Katharina Buczek
Throughout the following month, Hollie and the rest of Susan’s family members continuously tried to get in touch with her and Evan. But, they received no answer, and in July, both of their phones were disconnected.
So, they were at a loss– especially because no one even had Jerry’s phone number. At one point, Susan’s mother, Linda, even attempted to mail a letter to her daughter in hopes of getting in touch. But, that correspondence was returned to Linda’s residence as undeliverable in July.
After that, everyone in Susan’s circle grew concerned about her and Evan. At the same time, though, her loved ones knew she was a particularly private person. That’s why no one wanted to contact the police and risk upsetting Susan later on.
But, once Susan’s family spoke with Hollie as well as one of Evan’s friends from school– and learned that absolutely no one else had heard from the mother-son pair– they filed a missing person report on July 29, 2017, with the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office.
They asked the police to visit Susan’s residence on Monday, July 31, 2017, to conduct a wellness check. Upon arrival, officers noticed her car was still in the driveway.
Jerry wound up answering the door, though, and claimed to have been cleaning. Investigators then entered the home and began questioning Jerry about his wife’s whereabouts. At that point, he claimed he and Susan had gotten into an argument on Memorial Day before Susan left with an unidentified man in a truck.
According to Jerry, he thought the pair were traveling to Birmingham. And despite him claiming that the man never exited the vehicle, Jerry was able to describe him in detail– recalling how the man was six feet tall, had a beard, and was wearing sunglasses.
Later, Jerry also added to his story– explaining how, after he went to visit his parents, Susan and Evan had moved all of their personal items out of the home. Jerry also claimed that Susan vandalized the property via spray paint on his walls and floors.
Following this initial conversation with Jerry, though, the investigators wound up leaving the residence. Then, Hollie reached out that same afternoon and provided all of the information she had.
Using Hollie’s statements, as well as their observation of Jerry’s home, investigators were able to obtain a search warrant that same day. Then, they returned to the home to execute the warrant.
