BY SARAH STEPHENS
ELMORE/AUTAUGA NEWS
EDITOR’S NOTE: LINKS TO THE THREE RECENT PODCASTS CONCERNING THIS CASE ARE LISTED AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS ARTICLE.
More than four years after a mother and son who lived in Wetumpka were reported missing, there are more questions than answers. A family and loved ones of Susie and Evan continue to keep their memories alive, and are vigilant in staying in contact with local law enforcement.
Susie Osborne and her then 14-year-old son Evan Chartrand disappeared around Memorial Day 2017. It would be two months before Elmore County deputies were contacted and asked to do a welfare check.
That point often confuses people. Why would family and loved ones wait so long? It is easily explainable, however, as you dig into the facts of the case. Susie was a very private person. She would go for periods with little or no contact with some of her friends/family. But two months was in the extreme. She had no family in Alabama, and family members and friends say she was watched very closely by her husband, and all of her social media, emails and comings and going were supervised.
Prior to the family contacting the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office, they had reached out to her husband, Jerry Osborne. He claimed that Susie and Evan had left on their own, with an unknown man. He said that Susie had packed up most of their belongings when she left. However, he never made a police report concerning his allegations, including that she vandalized the house before she allegedly left. He only spoke to law enforcement officers after Susie’s family reported her as missing.
But all records of Susie and Evan making phone calls, texting, social media or seeing anyone stopped around Memorial Day.
There is a shadow that lingers around the Holtville community over this unsolved case. Evan was a student at Holtville High School, and well-liked. He suffered from some health issues that required regular doctor’s care. But it is as if the mother and son fell off the face of the earth just over four years ago now.
We want to share these most recent podcasts with our readers. Many of you have followed this case from the beginning when we first broke the story. Since then it has been covered by innumerable media both locally and nationally. Someone knows something, but as time goes by some lose hope that anything will ever be uncovered. But we believe this case could be solved, and we appreciate the investigators and private investigators that keep updates going in this case. Susie and Evan will not be forgotten.
We want to stress that no charges have been brought against Susan’s husband Jerry Osborne. He was named as a person of interest, but never arrested in connection with the disappearances. Today he lives in Prattville, has a fiancé, and sold the house in Wetumpka where he lived with Evan and Susie. Through his attorney, he has repeatedly turned down offers to tell his side of what happened four years ago. However, his statements, at least in part, have been shared over time.
All of the known facts of this case, as well as many theories, are included in these three podcasts.
To keep up with the latest events regarding the Missing Persons Case, follow the Justice for Susie and Evan Facebook page established by family members.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riddle-me-that-true-crime/id1522402746?i=1000529986368
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riddle-me-that-true-crime/id1522402746?i=1000530223573
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riddle-me-that-true-crime/id1522402746?i=1000530704657
