In 1989 Amy Sue Pagnac went missing. The 13 year-old girl’s stepfather, Marshall Midden, told police that Amy disappeared while he was using the restroom in an Osseo, Minnesota gas station. For 25 years the girl has remained missing, but Minnesota police are now reopening the case, hoping to find some clue as to what happened to Amy.
According to a Star Tribune report, Maple Grove police are now searching the home of Midden and Amy’s mother, Susan Pagnac for clues to Amy’s whereabouts. The couple’s house is being turned upside down as police intricately search the premises for clues. The search is expected to take at least four days, continuing through Friday.
Police have not stated what prompted the new search or what they are hoping to find. Maple Grove police have stated that it is not one piece of evidence that has led to the new search but “a process.” The home has been searched twice before by police, once shortly after Amy’s disappearance and once again in 2007.
Rather than criticize police for the invasive search, Amy’s mother said that she welcomes the attention. Pagnac told the Star Tribune that the search gives her “more hope” that Amy will be found.
“It’s inconvenient, but at the end goal if it brings Amy home it doesn’t matter,” said Pagnac. “The reality is, she has never received this much attention. There’s a heck of a lot of people who don’t know who she is.”
Midden, on the other hand, stated that police searches have brought “frustration” over the years. Since Amy disappeared, Pagnac and Midden say they have been suspects in the disappearance. The couple have largely avoided their neighbors and have endured suspicion from their community.
Midden and Pagnac believe that their daughter was kidnapped by organized crime, and possibly sold into sex slavery. Pagnac told the Star Tribune that she has no reason to believe that her daughter is dead, even after 25 years.
Image via NDN