Case Details

Photo URLs:

This person was missing Missing Since 05/08/1981

Missing Since:

Missing Since 05/08/1981

Missing From:

Missing From Oneida, New York

Classification:

Classification Endangered Missing

Gender:

Female

Race:

Race White

Date of Birth:

Date of Birth 08/29/1961 (63)

Age:

Age 19 years old

Height and Weight:

Height and Weight 5’3, 130 pounds

Clothing/Jewelry Description:

Clothing/Jewelry Description A dark-colored v-neck sweater or sweatshirt with white embroidery at the neck and wrists; blue jeans or bib overalls with a 29-inch waist; a dark-colored or denim jacket; a size 36D bra; and possibly size 6 clogs, sandals or white low-top sneakers; a size 5 – 6 silver ring with a green stone; a small cross necklace with turquoise stones; and a very thin dime-sized metal medallion depicting a guardian angel and a bridge with two children crossing.

Distinguishing Characteristics:

Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Brown hair, green eyes. Mahoney’s ears are pierced. She has freckles. Her nails are short and she may bite them. Mahoney fractured her lower leg as a child.

Details of Disappearance:

In May 1981, 22-year-old Susan Mahoney vanished from Oneida, New York. She lived with her boyfriend and had recently quit her job as a horse groomer without telling anyone. She was last seen hitchhiking on May 8th.

Police believe she accepted a ride from a group of young men to the Oneida Indian Nation Territory. Investigators think she was gang-raped and murdered at a party there. Dozens of people were reportedly at this party, and some suspects have been identified, but haven’t been named publicly. These suspects still live in the area.

Because the alleged crime happened on tribal land, the federal government would handle the prosecution. However, they need to find Susan’s body before charges can be filed.

Several leads emerged over the years:

* A tip suggested her body was in a building that burned down.
* An anonymous person turned in a man’s wallet found on the territory, possibly linked to the case.
* Suspects’ names were written on a reward poster.
* Police searched for old cars from 1981, believing her body might have been hidden in one. A search of a gravel lot turned up nothing.

Susan’s family, who lived on Long Island, were very close to her and found her disappearance completely out of character. Despite several investigations and leads, Susan Mahoney’s case remains unsolved.

Agency:

Madison County Sheriff’s Department 315-366-2289

Source Links: