February 3, 2017 at 3:54 p.m.
Murder of Susan Poupart remains unsolved
Murder of Susan Poupart remains unsolved
It stands there, almost as a shrine, reminding and begging folks to come forward with information about a heinous murder committed nearly 27 years ago.
That billboard, of course, bears the face of Susan Poupart, a then 29-year-old mother of two from Lac du Flambeau who disappeared May 20, 1990, after leaving a party. Poupart's remains weren't found until Nov. 22, 1990 in the Chequamegon National Forest in Price County.
This July marks the 10-year anniversary of the open "John Doe" investigation held in Vilas County Circuit Court. A secret "John Doe" investigation had been ongoing since 1990, but then-Vilas County district attorney Al Moustakis opted to hold an open session in hopes someone would come forward with information, according to former a Lakeland Times reporter.
"That's why we have that poster out there," Vilas County sheriff Joe Fath said. "So that it keeps it in the community's eyes so they remember that somebody out there is responsible for Suzy's death. It hasn't been as successful as I would have hoped. We do have people come forward with little tidbits, even as much as last year, [with] things that they should have come forward with sooner but they didn't. That's the kind of information that will probably eventually solve this case when somebody decides to come forward with something that's relevant, that they know firsthand."
The events that occurred during and after that investigation remain just as much of a mystery as the events leading up to Poupart's death.
The investigation centered around three men - Francis "Fritz" Schuman, Robert Elm and Joe Cobb - who had been allegedly linked to the crime.
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During the open investigation, Moustakis peppered Schuman with questions, but he opted to invoke his Fifth Amendment rights, while Elm chose not to testify until an attorney was present on his behalf, and Cobb was not in attendance that day.
Moustakis requested to reserve judge Conrad A. Richards that Schuman remain under subpoena to be called back as a potential witness for a fact-finding hearing on Sept. 12, while Elm had delayed his testimony until that date also.
Oddly enough, no report of such fact-finding hearing can be found, which leads to doubt as to whether or not it happened. When asked, Fath could not confirm whether it happened or not.
"Not off the top of my head," Fath said. "I'd have to probably go see the D.A.'s case file or look in our case notes to see if somebody made a notation."
In 2014, Fath sent evidence to the crime lab to be searched, since DNA evidence was not as prevalent in 1990, but he claimed that nothing significant in terms of solving the case had come back.
Schuman, Elm and Cobb remain persons of interest in the case as the last three people to have been seen with Poupart.
During the open investigation, Moustakis asked Schuman about a rumor that he allegedly told another inmate while in Vilas County Jail that he and others took her to the woods to have sex and then beat her to death. Moustakis also asked if he had returned to the party with blood on his clothes. Schuman exercised his constitutional right not to answer.
"We don't have anything to disqualify them," Fath said. "They were the last people known to be with Suzy. So they just haven't answered all of our questions."
Rumors have circulated through Lac du Flambeau since the murder as to who did it - with most of those rumors surrounding "three men" - yet there has been a reluctance to come forward with information.
Poupart's cousin Bill is positive he knows who did it, but he also believes there is a fear running through Lac du Flambeau to speak on the matter.
"If you say anything about anything, they're gonna affect you," Poupart said. "They're gonna take away your job, they're gonna take away your house, they're gonna take away your kids or they're gonna take away your health."
Messages for former Vilas County district attorney Al Moustakis were not returned before his retirement on Jan. 1.
Nick Sabato may be reached at [email protected] or via Twitter @SabatoNick.
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