Susan was a freelance journalist and NYU student who’d also worked as an exotic dancer since college to pay for her education. She had a history of drug and alcohol abuse in college but was sober by the time she graduated. She’d relapsed by 1996, also struggling with bipolar disorder and often skipping her medication. She’d even started abusing Xanax.

Her journalism career had its ups and downs. She wrote a well-received article for *The Village Voice* about Russian organized crime forcing women into dancing, which led to her fearing for her safety. A later article about vampire clubs was rejected. She also did research for a book on the sex industry. Around the time of her disappearance, she’d returned to full-time dancing.

No one knows for sure what happened to Susan. Some speculate her disappearance was linked to her article about Russian organized crime, though there’s no proof. Friends and family say she would never abandon her son. The mystery remains unsolved.