Suzy: Before the Pub

Just before we leave Stevenage Road, let’s look at this another way. If we spin the map around we discover a significant geographical feature which has been almost completely wiped out from the coverage of this case: the Thames.

If you read the previous article about this case, most of the focus was on Suzy driving to this location, marked by the garage above, and what she did when she arrived. But we also need to understand how she left this spot. We know a few things as fact: she did not drive her own car away because it was found in this location by police on the night she went missing. So how did she leave?

You might remember Wendy, the witness who saw Suzy’s car opposite her own house at 123 Stevenage Road. Wendy never saw Suzy herself at any point. But Wendy was going out for a walk. She was heading towards the river. Could Suzy and her friend have been going there too? If they had, would Wendy have noticed? Wendy only found the car memorable, not the occupant. The car was only noticed because it was parked across her friend’s garage. Outside in the street, Marianna only noticed Suzy and her friend because they were (to her eyes) over dressed. Was it Suzy?

If Suzy left the area in the left-hand drive BMW then she was in the middle of an argument with its male driver. Could she instead have gone for a riverside stroll, had an argument, and ended up in the river? If she had, would she ever have been found?

In the Crimewatch from July 2000, we see a flashing glimpse of the search in the river. The clip below will start at the right point.