By: Courtney Henson

Sherrill Levitt was born on November 1, 1944, she later had a daughter, Suzanne Streeter on March 9, 1973. Soon after, Stacy McCall was born on April 23, 1974 who would grow up to be Suzannes best friend. Suzanne and Stacy graduated from Kickapoo High School on June 6, 1992 and attended graduation parties that whole weekend. The two girls returned to Streeter, and Levitt’s, home at about 2am on June 7.

The pair had made plans to spend the day at a water park with their friend Janelle Kirby, and her boyfriend. When they failed to show up at Janelle’s house, it was discovered that the front door of the home was unlocked and none of the girls were to be found. Despite this, the girls’ cars, clothing, jewelry, and purses remained at the home. Janelle also reported that the glass lamp shade on the porch light was shattered. Once they entered the home, Janelle and her boyfriend found Streeter and Levitt’s dog, who was very agitated. While inside the home, Janelle received two calls of a sexual nature from an unidentified male before leaving the home. After several hours, McCalls mother visited the home after many failed attempts to reach Stacy after noticing that all of the belongings had been left behind, seemingly not in a hurry, McCall called and reported the three women, Sherrill, Suzanne, and Stacy, missing. After placing the call, McCall listened to the home phone’s answering machine where she heard a “strange message” that was later accidentally deleted. The message is not believed to be connected to the calls Janelle received. When police arrived on the scene, there were no signs of a struggle and there was no available evidence to be gathered. The girls had seemingly disappeared into thin air. 

After no progress was made on the case for many months, on December 31, 1992, an anonymous caller called the Americas Most Wanted hotline with information about the woman’s disappearance but the call was soon disconnected. Police urged the caller to contact them again, but he never did. Although their cases are still officially filed as missing, Levitt and Streeter were declared legally dead in 1997. This same year, 1997, Robert Craig Cox, a convicted kidnapper and robber, and suspect in many murders, told journalist that he knew the women had been murdered and buried and that their bodies would never be recovered. In 1992, Robert had been living in Springfield but at the time told investigators that he was with his girlfriend and she corroborated. She later recanted this statement and says that Robert paid her to say that. Police were unsure if Robert was actually involved in the case or just wanted attention. Robert stated he would disclose what happened to the women after his mom died. In 2007, investigators received a tip that the three bodies were buried in the foundations of the south parking garage at Cox Hospital. After using a GPR (ground penetrating radar), authorities found three objects “roughly the same size” as the women and in a “grave site location.” The garage began construction in September 1993. Police told the public that because there was no logical reasoning or evidence behind the tip and because it would be very expensive to dig up the area, they would not be further investigating the area. 

As of 2022, the disappearance of Suzanne Streeter, Stacy McCall, and Sherrill Levitt, is unsolved. Despite over 5,000 tips about the women’s case, no advancements have been made in any of the three cases. In June of 1997, a bench was dedicated to the three women inside the Victim’s Memorial Garden in Sprigfield’s Phelps Grove Park.

By: Courtney Henson

On March 10, the Eagle Track teams traveled to Somerset High School to partake in the 11th annual Sonny Relays. At this meet, the boys varsity team placed 2nd overall with 133 points. The highest scorers for the team include Este’van Jackson with 25 points, Jayden Palacios with 24 points, Juan Lopez with 23 points, and Sean Ramos with 19 points. The girls varsity team placed 3rd overall with 100 points. Key runners for the girls this meet included Alexandria Balderas, Lillian Krause, Raegan Hollis, Ciarah Garcia, and Jillian Barcomb. The boys JV team places 6th overall with 69 points. The girls JV team placed 3rd overall with 103 points. 

At this meet, Sophomore pole vaulter Preston Pilgrim was able to break the pole vault school record. This record, previously held by Zach Wood at 14’9 set in 2004, was broken completely when Pilgrim jumped 14’10. Soon after this, Preston jumped another impressive height of 15’4. This impressive 15’4 height became both Preston’s new personal record and the new school record. This jump allowed the Sophomore to qualify for the Texas relays, the 2nd largest track meet in America. Preston has been pole vaulting since the young age of 9 and has had an intense passion for the sport since. The adrenaline and competition that pole vaulting so excitedly brings is what Preston says is his favorite part. His mom, Krystal Pilgrim, says that, “While balancing the extreme dedication to his sport, Preston has been able to maintain an all A average,” which continues to make her immensely proud. Preston hopes to make it to state for each year of high school as well as hopes to return to Nationals at AAU Junior Olympics during the summer season. As only a sophomore, Pleasanton High School is excited to see where pole vault takes Pilgrim. 

Shortly after spring break, the track teams began to get back into the groove of things. At the Ro-Hawk Relays at Randolph High School, the boys varsity team placed 4th overall with 80 points. The girls varsity placed 3rd overall with a score of 75.5, Ciarah Garcia scoring 19 of those, and the girls JV placed 5th overall with 44 points.  

On Wednesday, March 30, the track teams traveled to Devine High School to compete in the Devine Relays. The boys varsity team placed 1st with 108 points. The placers of the meet include Juan Lopez, Jayden Palacios, Sean Ramos, the 4x100m relay team, 4×200m relay team, 4×400m relay team, Evan Guardiola, and Preston Pilgrim. The girls varsity team places 4th with 51 points. The members of the team who placed include Kassidy Vickers, the 4x100m relay team, the 4x200m relay team, the 4x400m relay team, Mikayla Theis, Jillian Barcomb, Megan Mayse, Ciarah Garcia, and Victoria Urbanczyk. The boys JV team placed 1st with 105 points. The placers of the team include Joe Turley, Paul Bernal, Mason Little, 4×100m relay team, 4x200m relay team, 4×400m relay team, Joe Turley, Jordan Mendoza, Steven Minniear, Nathan Din, Stephen West, Adrian Ortiz, and Demetrius Jimenez. The girls JV team placed 2nd with 86 points. Placers of this meet include the 4x100m relay team, 4x200m relay team, Svetlana, Jauslyn Ramirez, Harmony Young, Kaylie Rodriguez, Teairra Garz, Kennedy Miller, Desire Gonzales, and Genavieve Alvarado. 

As the track season continues forward, we wish the Eagle track teams the best of luck. Congrats on a season well done so far. Pride! Pride!

By: Farah Standley

On March 8th, the Pleasanton Baseball Team took on the Lytle Pirates and took the win 10-0, the boys gained some confidence and went into a tournament with high hopes. The Eagles came home with a clean up! The boys fought hard to win all 4 games against the Natalia Mustangs (6-0), the Bandera Bulldogs (8-4), the Pearsall Mavericks (9-1), and the Carrizo Springs Wildcats(10-3). The next couple weeks the Eagles kept it going with wins against the Uvalde Coyotes(11-5), the LA Vernia Bears(11-1), and the Geronimo Navarro Bears(14-6). The boys faced a hard game losing to Cornerstone Christian(3-12), on March 26, but got back to it, with two wins against the Cuero Gobblers(6-1), and the San Antonio Alamo Heights Mules(5-4). The last game before District was a tough one. The Eagles took one last loss against San Antonio Home School(1-12).

Going into District was exciting for the team, the boys began to prepare. It’s game time. The boys started District off on their own turf with the guest being the Somerset Bulldogs on a cool Friday night on April 8th. The National Anthem played, the sound of the crowd radiated, and the boys were ready. Once our group of athletes took the field it was too late for the other team to turn around. We took the win gracefully with a score of 7-2, and that Monday, April 11th, we were on the way to Hondo to take on the Owls for the second District game. It was a sure nail biter, and the boys played hard. The Owls were really good, but not good enough. The boys scored 4 runs in the 5th inning to win the game! The final score was 9-6, and the boys went home excited. Then, right before Easter break on Thursday, April 14, the boys took on the Devine Warhorses in Devine for the 3rd District game! It was a struggle, but the boys got their head on straight and pulled through with a 2-1 win. The boys came back from the break with another game. The boys loaded the bus to go to Somerset to face the Bulldogs once again. The boys took the field with Jayce Krauskopf on the mound. The boys got loud as the score went up and up. Cheers rose from the stands, and the Eagles finished the game with a 12-1 win after 6 innings. 

By: Courtney Henson

On August 5, 1907, Robert George Irwin was born in Pasadena, California. Robert George Irwin was born on August 5, 1907, in Pasadena, California. His father was Rev. Benjamin Hardin Irwin, who was a prominent figure in the Fire-Baptized Holiness Church, and his mother was Mary Jee Jordan, who acted as a traditional mother figure in the family. Benjamin abandoned the family before Robert was three years old, which left the family in extreme struggle. Robert himself grew up to be a prominent artist and sculptor who often saw big success with his lifelike sculptures. 

For his whole life, Robert illustrated strange and at times violent behavior. He threatened to hurt himself with a razor which resulted in Robert being committed to a state mental hospital, where he stayed for a year. Upon being released, Robert moved to a New York City house owned by Mary Gedeon where he fell in love with her daughter, Ethel. After this love was not returned, Robert was committed to another state hospital where he remained until the summer of 1936. During this time, Ethel got married prompting Robert to make a number of sculptures of Ethel with a snake around her neck.

Shortly after his release from the hospital, Roberts enrolled in the Theological School of St. Lawrence University but he was expelled on March 18 for instability. This is the event many people feel led to Robert committing his crime. He shortly returned to New York City and rented a house just a few blocks from the Gedeon house. On March 27, 1937, after suicidal consideration, Robert decided instead to walk to the Gedeon home in hopes of stumbling upon Ethel. 

As relatives arrived at the Gedeon house on March 28, (Easter Sunday) for dinner, they discovered the bodies of Mary Gedeon who had been stabbed and strangled, Veronica Gedeon who had been strangled, and Frank Byrnes, a waiter, who had been stabbed.

Police initially suspected Mary’s ex-husband but after the discovery of a soap sculpture was discovered at the scene, Robert was declared the prime suspect. In June of 1937, Robert agreed to tell his story to the Chicago Herald-Examiner before promptly turning himself into New York Police. In his confession to the newspaper, Robert said he had intended to kill Ethel but after discovering she was not at the home, he instead turned on Mary, and later Veronica, before killing Frank to avoid witnesses. Very famous defense attorney, Samuel Leibowitz, quickly came to represent Robert in court when he was held for three counts of first-degree murder. 

As the trial began, lots of back and forth between the defense and the prosecution ultimately resulted in Robert being tried as if he was sane at the time of the crime. Robert pleaded guilty to three counts of second-degree murder to avoid the death penalty.  Judge James Wallace sentenced Robert to 139-years-to-life in prison. After being sent to Sing Sing prison for a psychological evaluation, Robert was finally ruled insane. On December 10, 1938, he arrived at Dannemora State Hospital. 

In 1975, Robert died of cancer in the Matteawan State Hospital for the Criminally Insane in Fishkill, New York. His burial site is unknown. Mary and Veronica both rest in Saint Mary’s Cemetery in Westchester County, New York. Frank Byrnes rests in Saint John Cemetery in Queens County, New York.

By: Ricky Fabrow

The ingredients you’ll need for these treats are:

• Chocolate 
• Food coloring 
• Chocolate mini eggs
• Sprinkles
• Half sheet baking pan
• Mixing bowls
• Cooking Pot or Microwave

Now that you have the ingredients you’ll have to follow these easy steps to make your sweet treat

1. Prepare. Line the large baking pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat then set aside. Gather half of your chocolate mini eggs, crush them then set aside.
2. Melt the chocolate either on the stove or microwave. (For a microwave, leave it in for thirty seconds on high to fully melt the chocolate.
3. Repeat step above but for the Melt White Chocolate.
4. Dye the white chocolate by dividing it into 2-3 separate small mixing bowls. Add pastel colored food coloring to each bowl and mix until combined. 
5. Spread chocolate out into a melted semi-sweet thin layer forming an approximate 9×12-inch rectangle, about ⅓ inch thick. Use a toothpick to swirl the sweet and white chocolate together.
6. Add toppings. Arrange the chocolate eggs (½ of them will be whole while the other ½ will be crushed) Press them lightly onto the chocolate.
7. Set the pan into the refrigerator to allow the chocolate to stay for 45 minutes.

After that you´ll be able to enjoy your sweet chocolate Easter bark treat to hop hop hop with enjoyment.

By: Courtney Henson

Dr. John Baxter Hamilton of Oklahoma City met Susan Baxter in 1985. When they met, they were both divorced with 4 kids between the two of them. Soon after, the couple married and settled into a very privileged life. John worked locally as a respected obstetrician-gynecologist (OBGYN) at his own clinic, where Susan began working reception part-time. 

The couple was married for 14 years and seemed to be deeply in love. Known for being a romantic, John often showered his wife with expensive gifts and holidays. On Valentine’s day in 2001, John left the house early in the morning to perform an operation. He returned home midday to exchange gifts with Susan before returning to work but instead returned home to find Susan’s dead body. John called 911 saying, “Please send police. Please send an ambulance, please, I think my wife is dead.” He told the operator he was trying CPR. “Please send somebody quick,” 

As police arrived on scene they could clearly see that Susan had been strangled and had experienced severe blunt force trauma to the back of her head. The weapon used to enforce this trauma was never found. Police also were having problems with how hysterical John was on scene. He was covered in his wife’s blood and screaming for help. At the scene of the crime there was no evidence of forced entry, nothing was stolen from the house or off of Susan’s body, and no footprints or fingerprints were found. 

Police had no suspects initially. They began to think that possibly Susan had been killed by one of the anti-abortion protestors who frequently threatened John’s clinic as well as the family personally, but no evidence led to this. Soon, John became the prime suspect in the murder. John told the police he had tried to perform mouth-to-mouth but there were no obvious or even traces of blood on John’s face despite the severe injury to Susan’s head and face. 

Police also found the Valentine’s day car Susan had given John that morning, it read, “I bought this two weeks ago, so I guess maybe it doesn’t seem as appropriate. But I do love you. Have a good day. Susan” Her words made the police and the public question whether the marriage was as perfect as it seemed. Some of the couple’s friends revealed that the couple had been fighting recently over suspicion that John was having an affair. Friends also said that Susan had confided in friends that she was considering a divorce. 

John was arrested and charged without bail. On the ride to the police station, John was scraping his knuckles on the mesh divider as if trying to hide an injury on his hands. 

During the trial in December of 2001, it came out that Susan’s blood and skin were found on John’s steering wheel. Also, it was revealed that when Susan’s family was going through her stuff, they discovered jewelry stuffed in her laundry as if to look like it had been stolen. Prosecution argued that the blood splatter on John’s shows was consistent with an ‘alive’ Susan, whereas the defense argued that the bloody splatter was consistent with John’s story of trying to save Susan. After the defense brought a blood expert to the trial, he testified that there was blood on the inside of John’s cuff that was likely to have been as a result of John striking a blow to Susan’s head. 

It took the jury a short two hours to find John guilty of first-degree murder. Later, John was sentenced to life in prison without a chance of parole. The motive of the murder is likely the fact that Susan wanted a divorce but John did not agree. John continues to appeal his conviction but has not been successful. John was transferred to the state penitentiary in McAlester where he still resides today. Susan is laid to rest in Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

By: Allison Collins & Myame Lara

With winter rolling back around, that means our Lady Eagles Basketball season bounces back into full force. With the new season already started, we wanted to make sure you were up to date with your Lady Eagles Basketball team! We interviewed PHS junior, Mikayla Theis, and Lady Eagles Varsity head coach, Stephen Rentfro. 

As of right now, our Lady Eagles Varsity team has a 4 game winning streak. Good job Ladies! Coach Rentfro expresses, “ We play to a standard, and we measure ourselves on how close we can get to that standard.” Our Lady Eagles love a good challenge and are looking forward to the Tilden Classic to play some great surrounding teams.  

Basketball is known to be a sport which requires harmony and unity, this is no problem for our Lady Eagles! Since the first practice of the season our Lady Eagles have made much improvement and progress as a team. The girls are challenged to live plays and team scrimmages to provide room for learning and improvement. Coach Rentfro explains “Challenges lead to learning, learning leads to fewer mistakes.” This practice tactic and Coach Rentfro’s coaching style has helped our Lady Eagles tremendously. The Lady Eagles post, junior Mikayla Theis, expressed her love for the competition and team. She says, “The memories made are super important, as well as our improvement as a team.”

So far, our Lady Eagles basketball team is currently standing at 11-7 overall. We can’t wait to see what else our Lady Eagles have to offer as the season progresses and to see the improvement in the team. Pride Pride!