In 2017, This Mother And Her Son From Alabama Mysteriously Vanished From Home: Investigators Later Found Evidence In Their Backyard, But The Investigation Remains Ongoing
Susan Osborne was a dedicated mother who enjoyed spending quality time with her kids and getting out into nature to go fishing. She also had a son, Evan Chartrand, and moved from Michigan to Alabama while still married to her ex-husband.
Eventually, Susan and her ex did get divorced. But, she opted to continue living in Alabama with her son– even though much of their family lived out of state.
The distance did not change how much friends and loved ones valued Susan, though. They described her as a sweet and shy yet witty person. Her son, too, left a mark on everyone he encountered.
“The world was truly a better place with him in it. He was a light in a dark world,” Evan’s fourth-grade teacher said.
Following Susan’s divorce, she did enter another relationship– ultimately giving birth to her daughter with this man. Unfortunately, though, her relationship with her daughter’s father also ended in May 2009.
But around this same time, Susan gained a new neighbor– Hollie – who moved in right across the street from Susan’s residence in Prattville. And immediately, the two women forged a solid friendship.
“She was one of the types of people who, if she ever said she was going to do something, she did it. She’s very dependable, always there,” Hollie said of Susan.
Due to Susan’s somewhat tumultuous track record with relationships, though, she ultimately decided to step out of the dating pool. Afterward, she poured all of her focus onto her children.
She primarily spent most of her time with Evan, her daughter, and their two pet dogs– Sugar and Schnook– for several years.
Facebook – pictured above are Susan and Evan
By 2013, though, she had a chance encounter that seemed meant to be. That year, while Susan was out fishing with Evan, she wound up meeting a man named Jerry. And immediately, the pair hit it off.
Susan particularly liked how great Jerry was with her son, being that Evan did not have a strong relationship with his biological father.
So, about just one year after they met, Susan and Jerry tied the knot on January 25, 2014. Then, she and her son moved in with Jerry in his home– which he purchased before their nuptials.
According to Susan’s loved ones, her new husband initially seemed down to earth and kind. Looking back, though, they realize there were some issues.
In 2017, Susan’s mother, Linda, visited Alabama to celebrate Mother’s Day. And at first glance, everything seemed normal, and the visit went great.
Then, on May 16, 2017, Susan and her husband pitched in to help out Hollie while she and her fiancé packed up for their relocation to Key West. Afterward, Susan said goodbye to Hollie as her friend embarked on the move.
Not long after Hollie departed, though, Susan decided to reach back out– asking her friend if her mail was being forwarded. Susan also wound up offering to pick up Hollie’s mail until the pair got settled in Key West.
During this time, Susan’s daughter was primarily living with her biological father; meanwhile, Susan had visitation rights. So, she visited her daughter on May 26, 2017, but that was the last time the pair ever saw each other.
That Friday, Susan also spoke with Hollie on the phone– detailing how Evan didn’t go to school since he was sick. That’s why Susan wound up asking if she could forward Hollie’s mail the following Tuesday– being that Monday was Memorial Day.
That was fine with Hollie, and the pair spoke again on the phone the following day. On May 29, 2017, Susan and her friend also exchanged a few text messages.
But, those texts came to be the last known correspondence with Susan and any of her loved ones. Since that day, investigators have not detected any activity on neither her or Evan’s cell phones.
Throughout the following month, Hollie and the rest of Susan’s family members continuously tried to get in touch with her and Evan. But, they received no answer, and in July, both of their phones were disconnected.
So, they were at a loss– especially because no one even had Jerry’s phone number. At one point, Susan’s mother, Linda, even attempted to mail a letter to her daughter in hopes of getting in touch. But, that correspondence was returned to Linda’s residence as undeliverable in July.
After that, everyone in Susan’s circle grew concerned about her and Evan. At the same time, though, her loved ones knew she was a particularly private person. That’s why no one wanted to contact the police and risk upsetting Susan later on.
But, once Susan’s family spoke with Hollie as well as one of Evan’s friends from school– and learned that absolutely no one else had heard from the mother-son pair– they filed a missing person report on July 29, 2017, with the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office.
They asked the police to visit Susan’s residence on Monday, July 31, 2017, to conduct a wellness check. Upon arrival, officers noticed her car was still in the driveway.
Jerry wound up answering the door, though, and claimed to have been cleaning. Investigators then entered the home and began questioning Jerry about his wife’s whereabouts. At that point, he claimed he and Susan had gotten into an argument on Memorial Day before Susan left with an unidentified man in a truck.
Facebook – pictured above are Susan and Evan fishing together
According to Jerry, he thought the pair were traveling to Birmingham. And despite him claiming that the man never exited the vehicle, Jerry was able to describe him in detail– recalling how the man was six feet tall, had a beard, and was wearing sunglasses.
Later, Jerry also added to his story– explaining how, after he went to visit his parents, Susan and Evan had moved all of their personal items out of the home. Jerry also claimed that Susan vandalized the property via spray paint on his walls and floors.
Following this initial conversation with Jerry, though, the investigators wound up leaving the residence. Then, Hollie reached out that same afternoon and provided all of the information she had.
Using Hollie’s statements, as well as their observation of Jerry’s home, investigators were able to obtain a search warrant that same day. Then, they returned to the home to execute the warrant.
While authorities searched the property, Jerry ultimately admitted to burning some of Susan’s son’s, Evan’s, belongings. This included his bed.
The investigators also realized that the residence had received a pretty significant remodel quite recently– because when speaking with Susan’s mother, Linda, they learned the home used to have hardwood flooring.
At the time authorities searched the property, though, Jerry had installed new carpeting, repainted, gotten rid of his old security system, and installed a new surveillance system.
In the backyard, investigators also found several piles of burned items– which raised alarm. This pushed them to use luminol– a chemical that exhibits chemiluminescence– to analyze the piles.
Through this analysis, the investigators uncovered evidence of blood– enough blood, in fact, that Sheriff Bill Franklin later claimed it indicated something violent had happened.
According to Sheriff Franklin, authorities also seized electronics from the home– revealing how investigators discovered abnormal internet search history.
Later in the investigation, it then came to light that Jerry’s father had dropped Susan and Evan’s pet dogs, Sugar and Schnook, at an animal shelter on June 1, 2017. During this visit, Jerry’s father even claimed that Sugar’s name was actually Susan while speaking with one of the shelter’s employees.
Then, investigators were able to nail down more of a timeline. It was on June 4, 2017, that Jerry began buying supplies for the remodel of his home. And by July 1– which was 37 days after Susan and her son disappeared– Jerry had filed for divorce.
Unfortunately, though, it was found that blood evidence located in Jerry’s backyard was too degraded for DNA profile preparation– which has resulted in stagnation in the investigation.
On November 25, 2017, Jerry’s request for a divorce was granted after his attorney filed a motion asking for default judgment.
Then, Jerry continued paying child support to Susan’s daughter’s father and kept the child on his insurance for at least a year following Susan and Evan’s disappearance.
Susan and Evan have now been missing for nearly six years, and their loved ones remain baffled.
“She would not just disappear. She wouldn’t have left her 10-year-old daughter. She wouldn’t go without talking to and seeing her,” Hollie said of Susan.
Still, Susan’s mother, Linda, is hopeful that justice will one day be served.
“I’m sure we’re not going to find them because of the evidence I have seen. We just need closure; we just need to get the person who took their lives,” Linda said.
If you have any information regarding Susan and Evan’s disappearance, you are urged to contact the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office Secret Witness Line at (334) 567-5227.
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