Thank you for listening to this Podcast One production available on Apple Podcasts and Podcast One.

This episode contains descriptions of violence and sexual assault. Use your best judgment.

In 1981, Susan Schumake was a 21-year-old college student at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale.

As a radio and broadcast major, it only made sense that she worked at the local radio station, WIDB.

Susan earned a promotion quickly, and on May 18th, she would begin her new position as a sales executive.

On May 17th, Susan left her dorm room in right hall to attend a meeting at the station.

She headed down a path known as the Ho Chi Minh Trail, a shortcut that a lot of students used.

The trail led through a grassy knoll, passed some railroad tracks, and continued on by the university's physical plan.

Susan didn't make it to the end of the shortcut that day. She didn't make it to the meeting, and she didn't start her new position on May 18th.

Because Susan met someone on the trail that day. The person responsible for her murder.

From A&E, this is Cold Case Files. I'm Brooke, and here's the spectacular Bill Curtis, with a classic case, exhuming the truth.

On August 17th, 1981, I'd been a Carbondale police officer for one week. That's the same day that Susan Schumake was murdered.

Susan and I had a class in one of the buildings behind me here.

In 1981, Paul Eccles is 21 years old.

The Ray Pen Murder of a local poet named Susan Schumake marks his second week on the job.

I actually was in the police training at one week. I got hired one week to the day before she was murdered.

It was a scary thing. It was the first time ever that I'm aware of that an SIU student was murdered on campus.

Her murder shook the campus, and little I know that 23 years later I would arrest her killer.

One of her friends called me up there to tell me that they couldn't find Sue. I knew that they felt something wasn't right.

John Schumake is Susan's older brother. On August 18th, he gets a call. His sister is missing from the campus of Southern Illinois University.

She was supposed to meet a friend for a... they were going to have dinner together, and she didn't show up.

And that's when they knew something was a mess.

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