any other. She had breakfast with her sister before leaving for work around 8:45 am.

At 9:00 am, Susan started her first shift at Body and Sole, located at St. Croix Mall in Oak Park Heights. At 1:30 pm she was seen at her second job at the K-Mart store, located in the same shopping complex.

Around 9:00 pm, Susan called her mother on the phone because she was nervous to drive home as there was a blizzard sweeping across Lake Elmo that evening. Her mother told her to take her time and to stay on the main roads.

Susan never returned home from work that night and hasn’t been heard from since. Her mother alerted the Washington County Sheriff’s Office around 11:00 pm after Susan failed to return home. 

Investigation

Susan’s vehicle, a 1975 Oldsmobile Cutlass, was subsequently found abandoned at Kern’s North Star Station, a gas station at the corner of Manning Avenue north and Highway 5, located approximately one mile from her home in Lake Elmo, Minnesota.

According to the gas station attendant, Susan arrived around 9:30 pm and asked if she could leave the vehicle parked there overnight because she was having trouble with the car. Her purse and glasses were found inside the vehicle.

The car was later determined to have a coolant leak at the bottom of the radiator due to a loosened drain plug, which supposedly caused the car to overheat as Susan was trying to drive back home. 

After parking her car, Susan was seen with a male individual who had pulled in behind her. He was described as tall and well built, unshaven with shoulder-length sandy brown curly hair and wearing a leather jacket and stocking cap.

The two talked for about fifteen minutes before Susan was last seen getting into his vehicle, described by the employee as an older model, full-sized, two-door, light or cream colored car, possibly a 1979 Ford LTD or late ‘70s Thunderbird.

Authorities also learned that Susan had been receiving strange phone calls from an unidentified male at her job at Body and Sole boutique for a couple of weeks prior to her disappearance.

Whereabouts

The circumstances of Susan Swedell’s disappearance remain unclear and her case is currently classified as missing. A $25,000 reward is being offered for information leading to Susan’s discovery.

Appearance

Physical Description:
White female born on February 13, 1968. Susan has brown hair, hazel eyes, stands 5’4 tall, and weighs 100 pounds.

Distinctive Physical Features:
No information available.

Clothing and accessories:
Susan was last seen wearing a winter jacket and a short skirt.

Investigating Agency

If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Susan Swedell please contact the Washington County Sheriff’s Office at (651) 439-9381. Agency Case Number: 95019042