Susan Schloo
Southampton, Pa.
 1965 - 1985

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Susan Schloo (1983)
Susan Schloo was a nice girl from a good family. She lived with her parents in Southampton, Pa. She was known by all as a sociable and hard-working young lady.

Susan was 20 years old in 1985. She graduated from Wiliam Tennent High School two years before, in 1983.

She worked as a secretary at Tinius Olsen Testing Machine Co. in Horsham, Pa.

In July, '85, she took on a second job cleaning offices at night in the Masons Mill II Business Park on Byberry Rd. It wasn't far from her home; only about 3 miles. She worked at the Phytec Inc. office in Bldg 14, the newest and most isolated building in the park.

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Wed., July 24th, was Susan's second night on the job at Masons Mill. She took her father's 1977 Ford Granada to work that night. She was to meet her boyfriend later, after work.

Around 6:45pm that night, she took some trash out to the dumpster....

And never returned.

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Around 10:30 that night, about 5 miles away, police found a car on fire on Susquehanna Rd near Verree Rd. in Philadelphia. It was near a Catholic convent. Also, nearby was a school for troubled youths and drug rehab center.

The car proved to be a 1977 Ford Granada. It was Susan's car.

Police searched the area for clues to Susan's whereabouts. Nothing was found. Any clues left in the car were burned away with the fire.

Susan's disappearance was still a mystery.

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Police searched the area for days but could not find any clue.

They searched on foot, used helicopters and dogs. They searched the business park, the area where the car was found, and the woods along the Pennypack Creek behind the business park.

Police Chief Mason Adams even took his son on a raft down the creek in search of clues.

Nothing could be found. There was no sign of a struggle at the business park.

For five hot, sweltering days, the mystery of Susan's whereabouts remained unsolved.

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On Monday, July 29th, 5 days after her disappearance, Chief Adams walked the abandoned railroad tracks along the Pennypack Creek.

Nearing Papermill Rd., he spotted what looked like a "brand-new looking bra" hanging from a branch "on the opposite side of the creek".

He left and returned a few hours later with more officers and dogs. They searched the area and were confronted with a horrible smell. They found brush that was so thick they had to crawl on their hands and knees to investigate.

Then they found a body.

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At first, the body could not be identified. There were two rainstorms recently. The sweltering heat and wet conditions quickened the body's decay. It could not even be determined to be male or female.

Clothes on the body were similar to what Susan was last seen wearing, but identification would take an autopsy, and that would take a few more days.

Police took x-rays, did toxicology studies, searched dental records, etc., in the search for answers.

Finally, by July 31st, a full week after her disappearance, an autopsy determined the body to be that of Susan Schloo. It also found that she had been beaten to death.

There were no signs of sexual assault, but it was observed "that doesn't mean it wasn't sexually motivated".

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The police ran down countless leads, and many times thought they were on the right track. There were similar cases as far away as Texas.

But nothing would lead to a solution to the case.

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Susan Schloo's murder remains unsolved to this day.

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Susan's body was found almost 200 yards north of Papermill Rd. and about 50 yards from the abandoned Newtown-Fox Chase railroad line that follows the Pennypack Creek. There is a small cemetery nearby.

The Catholic convent where her car was found burning is now CORA, a youth development service.

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Diagram of Locations in the Susan Schloo Murder

Two Unrelated Coincidences to this case

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Created - Mon, Mar 31, 2003
Revised -

crc1123@voicenet.com