Nearly 40 years after Susan Swedell's disappearance, investigators turn to jail inmates for help in cracking cold case
LAKE ELMO, Minn. — An old family photo captures the Swedell family beaming with love and joy. That same photo serves as a painful reminder of a missing piece.
"Nothing has been the same without her," Christine Swedell said in a phone interview.
Susan Swedell was 19 years old when she disappeared back in 1988. Officials say she had stopped at a gas station in Lake Elmo, told the attendant she was having car troubles and asked if she could leave her car there.
Investigators say she then got into another vehicle driven by an unknown man. Swedell hasn't been heard from since.
The lack of physical or video evidence has proved to be a major obstacle.
"If this happened today it would be a completely different ball game," said Blake Trantham, Washington County Sheriff Criminal Intelligence Analyst.
But on Tuesday, investigators took a bold step by sending an alert to inmates at the jail with tablets.
"Our biggest hope is that somebody knows something and 37, years later, is willing to come forward," Trantham said.
It's a chance to crack the case and find closure for the Swedell family.
A $25,000 reward is being offered.
If you have any information, you're asked to call the Washington County Sheriff's Office tip line.