By Allen Payton

Former Antioch police officers want to work on the cold case of Suzanne Bombardier, who was 14 when she was murdered on June 22, 1980, after being kidnapped, raped and stabbed through the heart. Her body was later discovered after being dumped in the river.

Greg Glod, a former Antioch Police Detective, who spent 26 years with the Secret Service and is now the Deputy Director for Threat Analysis of the Pentagon Force Protection Agency in Washington, D.C., is spearheading the effort. Joining him are retired Antioch Police Sgt. Larry Hopwood and Detective Ron Rackley.

“There are suspects in the case that can be investigated,” stated Glod, who was a juvenile sexual assault detective at the time and worked the case.

According to Jennifer Kathleen Gibbons, who wrote about the case, earlier this year:

“Thirty-five years ago this June, Suzanne Bombardier was babysitting her nieces in Antioch, California. She was talking to a friend of hers, then around 1:30 in the morning said she was ‘really beat’ and was going to bed. It was the last time anyone talked to her. Sometime between 1:30 and four, Suzie (as she was known to her family and friends) was kidnapped. Her body was found several days later in the Delta. It was an incredibly sad moment in Contra Costa history, foreshadowing the kidnappings of other girls (Tara Burke, Amber Swartz, Illene Mischelhoff, Michaela Garecht and Nikki Campbell) and boys (Mitchell Owens and Kevin Collins).

I have an interest in this story: Susie is buried near my grandparents at Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Lafayette. I wrote about her in Salon, which was republished on Alternet.org.

Following is an excerpt from Gibbons’ article:

“They lived in Antioch, California. These days, it’s known as the city where Phillip Garrido held Jaycee Dugard hostage for 18 years.

When her sister Stephanie got home that night, the house looked fine. There were no signs of a struggle or forced entry. Suzanne wasn’t on the couch, but her sister figured Suzanne had fallen asleep with the girls while putting them down. Her sister headed to bed. It wasn’t until the next day when their mother called, looking for Suzanne, that they both began to worry. The only trace of her was her suitcase still near the couch.

They called the police. There were no signs of a forced struggle or entry. They had to wait 24 hours until they could start searching (customary back in 1980) . On June 27, her report card arrived in the mail. She received straight A’s, ending up on the honor roll. The same day a body was spotted by a fisherman in the San Joaquin River near Antioch. Suzanne’s stepfather identified the body. She had been stabbed through the heart. Her killer was never found.”

According to other news reports, at that time, “On Friday June 27th, a nude body was found in the nearby San Joaquin river. Dental records provided by the family confirmed the body was indeed Suzie’s. She had been stabbed. The gold necklace she wore was missing.

Antioch police questioned several suspects including a boy named Terry. Terry, according to Suzie’s best friend Leesa Metznger, was a boy Suzie was seeing. He was slightly older. He had an alibi which was checked out by the police. Other suspects were cleared as well.”

Bombardier’s case was profiled, last year, on the Defrosting Cold Cases website for their case of the month, the Antioch Herald, and the San Francisco Chronicle. Gibbons also had a commentary about Susie, broadcast on KQED.

“Susie’s murder took place during a time when police services were cut back, and although her case received attention,” Gibbons added, “It didn’t get national attention like Elizabeth Smart or other missing children.”

“We just need Antioch Police Chief Allan Cantando to allow us to help his department,” he said. “There would be no cost to the public and we could get started, right away.”

Cantando spoke about the idea of a cold case unit made up of retired police officers.

“It’s something that we’re not going to consider,” he stated. “That model doesn’t work for us. We don’t have the staffing. They have this back east, where they have larger departments. These volunteers are not the ones who are going out and doing the work. They’re basically reading the reports and giving paid staff direction to go out and follow up on leads.”

“We’re in the process, right now trying to fight violent crime,” said Cantando. “We’re not alone. There aren’t a lot of departments doing this.”

“Periodically we review our cold cases,” he added.

Glod responded to Cantando’s comments, in an email.

“There are numerous police departments in the United States and California, effectively utilizing retired police officers and criminal researchers to support cold case units,” he stated. “They support the police departments by spending the endless hours of reviewing the cases, developing leads and research to provide the support that the detectives and officers do not have the time to conduct.”

“Charlotte, North Carolina’s retired cold case unit, was presented a distinguished service award by the Department of Justice in Washington, DC for their involvement in solving numerous cold cases,” Glod argued. “This model has repeatedly proven to be effective in departments of all sizes. This concept is strongly recommended to law enforcement by the Department of Justice, the International Association of Police and National Institute of Justice, all recommending the utilization of retired detectives and police officers as a strategic means to support policing now and in the future.” Implementing a Cold Case Unit Cold Case Squads



“In addition, the National Institute of Justice provides grant funding to police departments for this cold case unit concept,” he offered. “In a recent publication in Volunteers in Police Service, an article titled ‘An Emerging Sector in Law Enforcement, Volunteers in Investigations’ profiles the success across the country with the utilization of retired local, state and federal law enforcement professionals.” VIPS article

“There is a baby boom generation of retired law enforcement and professionals from other related fields in Contra Costa County that would be more than willing to provide volunteer assistance to the City of Antioch,” Glod continued. “This resource must be utilized in the police culture, such cities as Antioch, who are currently experiencing high crime rates. Crime is not only stopped by additional police and detectives on the street, but also behind the scenes with a cadre of experienced and dedicated volunteer professionals, who support the operational mission of policing, thus improving the identification and conviction of criminals.”

“With regards to budget constraints and high crime there needs to be creative and new strategic thinking in law enforcement, many departments in the United States are developing the methodologies,” he added.



“The tragic murder of Suzanne Bombardier, a beautiful, 14-year old girl from Antioch, who was so full of life, which was horrifically cut short, should never be forgotten by the citizens of Antioch, California,” Glod concluded. “This case clearly needs to be reopened by the law enforcement authorities in Antioch and Contra Costa County. They should leave no stone unturned until this case is solved and justice served for Suzanne and her family and friends who have suffered for so many years.”



Rackley summed up the interest the retired officers have in the case.

“We want closure for the family and ourselves, too,” said Rackley, who took the original report. “We believe there are still more investigative leads available.”

In response, Cantando said, “If they have any leads, they haven’t shared them with us, yet. If anyone else out there has any leads on this case, they need to contact the Antioch Police Department with their information. They can call Lt. Morefield at (925) 779-6929.”

“This case is not closed and we work cold cases (including this case), but we do have to prioritize in order to optimize our effectiveness,” he added. “When new leads are presented to us, we follow up on them. Lastly, we do not release information to the media that we are working a specific cold case in order to preserve the integrity of the investigation.”



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Implementing a Cold Case Unit

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Suzanne Bombardier

