On Labor Day of 1974, less than 24 hours before 15-year-old Mary was to start her sophomore year of high school, she told her parents she needed to make a quick shopping trip to pick up some last-minute school supplies and a winter coat. Her younger sister, 12-year-old Susanne, tagged along and they waved goodbye to their father, who was painting the exterior of the house when they left. On a day so ordinary, it never crossed his mind that that would be the last time he’d see his two daughters alive.
Courtesy of Minnesota Department of Public Safety
Episode Info
There is a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible for the murders of Mary and Susanne Reker. To submit a tip please visit here or scan the QR code below.
To apply for the Cold Case Playing Cards grant through Season of Justice, visit www.seasonofjustice.org
An undated photo of Mary Reker. Courtesy: Stearns County Sheriff’s Office
An undated photo of Susanne Reker. Courtesy: Stearns County Sheriff’s Office
A present-day photo of Zayres. Courtesy: Google
A map with the girls’ last known locations. Courtesy: The Minneapolis Star
A newspaper clipping regarding the girls being found near the quarry. Courtesy: Stearns County Sheriff’s Office
Episode Source Material
- Cold cases of Stearns County, Minnesota, by Robert M. Dudley.
- FOX 9: Reker murders: Connection or coincidence?
- Minneapolis Star: Second murder probe continues at steady pace, by Dave Anderson via Newspapers.com.
- Minneapolis Star: Slain girls’ final hours retraced, by Dave Anderson via Newspapers.com.
- Star Tribune: Details still eerie 28 years after girls were slain, by Curt Brown via Newspapers.com.