When 29-year-old Susie went to a house party on her reservation, surrounded by friends and so close to home, she should’ve been safe. But when the mother of two left the party in a car with some younger men, things took a turn for the worse.
Susie never made it home, and six months later, her remains were found in a nearby forest. The men Susie was last seen with became immediate suspects, but to this day, there just isn’t enough evidence to charge them with her murder… Or is there?
Courtesy of Wisconsin Association of Homicide Investigators
Episode Info
If you know anything about the 1990 murder of Susan Poupart in Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin, please speak up. You can call the Vilas County Sheriff’s Department at 715-479-4441 or the Lac du Flambeau Tribal Police Department at 715-588-7717. Or, if you’d prefer to remain anonymous, you can call the Vilas County Sheriff’s anonymous tip line at 1-800-472-7290.
Click here to listen to WANTED: Justice for Rhys Pocan & MMIW Part 1, and here for Part 2!
A photo of Susie. Courtesy: Susie’s daughter, Alexandria Poupart.
Susie at the beach with her two children. Courtesy: Susie’s daughter, Alexandria Poupart.
A photo of Susie with her two children, Alexandria and Jared (left to right). Courtesy: Susie’s daughter, Alexandria Poupart.
Susie with her daughter, Alexandria. Courtesy: Susie’s daughter, Alexandria Poupart.
A photo of evidence from the Chequamegon Forest where Susie’s remains were found. Courtesy: Vilas County Sheriff’s Office.
A photo of evidence from the Chequamegon Forest where Susie’s remains were found. Courtesy: Vilas County Sheriff’s Office.
Susie’s red jacket which was found by hunters in Chequamegon Forest. Courtesy: Vilas County Sheriff’s Office.
Susie’s ID which was found by hunters in Chequamegon Forest. Courtesy: Vilas County Sheriff’s Office.
Trash bags which were collected by investigators from Chequamegon Forest where Susie’s remains were found. Courtesy: Vilas County Sheriff’s Office.
Susie’s green underwear which was collected by investigators from Chequamegon Forest. Courtesy: Vilas County Sheriff’s Office.
Francis “Fritz” Schuman. Credit/Courtesy: Wisconsin Department of Corrections
Episode Source Material
Original reporting by Nicole Kagan
- Wausau Daily Herald (Wausau, WI): Search expands near Lac du Flambeau, by AP Accessed via Newspapers.com.
- Chippewa Herald-Telegram (Chippewa Falls, WI): Hunters find skeletal remains of Poupart, by AP Accessed via Newspapers.com.
- Leader-Telegram (Eau Claire, WI): Lab identifies remains found by hunters, by AP Accessed via Newspapers.com.
- Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, WI) Homicide Probe, by Staff Accessed via Newspapers.com.
- The Lakeland Times (Minocqua, WI): ‘John Doe’ hearing held in 17-year-old murder case, by Kevin Boneske Accessed via InternetArchive.com.
- WJFW 12 TV (Rhinelander, WI): John Doe hearing of Susan Poupart Murder, by Kelly Larson Accessed via YouTube.
- WAOW 9 News (Wausau, WI): Susan Poupart Cold Case, by Staff Accessed via InternetArchive.com.
- WJFW Newswatch 12 (Rhinelander, WI): Newswatch 12 Exclusive: Inside the Susan Poupart cold case investigation, by Lauren Stephenson Accessed via InternetArchive.com.