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The Murder of Susan Sunday: Another Victim of the Babysitter Killer?
The 16-year-old’s death remains a mystery more than 50 years on. However, there may be links to two more murders in New Jersey at a similar time.
It was October 3rd 1971, and 16-year-old Susan Sunday from South Brunswick in New Jersey was setting off to take the family dog for a walk as she often did.
The quiet, studious teenager would typically take a book with her and wander with her pet for a while before stopping, tying the leash to a tree and reading before heading home again. That day, though, she would have been unlikely to dally as she was meeting friends in nearby Princeton a few hours later to catch a movie.
But three hours later, the dog returned alone with its leash cut. There was no sign of Susan at all. Her parents waited until 7:15 PM and then called the police to report her missing.
The disappearance was taken seriously and a huge search party was coordinated for the following day that involved bloodhounds to try and catch a trace of Susan’s scent in the dense woodland. According to Sgt. Charles Larsen, about 65 officers did a thorough sweep of the area until after dark to no avail.