42°41′18″N 73°49′22″W / 42.6882°N 73.8229°W
Suzanne Lyall | |
|---|---|
 Picture of Lyall as she looked at the time of her disappearance, distributed by the FBI | |
| Born | April 6, 1978 Saratoga Springs, New York, U.S. |
| Disappeared | March 2, 1998 (aged 19) Albany, New York, U.S. |
| Status | Missing for 26 years, 8 months and 26 days |
| Education | Ballston Spa High School |
| Known for | Disappearance and parents' ensuing activism |
| Height | 5 ft 3 in (160 cm) |
| Parents |
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On the night of March 2, 1998, Suzanne Gloria Lyall (born April 6, 1978),[1] an undergraduate at the State University of New York at Albany, left her job at the Babbage's in Crossgates Mall in the nearby suburb of Westmere after the store had closed. She is believed to have taken a city bus from the mall back to the university's Uptown Campus, where a classmate has said she saw Lyall get off the bus at Collins Circle, a short walk from her dorm. She has not been seen since.[2]
The next morning Lyall was reported missing. That afternoon her credit card was used at a nearby convenience store's ATM to withdraw $20. According to her boyfriend, only she and he knew the PIN. He had a verified alibi for the time of her disappearance, but due to his later refusal to cooperate with the police they have been unable to completely rule him out as a suspect. A man who used the ATM around the same time has been ruled out. New York State Police continue to investigate the case. It has been the subject of an episode of the Investigation Discovery channel series Disappeared.
Lyall's parents have become activists on behalf of the families of other missing persons, founding an organization called the Center for Hope to support those families. They were present when President George W. Bush signed "Suzanne's Law", enacted as part of the PROTECT Act of 2003, which raised the age at which local police must inform the National Crime Information Center of a missing person from 18 to 21. Five years later, he also signed into law the Suzanne Lyall Campus Safety Act, part of the Higher Education Opportunity Act, based on similar legislation the state passed the year after Suzanne disappeared,[3] which requires college police departments to have plans for investigating missing-persons cases and serious crimes on campus.[4] Another "Suzanne's Law", passed by the New York State Senate several times but not yet voted on in the State Assembly, would also increase the penalties for violent crimes on and near educational facilities should it become law.[5]
- ^ "Suzanne G. Lyall". Federal Bureau of Investigation. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
- ^ Rudnick, Natasha (May 27, 2010). "Suzanne Lyall Missing Since 1998 After Leaving Her Job". CBS News. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
- ^ Brenner, Elisa (April 18, 1999). "In Brief; Campus Safety". The New York Times. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
- ^ "Suzanne's Law" (PDF). Center for Hope. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
- ^ William J. Larkin Jr. (April 6, 2006). "Larkin Announces Passage Of 'Suzanne's Law'" (Press release). Albany, New York: New York State Senate. Archived from the original on February 23, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2018.