On May 20, 1990, Susan "Susie" Poupart, 29 years old, was seen leaving a house party at about 4 a.m. in Lac du Flambeau.
While walking home alone, two men pulled up in a car, and Susie entered the car, according to witnesses. However, Susie never returned home. She was never seen alive again. Her family reported her missing two days later.
In 1990, the case was investigated by the Vilas County Sheriff's Department as the Lac du Flambeau Tribal Police Department did not yet exist. According to the tribal police, "Deputies and fire department personnel conducted ground searches for four or five days, hoping to find her alive and return her to her two young children. Eventually specially trained tracking dogs were brought in from Minnesota to assist in search efforts, to no avail.
"Six months later, on November 22, 1990, deer hunters found Susie’s remains in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, approximately 12 miles from her home. Her purse and Tribal ID were found near her remains. Susie’s death was determined to be a homicide, and in the decades since her murder, continuous improvements in DNA technology have kept her family’s hopes alive that her murderers will be brought to justice."
Investigators are also hopeful as they await the results of DNA testing on evidence that was recently sent to sophisticated, high-tech crime laboratories.
Beyond DNA evidence, police believe there are people who have information about Susie's disappearance and death, which could result in the arrest and conviction of those involved in her murder.
As an incentive, the Lac du Flambeau Tribe is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible. According to police, "Any detail, no matter how small, could be helpful. It goes without saying that Susie’s children, now grown, deserve answers in the death of their mother, who was so cruelly taken from them. The Lac du Flambeau Tribal Community, too, deserves to know what happened to one of their own. Most important, Susie deserves justice. She was only 29 years old when she was murdered. She had her whole life in front of her, and her two beloved children to raise. Her killers must answer for their crime, so that Susie can finally rest in peace, and her family and community can begin to heal."
Anyone with any information regarding the disappearance and murder of Susan "Susie" Poupart is asked to call either the Vilas County Sheriff’s Office at 715-479-4441, the Wisconsin Department of Justice at 608-266-1221, or the Lac du Flambeau Tribal Police Department at 715-588-7717.
Police added, "The reward offered by the tribe for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for the murder of Susan "Susie" Poupart will be apportioned as deemed just by the tribe, in the event, for example, multiple credible tips are received. Employees of law enforcement and correctional agencies are not eligible to collect the reward."