Abby Connolly
A teenage girl in Wichita, Kansas, dreamed of being fully independent and building a life of her own. But tragically, just as she was starting to get her bearings, she disappeared.
In January 2000, April Susanne Wiss was 16-years-old when she mysteriously went missing two days before she was allegedly supposed to testify as a witness in a criminal trial.
April’s mom, Gloria “Dee” Clasen, remembers April as a teen with a firey spirit. As she got older, April longed for some personal freedom and entered a rebellious phase where she didn’t want to follow any rules and instead, march to the beat of her own drum.
At one point, Dee became concerned with April’s behavior and knew how badly she wanted to get out of the house and live in her own place. So, to compromise, she sent April to live in an apartment with a friend of hers in a building on Marion Road.
Things were going well until January 11th, 2000, when April left the apartment and never came back. It was a Tuesday night, and she wore blue jeans, a white teeshirt, and a navy blue jacket. A friend of April’s allegedly saw her walking toward Pawnee Street and Broadway Street around 10:00 and 10:30 p.m. That was the last anyone had seen of her.
Judging by her apartment, it appeared that April had no plans to take off that night. While she had her wallet, pager, and apartment key with her, the lights and television were left on in the apartment. She also left behind all of her clothes, $150 in cash, and a cake that had been freshly baked.
Initially, the Wichita police considered April to be a runaway. But they figured something else was going on due to the suspicious circumstances and timing of her disappearance being so close to the criminal trial.
April’s mother has a theory that she may have been abducted and is a victim of human trafficking. Tragically, it’s been 23 years since she last saw her daughter, and she still doesn’t know what happened to her.
Dee created a Facebook page, Missing April Susanne Wiss, to post tributes for April and any updates she may have on her case.
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