Springfield Three

Article summary

The Springfield Three refers to an unsolved missing persons case that began on June 7, 1992, when friends Suzanne Elizabeth "Suzie" Streeter and Stacy Kathleen McCall, and Streeter's mother, Sherrill Elizabeth Levitt, went missing from Levitt's home in Springfield, Missouri, United States. All of their personal belongings, including cars and purses, were left behind. There were no signs of a struggle except a broken porch light globe; there was also a message on the answering machine that police believe might have provided a clue about the disappearances, but it was inadvertently erased. In 1997, Robert Craig Cox, a convicted kidnapper and robber, claimed that he knew the women had been murdered and that their bodies would never be recovered. Neither their whereabouts nor their remains have ever been discovered. No investigators in the case believe Cox has any credibility.

Key claims

1. date of birth: 1944-11-01 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
2. date of birth: 1973-03-09 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
3. date of birth: 1974-04-23 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
2. The record states that the date of birth is "1944-11-01". What evidence would count against this claim?
3. The record states that the date of birth is "1973-03-09". What evidence would count against this claim?
4. The record states that the date of birth is "1974-04-23". What evidence would count against this claim?
5. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
6. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

No sources recorded.