19-year-old Suzanne Lyall was last seen in Albany, New York on March 2, 1998. She disappeared on her way home from the computer store where she worked, never making it back to her SUNY dorm in Albany.
Background
Suzanne Gloria Lyall was born in Saratoga Springs, New York, on April 6, 1978, to Douglas and Mary Lyall. The youngest of three children, she spent her childhood in the vicinity of Ballston Spa, New York.
In 1996, Lyall earned a diploma from Ballston Spa High School with distinction. A year after enrolling at the State University of New York at Oneonta, she transferred to the State University of New York at Albany to pursue a computer science major.
Richard Condon and she began courting during her senior year of high school. While he attended a different institution in the Albany area, she resided in the Colonial Quad dorm on the State University of New York’s North Campus.
Lyall supplemented her academic pursuits by securing employment at Babbages, a computer software company located in the Crossgates Mall, Westmere, a Guilderland, New York suburb, and a computer company in Troy.
Lyall allegedly contacted her mother on March 1, 1998, to lament her lack of cash and the anticipation of her next paycheck. She declined the offer of a loan from her mother.
Disappearance
Lyall presented on the morning of March 2, 1998, at the State University of New York at Albany for a midterm examination. After attending additional classes until 4:00 pm, she departed for her Babbage’s part-time job in Crossgates Mall.
Lyall departing at 9:20 p.m., the store ceased operations at 9:00 p.m. She boarded a vehicle operated by the Capital District Transportation Authority in order to return to her Colonial Quad residence hall.
At approximately 9:45 p.m., a classmate reportedly observed Lyall disembark from the bus at the Collins Circle stop on the uptown campus of UAlbany. The distance on foot from the bus stop to her dorm was approximately three to five minutes.
Since her absence, Lyall has not been spotted or heard from in her dorm.
The following morning, Suzanne’s parents were contacted by her fiancé Richard, who informed them that she had not returned to her dorm the previous evening and was missing. The campus police informed Suzanne’s parents that brief absences were common among college students and that they should not be concerned because she was likely to return after they contacted them to report her missing.
Investigation
At approximately 4:00 pm on the day following Suzanne’s disappearance, an ATM at a Stewart’s Shops convenience store in Albany was utilised to withdraw $20 using her debit card. Because the surveillance camera in the store did not capture the area in front of the ATM, investigators were unable to determine who withdrew the money.
According to Lyall’s fiancé, the PIN was known exclusively to her and him. Initially, the police deemed him a suspect, but a friend with whom he was playing video games that night at the time she vanished corroborated his alibi.
Following her abduction, he ceased cooperating with authorities shortly thereafter. He declined a polygraph examination and refused to communicate with law enforcement without the presence of his attorney. According to Lyall’s family, she had previously attempted to terminate their relationship, but remained with him whenever he became emotional.
Lyall’s Babbage Software identification card was discovered by students in the visitors parking lot adjacent to Collins Circle in June 1998. The expired card prevented law enforcement from ascertaining whether Lyall misplaced it on the evening of her disappearance.
Investigators questioned the CDTA bus operator who traversed that route on a regular basis. Although he verified having observed Lyall board his bus, he could not be certain whether she exited at the Collins Circle stop on campus.
According to Lyall’s housemates, she did not return to her dorm room that evening. Her keys did not jangle, as they customarily did upon her return.
One month prior to her presumed disappearance, Lyall allegedly disclosed to a colleague at Babbages’ that she suspected an unidentified individual of stalking her.
Suzanne’s Law
The enactment of the New York State Campus Security Act occurred in the year 2000. It mandates that every college formulate strategies to address incidents of violent offenses or the disappearance of students occurring on campus.
“Suzanne’s Law” was implemented in 2003 as a component of the PROTECT Act. It eliminated the investigative holdtime for law enforcement when an individual disappears between the ages of 18 and 21.
The state of New York enacted the Suzanne Lyall Campus Safety Act in 2008 as a component of the Higher Education Opportunity Act. Written plans are mandatory for college police departments to conduct investigations into severe crimes and cases involving missing persons on campus.
Whereabouts
The police discovered no indication, method, or motive for foul play in the disappearance of Suzanne Lyall.
Lyall’s family founded the “Center for Hope” in 2001 with the intention of providing assistance to the families of missing persons. Both her family and SUNY Albany presented a $25,000 reward for any information that could assist in the resolution of the case.
The circumstances surrounding the disappearance of Suzanne Lyall are still unknown, and her case is presently listed as “missing.” As of now, her case is unsolved.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Suzanne Lyall please contact the New York State Police (519) 783-3211 or the State University of New York Albany Police Department (518) 442-3131.
