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In 2008, a horrifying crime that was committed on Susie Casey sent shockwaves through the quiet town of Glendive, Montana. Susan, a 34-year-old mother of four, had vanished near her apartment. This disappearance left her children anxiously waiting for her to return home. A month later, her lifeless body was found in the Yellowstone River.
Before her tragic end, Susie Casey was a vivacious woman who embraced life to the fullest. Born and raised in Glendive, she was actively involved in her high school, participating in basketball, band, and 4-H clubs. She continued her education at Billings Business College, graduating in 1993.
A 2015 Dateline episode was made on her, titled Footprint in the Dust. The episode's synopsis, as per NBC, reads:
"Montana, 1998: Multiple men are at or near the crime scene of Susan Casey, who was murdered in early morning hours. But a lone footprint in some sand leads to the suspected killer."
As the years passed by, Susie Casey's murder remained a haunting mystery that captivated the nation and the world.
A deadly love triangle, and 4 other shocking details about the Susie Casey murder case
1. Susie Casey left behind her four children
After college, she dedicated herself to her career, working at the McCone County Nursing Home and Glendive Medical Center. Susie's love for sports led her to enjoy playing softball and attending rodeos, relishing life's simple pleasures.
Tragically, she left behind her daughters Marya, Kyana, Charlee, her son Shay, her husband Ted Casey, and a close-knit family that adored her.
2. Her ex-husband was a suspect in the case from the very beginning
From the start of the investigation, Susie Casey's case had no shortage of suspects, but one figure loomed large: Marty Larson, her ex-husband. On the night of her disappearance, Casey had spent time with Brad Holzer, her romantic interest at the time. Holzer claimed he dropped her off around 5 am and left.
However, Marty Larson asserted he had been driving to her home, concerned for her well-being. He alleged knocking on her door and then parking around the corner after receiving no response. What made this suspicious was the surveillance footage that showed a car resembling Larson's lingering at Casey's apartment after Holzer's departure.
3. The deadly love triangle
The tangled web of Casey's romantic relationships added a layer of complexity to the investigation shown on Dateline. Casey had married Marty Larson in 1993, and they shared two children. Despite their divorce in 1998, Larson's desire to reconcile lingered. In 2007, Casey cautiously allowed him back into her life, discussing possibly relocating to Rapid City together.
However, Casey had moved on romantically and had gotten together with Brad Holzer. Larson's discovery of this new relationship plunged him into a fit of anger and heartbreak. He admitted feeling "hurt" but believed the affair had ended. This anguish, it would seem, would culminate in a tragic act.
4. What happened to Susie Casey's husband after being found guilty?
After a painstaking trial, Marty Larson's guilt was confirmed. He was found guilty of deliberately ending Susie Casey's life through strangulation and discarding her remains in the river. The assistant Attorney General, Brant Light, depicted Larson's actions as selfish, focused solely on self-preservation and concealing the crime.
Larson's fate was sealed with a 100-year sentence and an additional 10 years for tampering with evidence. He would not be eligible for parole until serving three decades behind bars, a punishment reflecting the severity of his crime.
5. A landmark case of domestic violence
The tragedy of Susie Casey's murder, as seen on Dateline, propelled discussions on domestic violence fatality reviews. Dr. Neil Websdale took it upon himself to educate universities and webinars about the importance of examining and investigating such cases thoroughly.
The case raised critical questions about the perceptions of battered women and the multifaceted pressures they navigate. As detectives delved deeper into the case, they discovered a history of abusive messages left by Casey's ex-husband, Marty Larson, signaling the existence of a sinister undercurrent that ultimately led to her untimely death.
The murder of Susan or Susie Casey continues to be a haunting reminder of the complexities within domestic violence cases. The legacy of this tragic event explored on Dateline on NBC serves as a catalyst for awareness and change, shedding light on the dark corners of such relationships and urging society to confront these issues head-on.
