Suzanne Lyall Missing 3/02/98 NY

Distinguishing Characteristics: Light brown hair, blue eyes. Lyall has a light brown-colored birthmark on her left calf. She has a mole on her left cheek beneath her earlobe and a mole on each arm. Lyall has a surgical scar on her left foot. Her nickname is Suzy. Lyall is nearsighted and wears eyeglasses or contact lenses. Her ears are pierced. Clothing Description: An ankle-length black trenchcoat, a black shirt, jeans, and possibly a polished 14-karat gold fluted bow ring, a frog-shaped silver ring set with tiny diamonds, and a black cord necklace with a round silver disc medallion inscribed with a runic character that resembles the letter S. Photos of Lyall's jewelry are posted below this case summary. Details of Disappearance Lyall was a student at the State University Of New York (SUNY) at Albany in 1998. She was employed at Babbages Software in the Crossgates Mall in Guilderland, New York at the time. Lyall left work at approximately 9:20 p.m. on March 2, 1998 and boarded a Capital District Transit Authority (CDTA) bus near the mall. She exited the bus at approximately 9:40 to 9:45 p.m. at the Collins Circle stop on the SUNY campus. She never returned to her dormitory room and has never been seen again. Lyall was carrying a black tote bag or backpack at the time she was last seen. Lyall's work name tag was discovered in an area adjacent to the visitors' parking lot at SUNY shortly after her disappearance. The tag was located approximately 30 yards from the Collins Circle bus stop, but it is not known if Lyall lost the tag the night she disappeared. One of Lyall's co-workers told authorities that she mentioned she was being stalked by an unidentified man before March 1998. The co-worker stated that Lyall did not appear to be frightened of the person. It is not known if this incident is related to Lyall's case. Lyall's automated teller machine (ATM) card was used by an unidentified person on March 3, 1998, the day after her initial disappearance. The card was used at Stewart's Store on the corner of Manning Boulevard and Central Avenue in Albany at approximately 4:00 p.m. Authorities would like to question an African-American male who made a purchase at the business around the same time as Lyall's card was used in a transaction. A sketch of the unidentified possible witness is posted below this case summary. It is not known if he is connected to Lyall's case. He was wearing a mid-length Carhartt-style jacket and a dark-colored Nike baseball cap with the company logo imprinted on the front. Some agencies refer to this possible witness as "Nike Man." Lyall's case remains unsolved. She is said to be very interested in computers and is an avid Rush fan.

Investigating Agency If you have any information concerning this case, please contact: New York State Police 519-783-3211 OR 899-940-4150 OR State University Of New York at Albany Police Department 518-442-3131 Last updated September 6, 2005; distinguishing characteristics updated. http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/l/lyall_suzanne.html

Suzanne "Suzy" Lyall diasppeared shortly after getting off a bus near her college campus in Albany, New York on March 2, 1998 Please visit her web site, lovingly maintained by a friend of hers at http://www.global2000.net/suzy/ Her parents are helping others in the midst of their search, and have been instrumental in changing hearts and legislation for the missing. Please read about Suzanne's Law here http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story...&category=CAPIT The Lyall's founded the Center for HOPE (healing our painful emotions) to offer assistance to other families facing the ambiguous disappearance of a loved one. Please visit their site today, and see how you can help http://www.hope4themissing.org/

Lyall's host special ceremony Updated: 12/6/2004 6:54 AM By: Capital News 9 web staff They're about a third of the way there, and Sunday's fundraiser will hopefully get the Lyall family one step closer to getting their goal accomplished. Mary Lyall, the mother of the missing woman said "to have a place to grieve and reflect is what we're looking for." The Lyall's daughter Suzanne has been missing for seven years now, and in her honor and memory they want to give families who have a loved one missing a Missing Person's Remorial, a combination of the words remember and memorial. Lyall continued by saying "the memorial is going to look like a big candle, glass sides, in center is going to be a pedestal with a perpetual flame." It's set to sit at the highest point on the state museum's property. Family members who've dealt with years of loss, like Patricia Conrad who's daughter in law Audrey Mae Heron has been missing for more than two years say a remorial is extremely meaningful. Conrad said "to keep the focus on how many people are missing in this state alone, nevermind throughout the country, its something that's important to all of us, we can go there and our missing loved ones are not forgotten." The Lyall's hope to get the remorial built by the beginning of April, right around the time of Missing Person's Day. http://www.capitalnews9.com/content/your_news/saratoga/default.asp?ArID=107229

Schumer, Sweeney push for National Missing Person Day Wednesday, April 6, 2005 www.empirestatenews.net US Senator Charles Schumer and Congressman John Sweeney yesterday each introduced a resolution designating April 6, 2005 as "National Missing Persons Day." The proposed date would be the 27th birthday of Suzanne Lyall, a University at Albany student who has been missing since March 2, 1998. Lyall, a computer science major, was last seen after working a shift at Babbage's Software in the Crossgates Mall. Schumer and Sweeney said the goal of the resolution is to bring missing persons cases like Suzanne's back into the public eye and ensure that they are not forgotten. In 2001, Governor Pataki designated April 6 as Missing Persons Day in New York State. Schumer and Sweeney's resolution would make the date a national day of awareness. "Suzanne Lyall reminds us all of the thousands of families in New York aching for a loved one who is missing," Schumer said. "Establishing a National Missing Person's Day is important because dedicating it to those who are missing raises awareness about their cases and reminds their families that their neighbors and communities support them." "This day is about remembrance," said Sweeney. "I have met Suzanne's parents and seen their tireless efforts to find any information, any small detail about their daughter's disappearance. A National Missing Person's Day will let the Lyall family and all of the other families across the nation that are missing a loved one know that they have our support." In the years since their daughter's disappearance, Suzanne's parents have become youth-safety advocates, founding a " Center of Hope" in the Capital region geared toward helping families with missing loved ones. Doug and Mary Lyall are working to make the Center of Hope a national organization that would provide information on missing persons and a meeting place for people who have missing family-members or friends. There are 3,854 people considered missing in New York, including 2,015 over the . Throughout the country, there were over 47,890 missing persons over the reported missing to the police and entered into the FBI's National Crime Information Center (NCIC) in 2004. In the 107th Congress, Schumer and Sweeney introduced Suzanne's Law, a bill to prohibit law enforcement from imposing a waiting period before accepting reports of missing persons between the ages of 18 and 21. The bill was signed into law in April 2003. http://www.empirestatenews.net/News/20050406-4.htm

Anniversary of Lyall's disappearance 3/2/2006 By: Capital News 9 Web Staff It's been eight years since SUNY Albany Student Suzanne Lyall disappeared without a trace from the University campus. She was last seen March 2, 1998 getting off a bus at the uptown campus. Since her disappearance her family has helped organize New York State Missing Person's Day. The same day as Suzanne's birthday. Her parents said every day is difficult, but they never lose hope. Mary Lyall said, "Hopefully there's going to be that one lead, that one person who's feeling like, you know, we finally need closure. We really do. As you move on in your life, it's so difficult to not have the closure." The Lyall's have also started the Center for Hope; a place where anyone with a missing person can go for support. http://www.capitalnews9.com/content/your_news/saratoga/default.asp?ArID=170561

Parents of missing student to speak 03/30/2006 By: Kathryn Caggianelli, The Record She disappeared March 2, 1998, around 9:30 p.m. after getting off a CDTA bus on the uptown campus of the state University of New York in Albany. Lyall was 20 years old at the time. Since that time, her parents have struggled to resolve what happened to their daughter. The uncertainty is in some ways worse than knowing the unthinkable. "You get frozen in time. It's hard to move forward. You're not able to go through the normal grieving process," Doug said. For the Lyalls, carrying on has meant taking an active role in educating others about the plight of families of missing children. They called upon lawmakers to pass the New York State Campus Safety Act in 2000, a measure that requires campus security and all law enforcement agencies to share information about missing persons and serious crimes in an efficient, expedient manner. It mirrors similar legislation in California. They helped create a guide for families of missing college students with the help of the state Department of Criminal Justice Services, area colleges and the State Police. "The manual is now at every college in New York state. It tells what to do at any given time if someone goes missing," Doug said. And they're cofounders of the Center for Hope, a non-profit organization in Ballston Spa that helps families of missing children. "We offer support, guidance, education, referrals and links to other services," he said. Through their darkest hours, the Lyalls have drawn strength from others who share their tragedy. Helping families move through the difficult process has been therapeutic, Doug said. "We're still working on it, still trying to find our way back and regain our lives in the process. It never really has an end," he said. Families and friends of abducted children and other missing persons from across the U.S. will gather Saturday and Sunday for the State Museum's Family Safety Weekend. The Lyalls will be guest speakers Sunday. Keynote speakers at 2 p.m. Sunday will be John and Magi Bush, whose teenage daughter Molly was abducted and found dead three years later. A ceremony will precede the keynote speech at 1 p.m. Sunday in the museum theater. Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco will act as master of ceremonies. State Trooper Dan Hart will play the bagpipes and Brittany Kissinger of Ballston Spa, who formerly starred as Annie on Broadway, will sing the National Anthem. The Lyalls will present the Hope Award to Chauncey Parker, commissioner of the state DCJS. A musical tribute to Suzanne Lyall will follow. There will be a ceremony to honor missing loved ones of those who attend. Other discussions are planned. A new kiosk that will make it possible for visitors to access information about missing persons will be unveiled Saturday. Representatives from the State Police, DCJS and other agencies will be on hand both days to answer questions and hand out literature. Crafts and educational activities for children will be provided both days. Music will be performed by Brittany and Zac Kissinger of "Tentacles Heavenward," Michael Yates, Soul Session featuring Garland Nelson, bluegrass group Happy Balky and the Good Livin.' The museum is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. http://www.troyrecord.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16400546&BRD=1170&PAG=461&dept_id=7021&rfi=6

Family marks Missing Person Day 04/02/2006 JIM KINNEY, The Saratogian MILTON -- Doug Lyall remembers going to University at Albany police within a day of not hearing from his daughter, Suzanne. The police there kept telling him that 23 UAlbany students had been reported missing already that year, and they all returned after a few days with some story of a road trip or staying in a friend's room. 'They kept saying she'd come back,' Lyall said. 'But we knew she wasn't the type. She didn't fall asleep in the library.' Suzanne hasn't come back. Now eight years later, Doug and Mary Lyall have dedicated themselves to helping the families of other missing people, passing laws ensuring that incidents of missing college students are investigated seriously. They even distribute handbooks for college police officers who deal with missing person's cases. The investigation into Suzanne's disappearance has been sparse, though. Her father said she was last seen getting off a bus at Collins Circle on the University at Albany's uptown Campus. She'd just left her job at a computer store at Crossgates Mall. Another woman getting on the bus recognized Suzanne from their dorm, Doug said. 'We've talked to her over the years. I don't know if she knew Suzy's name,' he said. Since then, state police have released photos of Suzanne Lyall's jewelry and, in 2005, a computer aged photo. Police still interview people. Doug Lyall said Suzanne's boyfriend and his family no longer cooperate with investigators, though. 'I don't know why,' he said. 'All the questions are to find out if anyone remembers anything.' The Lyalls also work with many people who find themselves members of the same, awful club of people with missing loved ones. Missing Persons ceremony today This is a busy time for the Lyalls. They mark Missing Person Day at 1 p.m. today in the auditorium at the State Museum in Albany. They will break ground for 'Remembrance,' a monument to the estimated 4,000 people listed as missing in New York state. When it opens in the fall, it'll be the first of its kind in the nation. 'We've been to one in Ireland,' Doug Lyall said. Mary Lyall said she's invited hundreds of people with missing family members to today's ceremony, which coincides with Suzanne's birthday. It has become an annual event over the past several years. Politicians and a bagpiper will attend, too. At one point, family members will step forward and take a yellow rose representing their missing loved one. Relatives who have learned, generally because remains have been found, that their missing loved ones are dead take a single red rose. 'It's very emotional,' Mary Lyall said. 'Some people can't participate. Some people come one time and can't come back.' She said she invited the family of Christina N. White. 'I don't know if she'll be able to come,' Lyall said. White disappeared from Milton last July at the age of 19. Her skeleton was found March 10 in Daketown State Forest. She'd been stabbed. The Saratoga County Sheriff's Office is investigating the case as a homicide. 'Closure is a bad word,' Mary Lyall said. 'You never get closure; you get answers. When you talk to someone where they have found a loved one's remains, they'll tell you, 'Well, I have one answer.' ' The pain people in this situation go through is palpable in postings to the Web site at the Lyalls' Center for HOPE. One reads: 'Missing son, 21 yrs. 6-2 135 lbs... last spoke dec. 05. Please call r u ok? need help? Where are u. u need to know we love you. god bless. any help?' Ballston Spa Mayor John Romano says it amazes him how Doug and Mary Lyall can work with people going through this pain when they have suffered such a loss themselves. 'When you talk to them, they are just calm, kind, gentle people,' Romano said. 'You don't sense any anger.' Doug Lyall said some people in his situation do feel a lot of anger, sometimes directed at police for not doing enough. Other people direct that anger inward. Mary Lyall said, 'This situation breaks up marriages. It ruins families. Sometimes it brings out medical problems. I think it's the stress.' It's one reason the Lyalls have put out a pamphlet of advice, 'What do I do if my loved one is missing.' It tells people, yes, they can have a missing persons report filed and to insist that police file a report. Because of Suzanne's Law, a federal statute passed in 2003 and named for Suzanne Lyall, every police agency is required to enter a missing person under the age of 21 into the National Crime Investigation Center. That way, if a missing college student gets pulled over or shows up at a hospital or morgue without identification, police will know. Lyall said it took three days for UAlbany Campus police to bring in state police investigators. 'They just weren't set up to deal with it,' he said. He also said it took too long for the University to put up missing posters around campus. He blames it on being March, a time when families tour with prospective freshmen. 'It's not the best PR,' he said. 'It's a business and I understand that.' The Lyalls have worked with the state to develop a handbook for police officer. The phonebook-sized document covers everything from how to use dogs and helicopters to how best to set up missing posters. Lyall said he's shown it to police around the country. 'Everybody who sees it wants a copy,' he said. 'We're hoping that they take a look at it and use it.' Saratoga County District Attorney James A. Murphy III said changing the way police deal with cases of missing college students is probably the Lyalls' greatest accomplishment. 'We hope that they will be able to continue working with all of us in law enforcement,' Murphy said. The Center for HOPE is at 20 Prospect St., Ballston Spa. The phone number is 884-8761. http://www.saratogian.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16418209&BRD=1169&PAG=461&dept_id=17708&rfi=6

Tearful tribute to loved ones who vanished Families share grief, offer support at annual Missing Persons Day By MICHELE MORGAN BOLTON, Staff writer Click byline for more stories by writer. First published: Monday, April 3, 2006 ALBANY-- June 27, 2000, dawned like any other day for John Bish. It was a Tuesday. And his 16-year-old daughter Molly was working as a lifeguard at a Warren, Mass., pond. But then the vibrant, blond dancer and soccer player vanished. And life as he knew it was gone. ``When I kissed Molly before leaving for work, I didn't know I was saying goodbye,'' Bish said Sunday, during a ceremony for missing people. Grieving friends and family members marked the absence of their loved ones with candles, roses and tears in a wrenching ceremony in the theater of the New York State Museum. John Bish and his wife, Magi, spoke Sunday during the fifth annual Missing Persons Day in Albany. The ceremony was organized by another set of grieving parents. Doug and Mary Lyall's daughter, Suzanne, disappeared eight years ago. She was last seen leaving a CDTA bus at Collins Circle on the University at Albany Uptown Campus. ``Losing a child is the most tragic event a family can endure,'' Bish said. ``Because they become your very breath of life.'' For his family, hope died three years after Molly disappeared, when her skeletal remains were found just a few miles from their Warren, Mass., home. ``Molly came home, bone by bone,'' Magi said. ``First a shin. Then her skull. And then her ribs. There were 26 bones in all.'' ``What mother holds her daughter's skull, because of a madman?'' Sunday's event was a byproduct of the Lyall's foundation, The Center for Hope, which began in the family room of their Saratoga County home and has now grown into office space in the Chocolate Factory in Ballston Spa. They offer support for others coping with devastating loss, while advocating for change, like the ``Assault and Abduction Free School Zone'' law pending in the state Assembly. Nearly 4,000 people are missing in New York state and more than 90,000 around the country. The couple is hoping to launch a National Missing Persons Day and a National Campus Security Act. All efforts have the same goal, Doug Lyall said: ``So others can understand the uniqueness of what is described as an ambiguous loss. ... When you are in the twilight zone between fate and possibility.'' Suzanne was a poet and philosopher, her mother said. And some of her thoughts were prophetic. ``Crisis acts as a catalyst for change,'' the young woman once wrote. ``And sometimes,'' her mother agreed, ``we get hurt, in order to grow.'' Sunday's event was emceed by Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco, who worked closely with Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings and the Lyall family on the Missing Person Remembrance monument. Ground will be broken Thursday on Suzanne Lyall's birthday near the corner of South Swan Street and Madison Avenue. The 20-foot-tall stainless steel columns will stand on the highest elevation on museum grounds. An eternal flame will burn at the top while a granite base below will be etched with the words, ``May it light their way home.'' A number of state and law enforcement officials attended Sunday's event, including Albany County District Attorney David Soares and his Rensselaer County counterpart, Patricia DeAngelis. ``I really believe that God does not give us things we can't handle,'' said DeAngelis, who is an ardent victims' advocate. ``I can't tell you why this happened ... but I hope someday Suzanne can walk through the door and tell you.'' The Lyalls gave their foundation's annual Hope Award to Chauncey G. Parker, the state's director of criminal justice. ``Twelve years ago, we were one of the most dangerous states in America,'' Parker said. ``Now we are one of the safest, and the reason is because of people like you.'' One by one, in a room hushed by sobs, bereaved family members stood when called and placed a photo of their loved one on a memory board. Many wore T-shirts displaying the happy faces and contented smiles of the missing -- in happier times. There was Craig Frear, 17, who was about to become co-captain of the Scotia-Glenville High School soccer team when he vanished June 27, 2004. And Ivory Green, also 17, who disappeared from Utica March 13, 2004. Lorne Boulet Jr., 23, of Chichester, N.H., left for a walk on July 29, 2001, and never returned. During an invocation, Lyall's sister, Sandy, said survivors need to spend time with others who live every day with the unbearable pain and hope, devastating loneliness and shock of the unknown. ``Our guilt is what we did, and did not do, to protect our Molly,'' John Bish admitted. ``It moves like a shadow between us.'' All relatives of missing and murdered people are now different, he said: ``We can't change what happened, but we can prevent it if we all do something. Anything.'' Magi Bish believes there is light to be found, even when the dark paralysis of grief and loss rendered every waking minute a struggle. She loved cheering Molly on to score goals in soccer. And how beautiful her daughter looked -- and felt -- in her white prom dress. These days, she said, she imagines Molly dancing on a star when she gazes into the night sky. ``It's love that keeps you looking and believing for as long as you do,'' she said. ``We hold their memories like they are glass slippers. And we remember that love is forever.'' Michele Morgan Bolton can be reached at 434-2403 or by e-mail at mbolton@timesunion.com. Page 1 Page 2

Suzanne Lyall is the current featured person in The Garden for the Missing/Project Jason advertising program within Second Life. The posters are showcased at one of the highest traffic areas in the 3D virtual world, with 45,000 daily visitors from the U.S. and abroad. The posters are funded by The Garden for the Missing. More information about our efforts in Second Life is available at http://www.projectjason.org/SecondLife.html Each person’s information is displayed for two weeks, then another person’s poster appears. The posters are provided by Project Jason’s Awareness Angels Network -- http://www.projectjason.org/awareness.html

Unlikely bond formed in face of tragedy Published: Monday, April 6, 2009 By Dave Canfield The Record ALBANY — For the seventh straight year, Jim Viola made the trip from Bogata, N.J., to Albany for the annual Missing Persons Day Ceremony, held in the State Museum. Viola returned home from work one day in February 2001 to find his wife Patricia gone without a trace; her purse, keys and medication for epilepsy were still inside the home. She was seen that morning leaving a local school where she volunteered, but not since. “We’re still trying to find her. It’s an open case,” he said, and that was evident by the missing poster and newspaper clippings he displayed in the event’s lobby Sunday, and by the Web site he still maintains to seek information on his wife’s whereabouts. And Viola isn’t the only one. Relatives and friends of those who have gone missing — some from as far as Tennessee and North Carolina — gathered for the event Sunday to learn about the resources available to them and to take comfort in one another. “It really helps you get by,” Viola said of meeting with others facing the same dilemma. The event was organized for the first time eight years ago by Doug and Mary Lyall. Their daughter Suzanne, a state University at Albany student, has not been seen since March of 1998. “This is the infamous club that no one wants to belong to,” Doug Lyall said. “No matter what the outcome is, life will never be the same for us.” The Lyalls founded the Ballston Spa-based Center for Hope, which assists both families and law enforcement in most effectively dealing with missing persons cases. Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings praised their tireless work Sunday. “They really have been the individuals who have brought people together and created the Center for Hope for all of us,” he said. On Sunday, Albany Police made identification cards for children — a useful tool in investigation should the worst occur. Meanwhile, a projector displayed face after face of those currently missing, and family members set up displays of loved ones gone but not forgotten. The event featured a keynote speech by Todd Matthews, whose Doe Network works to put a name to unidentified bodies that are found across the nation — several thousands of which are currently still unidentified. Matthews took time to answer questions posed by those looking for missing loved ones, mostly about the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, which this year will combine its previously-separate databases of missing persons listings, submitted by agencies and families, and the DNA profiles of unidentified bodies that have been found. Matthews encouraged the families to use these resources to help find the answers they seek. “You have to never say never. Never give up,” he said, noting he’s had many doors closed on him in doing his work. “You’re going to get a lot of doors,” Matthews said. Jim Viola knows about those closed doors. He said there have been several apparent sightings of his wife over the years, but none have led to the closure he is searching for. “We really haven’t found anything yet, but we’re hopeful to get answers,” he said. He was instrumental in passing New Jersey legislation that mandated DNA collection in missing persons cases, which was signed into law by Gov. Jon Corzine a year ago. Viola, who is offering a $10,000 reward for information on his wife’s whereabouts, said DNA collection can speed up the process of finding a loved one—though it generally means a body has been found. “Of course we don’t want to find her that way,” said Viola, wearing a button over his shirt pocket displaying his wife’s picture and description. “But it’s something that’s much needed.” http://www.troyrecord.com/articles/2009/04/06/news/doc49d9955588451844520370.txt

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