Mary and Susanne "Susie" Reker (2 of Hearts, Minnesota) Part 1

Published: July 12, 2023, 7 a.m.

On Labor Day of 1974, less than 24 hours before 15-year-old Mary was to start her sophomore year of high school, she told her parents she needed to make a quick shopping trip to pick up some last-minute school supplies and a winter coat. Her younger sister, 12-year-old Susanne, tagged along and they waved goodbye to their father, who was painting the exterior of the house when they left. On a day so ordinary, it never crossed his mind that that would be the last time he\u2019d see his two daughters alive.