Vanished in Vermillion: The Real Story of South Dakota's Most Infamous Cold Case
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- Create Date：2023-02-25 19:21:30
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Lou Raguse
- ISBN：B0BRTBRSRD
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Summary
The result of hundreds of interviews， Vanished in Vermillion is a cold case story that flips the script on a typical investigation narrative， revealing the biggest law enforcement embarrassment in South Dakota history。
In May 1971， Pam Jackson and Sherri Miller were two seventeen-year-olds driving to an end-of-the-school-year party in a rundown Studebaker Lark when they seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth。 Police back then didn’t do enough to try and find them。 Investigators thirty years later did too much。 Two families endure decades of pain as they await answers of what happened to their girls。 When a third family is pulled into the mystery， they quickly learn their nightmare is just beginning。
“Lou’s terrific storytelling and investigative skills give the reader a front-row seat as he unravels this bizarre case， chock-full of twists and turns。”
—Caroline Lowe， veteran crime journalist and member of the FindJodi team
In May 1971， Pam Jackson and Sherri Miller were two seventeen-year-olds driving to an end-of-the-school-year party in a rundown Studebaker Lark when they seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth。 Police back then didn’t do enough to try and find them。 Investigators thirty years later did too much。 Two families endure decades of pain as they await answers of what happened to their girls。 When a third family is pulled into the mystery， they quickly learn their nightmare is just beginning。
“Lou’s terrific storytelling and investigative skills give the reader a front-row seat as he unravels this bizarre case， chock-full of twists and turns。”
—Caroline Lowe， veteran crime journalist and member of the FindJodi team
Reviews
C。 B。
，
Thoroughly researched and beautifully narrated;The story about the missing girls is told chronologically and so the reader is always up to date without any knowledge advantage。 The book is very well structured。 The biographies of some of the participants are interspersed in between， usually when they first appear in the story。 The whole thing reads like a story about crime-fighting and forensic methodology because you've been involved in the activities and searches for over 40 years。 I really li Thoroughly researched and beautifully narrated;The story about the missing girls is told chronologically and so the reader is always up to date without any knowledge advantage。 The book is very well structured。 The biographies of some of the participants are interspersed in between， usually when they first appear in the story。 The whole thing reads like a story about crime-fighting and forensic methodology because you've been involved in the activities and searches for over 40 years。 I really liked the fact that the author always described the story objectively and neutrally and supplied small digressions， e。g。 about the scientific status of witness statements / hypnosis。 Different points of view are highlighted and thus the various people affected are given a voice。 There are some photos that add depth to the narrative。 Since I didn't know the case， I didn't know in advance how and whether there would be a solution， and the truth also amazed， relieved and affected me。 。。。more
Gayle Noble
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In May 1971， seventeen-year-olds Pam Jackson & Sherri Miller visited Sherri's grandmother in hospital， then set off to an end-of-the-school-year party being held out of town。 Neither girls were ones for lots of partying & they couldn't find the spot where it was being held， so when they ran into three local boys they knew， they asked where the party was。 The boys told them to follow their car & they headed out of town with the girls following in their rundown Studebaker Lark。 At some point （reco In May 1971， seventeen-year-olds Pam Jackson & Sherri Miller visited Sherri's grandmother in hospital， then set off to an end-of-the-school-year party being held out of town。 Neither girls were ones for lots of partying & they couldn't find the spot where it was being held， so when they ran into three local boys they knew， they asked where the party was。 The boys told them to follow their car & they headed out of town with the girls following in their rundown Studebaker Lark。 At some point （recollections afterwards varied） the cars got separated & the girls disappeared。 The boys thought they had either gotten lost or headed home， but the girls never returned home。When their families reported them missing， the local sheriff wanted to write it off as two girls having gone off for an adventure。 Even when it was pointed out that they hadn't taken any money， Pam hadn't taken her medication with her， & Sherri's grandmother was in the hospital - all good reasons for believing they hadn't just taken off - he refused to investigate further。 This was just the start of professional incompetence from several different agencies who either didn't interview witnesses or assumed searches had been carried out by previous investigators。 A third local family， the Lykkens， would be drawn into the story due to their son， Peter， who was jailed later on for attacking several of his ex-girlfriends。 Where Pam & Sherri went missing was not far from the Lykkens' family farm， did the then sixteen-year-old Peter have something to do with their disappearance？ It would take over 40 years for the truth about what happened that night to be revealed。 This is one for all true crime fans out there。 It's a compelling， well-written account of the twists & turns that this strange story took on the journey towards the truth finally being revealed。 It sometimes strays into giving maybe a little too much background on some aspects which slows down the narrative， but on the whole，。 it keeps the attention well。 I must say that it doesn't give one much faith in the competence of law enforcement at times。 Well researched & well worth reading。 My thanks to NetGalley & publishers， Post Hill Press， for the opportunity to read an ARC。 。。。more
Lynds | ReadbyLynds
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"𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑠𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑡ℎ，" 𝐴𝑑𝑒𝑙𝑒 𝐽𝑎𝑐𝑘𝑠𝑜𝑛 𝑠𝑎𝑖𝑑。 "𝑁𝑜𝑡 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑔。"Calling all true crime fans。。。you do not want to miss this book about the disappearance of two small town teenagers in 1971 and how law enforcement went about solving their cold case。 This unique， bizarre cold case could easily be a criminal law case study in what NOT to do。 What happened was heartbreaking， sad， and potentially avoidable。 Not only for Pam's and Sherri's families who waited decades for answer "𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑠𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑡ℎ，" 𝐴𝑑𝑒𝑙𝑒 𝐽𝑎𝑐𝑘𝑠𝑜𝑛 𝑠𝑎𝑖𝑑。 "𝑁𝑜𝑡 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑔。"Calling all true crime fans。。。you do not want to miss this book about the disappearance of two small town teenagers in 1971 and how law enforcement went about solving their cold case。 This unique， bizarre cold case could easily be a criminal law case study in what NOT to do。 What happened was heartbreaking， sad， and potentially avoidable。 Not only for Pam's and Sherri's families who waited decades for answers， but also for the suspect's family who were put through the ringer to find evidence。Lou's passion for investigative journalism is evident as he provides a tremendously detailed and complete case history surrounding the disappearance of Pam and Sherri。 For anyone who grew up in a small Midwest town， the sites， characters， and biases may feel eerily familiar。 For full disclosure， Lou is my brother-in-law and has been interested in this case for as long as I have known him。 I am proud to see his hard work and investigative skills result in this book。 Thank you to @netgalley and @posthillpress for an advance copy！ 。。。more
Lori L （She Treads Softly）
，
Vanished in Vermillion: The Real Story of South Dakota's Most Infamous Cold Case by Lou Raguse is a very highly recommended account of a cold case being solved after over forty years but only after a series of unbelievable investigative deficiencies。In May 1971， Pam Jackson and Sherri Miller were two seventeen-year-olds who disappeared when driving to an end-of-the-school-year kegger being held at a gravel pit out in rural， south eastern South Dakota。 The girls， who were in Sherri's grandfather' Vanished in Vermillion: The Real Story of South Dakota's Most Infamous Cold Case by Lou Raguse is a very highly recommended account of a cold case being solved after over forty years but only after a series of unbelievable investigative deficiencies。In May 1971， Pam Jackson and Sherri Miller were two seventeen-year-olds who disappeared when driving to an end-of-the-school-year kegger being held at a gravel pit out in rural， south eastern South Dakota。 The girls， who were in Sherri's grandfather's rundown Studebaker Lark， didn't know exactly where the party was but they ran into some boys they knew from school and were following them down a dirt road when they disappeared。 The boys assumed they went back to Vermillion to another party by the Missouri River。It is at this point， right at the start， that the investigative failures began with a sheriff who treated the search very lightly， assuming， with no evidence， that the girls just ran away so he didn't bother to seriously look into their disappearance。 The families all suffered， the girls were never heard from， and the case went cold。 Thirty years later it was reopened by the cold case unit took and the twists， turns， and incredible incompetence that followed was unbelievable and went on for over a decade。Raguse， an investigative journalist， does an excellent job thoroughly presenting the many details of this case from the start to the conclusion。 The entire narrative follows the timeline of the events as they occurred so it reads like a procedural while it also clearly reveals the facts， failures， and foibles swirling around all of the official investigative attempts from start to finish。 The actual closure of the case is found in such a careful， logical way it will dumbfound readers that no one thought to undertake that particular search。The descriptions were true to life。 Knowing the area well due to the presence of the University of South Dakota in Vermillion， it was easy for me visualize and place the local small towns and distances between them。 It also gave me a clear understanding of the layout of the land while following the revelations in the cold case。 Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Post Hill Press via Edelweiss。http://www。shetreadssoftly。com/2023/0。。。 。。。more
Courtney
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Wow！ I finished this book in a few hours and MAN， this was a wild ride。 Huge thanks to NetGalley， Post Hill Press （publisher）， Simon & Schuster （distributor）， and Lou Raguse。Okay， my first question is how the heck have I never heard of this case？ I am a true crime podcast， book， and subreddit junkie。 I am not sure how this one slipped under the radar。 Brief rundown: Pam Jackson and Sherri Miller went missing from Vermillion， South Dakota in the early 70s。 They were on their way to a party when t Wow！ I finished this book in a few hours and MAN， this was a wild ride。 Huge thanks to NetGalley， Post Hill Press （publisher）， Simon & Schuster （distributor）， and Lou Raguse。Okay， my first question is how the heck have I never heard of this case？ I am a true crime podcast， book， and subreddit junkie。 I am not sure how this one slipped under the radar。 Brief rundown: Pam Jackson and Sherri Miller went missing from Vermillion， South Dakota in the early 70s。 They were on their way to a party when they stopped to ask small group of teen boys for directions。 Those boys were the last individuals to see Pam and Sherri， and decades passed without answers。Raguse， an experienced courtroom journalist in the Minnesota area， has truly given readers a gift。 If there's ever been a true crime book that exposes what happens when law enforcement insists it creates the means to justify the end， this is it。 The author thoroughly depicts the search for Pam and Sherri， and he also exposes the dangers of smalltown courtroom politics。 It's very rare that a true crime book reads like a thriller， but Vanished In Vermillion fits the bill。 My jaw dropped not once， but twice， and I couldn't put it down。 If you enjoyed the hit series Making A Murderer this book is for you。 And good news: Pub day is right around the corner on 2/21！ Grab your copy from major book retailers ONLY IF you can't find it at your indie bookstore first ;-）。 。。。more
Jamie Rincker
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This case was beyond frustrating as far as it was handled and I couldn't help but be mad at the people in it and what they did to get to their conclusions， true or not。 Of course they didn't have the DNA or know much about hypnosis at the time， but hopefully the law learned their lessons with this one。 Just wait until you reach the chilling conclusion and wonder why it took them 40 some years to figure it out。 This is a very intriguing read about two girls disappearing in the 1970s。 I received t This case was beyond frustrating as far as it was handled and I couldn't help but be mad at the people in it and what they did to get to their conclusions， true or not。 Of course they didn't have the DNA or know much about hypnosis at the time， but hopefully the law learned their lessons with this one。 Just wait until you reach the chilling conclusion and wonder why it took them 40 some years to figure it out。 This is a very intriguing read about two girls disappearing in the 1970s。 I received this book for an honest review。 。。。more
kylie
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It's truly tragic how Sherri and Pam's story plays out - starting with a couple of teens doing what teens do， going to a party and getting kind of lost， and ending with a third family somehow being pulled into the mess that was cold case investigation。 This investigation could be a case study on how to do everything wrong， despite the best intentions。 Also an important lesson on not treating innocent people like criminals， especially with little to nothing backing it。**I received a free copy fro It's truly tragic how Sherri and Pam's story plays out - starting with a couple of teens doing what teens do， going to a party and getting kind of lost， and ending with a third family somehow being pulled into the mess that was cold case investigation。 This investigation could be a case study on how to do everything wrong， despite the best intentions。 Also an important lesson on not treating innocent people like criminals， especially with little to nothing backing it。**I received a free copy from #netgalley。 。。。more
julianne
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Well written and well researched this is an nigh perfect example of how to write a true crime book。 Also， this is a perfect example of how not to run an investigation into two missing girls。 What's compelling is how lazy， indifferent and biased policing can hinder the truth of what actually happened and cause pain and suffering to families for over 40 years。 The cold case detectives focused exclusively on a local family and refused to even consider other options， that family were terrorised by t Well written and well researched this is an nigh perfect example of how to write a true crime book。 Also， this is a perfect example of how not to run an investigation into two missing girls。 What's compelling is how lazy， indifferent and biased policing can hinder the truth of what actually happened and cause pain and suffering to families for over 40 years。 The cold case detectives focused exclusively on a local family and refused to even consider other options， that family were terrorised by the police without even a whisper of an apology when the girls were eventually found。 It casts severe doubt on the use of hypnotism and polygraphs as techniques in an investigation。 This book is a complete roller coaster of a ride and is one of the best true crime I've read in a long time。 Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy in exchange for an honest， unbiased review。 。。。more
Ashley
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Vanished in Vermillion details the 1971 disappearance of Sherri Miller and her friend Pam Jackson。 I didn’t know anything about this case and I don’t want to spoil the details here in my review。 I found this decades old cold case and final resolution from 2013 absolutely fascinating。 The author writes the book with ease。 His writing style comes across calm and even; like he’s telling a good friend about this really intriguing cold case。 I liked how he set the tone in the beginning of the book， r Vanished in Vermillion details the 1971 disappearance of Sherri Miller and her friend Pam Jackson。 I didn’t know anything about this case and I don’t want to spoil the details here in my review。 I found this decades old cold case and final resolution from 2013 absolutely fascinating。 The author writes the book with ease。 His writing style comes across calm and even; like he’s telling a good friend about this really intriguing cold case。 I liked how he set the tone in the beginning of the book， reminding the reader what was going on in the country and that particular area of South Dakota in 1971。 He also does a great job of bringing you along and keeping you on the edge of your seat throughout each step this case takes regardless of how much time passed since it occurred。 He also remains impartial through the telling and documents the 2004 investigation in great detail。 I appreciated that the author included pictures throughout the book。 It helps to visualize who and what the author is speaking about and I wish more true crime authors were including photos。The lack of care and concern the Sheriff from 1971 put into this case was heartbreaking and frustrating especially given his indignant nature towards DCI becoming involved。 Even DCI failed these families。 The times may have been different but their actions are inconceivable regardless of the year。 I was truly fascinated as well by the cold case detectives and how they focused on one individual and their family with limited circumstantial evidence。 The repercussions of their actions and how they reverberated out to all of the families involved and the community really throws a light at what it’s like jumping to conclusions to make a puzzle piece fit when perhaps it doesn’t。 All of the elements that bring this book together are written and detailed so well by the author。 This is a great read for a true crime fan who is looking for a different narrative than the traditional true crime format。Thank you to Post Hill Press for this ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Janalyn Prude
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When Pam Jackson and Cheryl Miller went missing in May 1971 The town sheriff said they were runaways but their friends and families knew better。 It would take two decades for the case to really start being investigated。 And even though the cold case detective think they knew what happened the question still linger 50 years later。 Vanished In Vermillion is the only True Crime book written about the cold case and by the end of the book I don’t know who is a bigger victim the missing girls are the When Pam Jackson and Cheryl Miller went missing in May 1971 The town sheriff said they were runaways but their friends and families knew better。 It would take two decades for the case to really start being investigated。 And even though the cold case detective think they knew what happened the question still linger 50 years later。 Vanished In Vermillion is the only True Crime book written about the cold case and by the end of the book I don’t know who is a bigger victim the missing girls are the accused family members。 At a time when we were supposed to be so enlightened and so respectful of other peoples feelings it’s amazing to me the things police still get away with because if you’re innocent until proven guilty why is it OK to go in trash someone’s home and leave it like that。 It is so sad the potential that was the loss the day p。m。 and Cheryl went missing and we’re never seen again and I found this book so interesting and no it isn’t easy to write a true crime book that takes no sides but tells the facts and lets the reader decide on their own and that’s exactly what the author did with this book。 I am glad the girls finally get their story told and think the author did a great job and it is a book I highly recommend 。 I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review。 。。。more
Paula
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I received this as a free ecopy from NetGalley。The first time I heard the names， Sherri Miller and Pam Jackson， was in conjunction with a news article about finding their car in water and how the two seventeen year old girls had been missing for years。 I wanted to read the book not only because I love true crime， but because Vermillion and some of the other locations mentioned in the book are only 2-4 hours away。 I also wanted to know more about the Sherri Miller and Pam Jackson as people， their I received this as a free ecopy from NetGalley。The first time I heard the names， Sherri Miller and Pam Jackson， was in conjunction with a news article about finding their car in water and how the two seventeen year old girls had been missing for years。 I wanted to read the book not only because I love true crime， but because Vermillion and some of the other locations mentioned in the book are only 2-4 hours away。 I also wanted to know more about the Sherri Miller and Pam Jackson as people， their cold case， and the outcome。 Lou Raguse does a wonderful job of storytelling and this books was a quick， easy read。 It includes details about Sherri and Pam and their families， the lives， and the little help offered by law enforcement on girls who just ran away and would be back。 The cases are further riddled by law enforcement and the legal system errors， failure to scrutinize information， have tunnel blindness， believe hypnosis comments as truth， ruining a family and individual's life。 Even with the finding of the car and determination of their deaths。 Controversy still surrounds and has divided people over which cold case ending they believe。 。。。more
Pam Koenig
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Vanished in Vermilion by Lou RaguseA crime that wasn’t really a crime， small town law officials， prejudice， rush to judgement all contributed to something that took over 40 years to solve。Missing girls， who officials didn’t believe were really missing， but runaways。In the 60’s & 70’s missing teenagers were usually listed as runaways， law officials were hampered with having to wait days before searching and even then a lot of times there was no urgency。 Haphazard search， limited search area，not q Vanished in Vermilion by Lou RaguseA crime that wasn’t really a crime， small town law officials， prejudice， rush to judgement all contributed to something that took over 40 years to solve。Missing girls， who officials didn’t believe were really missing， but runaways。In the 60’s & 70’s missing teenagers were usually listed as runaways， law officials were hampered with having to wait days before searching and even then a lot of times there was no urgency。 Haphazard search， limited search area，not questioning everyone who last saw them in the original investigation all contributed to years of wonder for 2 families。 Possible false repressed memories， rumors and innuendo started the second search over 20 years later。 This effort was plagued by zeroing in on a man already serving time 227 years for rapes， then insisting his whole family was involved in covering up the crime。 Relentless searches， destruction of property， fabrication of evidence and false information from a jailhouse snitch led to persecution that followed a family for years。 No restitution publicly or financially was ever given to the family。Fast forward to 2013， many family members of both the missing girls and the accused man have died without a closure。 People are still interest in the case， some make attempts to try to find the girls by retracing the routes the girls may have take。 Family members had been doing their own searches over the many years。 It takes one person deciding to try one more time， by going in a different direction to solve a mystery that finally gave 3 families closure。I was given this book by Net Galley in exchange for a fair review at Amazon， Facebook & GoodReads。 If you like a good mystery， this should fit the bill。 。。。more
Nannette Demmler
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ARC provided by Post Hill Press via NetGalley for an honest review。This was such a sad and heartbreaking story。 But it was presented in such a way that it was also quite riveting。 At its heart is a story about how indifferent and biased police work can lead to heartache and the not knowing what happened for three families。This book is broken into three parts， the first being the disappearance of the girls and the aftermath and lack of police interest in the case。 The middle part is all about how ARC provided by Post Hill Press via NetGalley for an honest review。This was such a sad and heartbreaking story。 But it was presented in such a way that it was also quite riveting。 At its heart is a story about how indifferent and biased police work can lead to heartache and the not knowing what happened for three families。This book is broken into three parts， the first being the disappearance of the girls and the aftermath and lack of police interest in the case。 The middle part is all about how 30 years later a new cold case department totally messed up the whole thing by using unreliable witnesses and holding on to their own biases to take the case in the totally wrong direction。 The final part is the truth of what really happened to these two girls and how a single person tried one more time to figure out where they had gone on that fateful day。It is really hard to believe that it took over 40 years for this case to be solved when all it would have taken is the police paying attention to it in the first place。 The police in that era of time， often leapt to the idea that all teens who disappear， just run away。 If they had taken the time to interview the girl’s families， friends and coworkers they would have found that there was no way these girls would have just left。 But they didn’t。There were also many mistakes made by the cold case team。 Partly because they were totally biased against this one guy and totally believed that he was guilty of killing these girls。 Granted he was not a very nice guy， and was already in jail for assault and rape， but the only evidence pointing to him was that he lived near where the girls disappeared。 They put his family through a lot of agony because the wanted to believe that this guy was guilty and they were covering for him。The truth of what happened was the saddest and most surprising of this whole story。 The third part of the story was told through the author’s eyes and it became a bit more personal that way。 I was glad that they were finally found， but sad that both girl’s parents died without ever knowing what had happened to them。This is truly a compelling story about how indifferent and biased policing can hinder the truth of what happened in any case。 If you enjoy true crime， this is one you don’t want to miss。I read this book as part of the 2023 Nonfiction Reader Challenge。 It is my first one and it was a good one。https://elnadesbookchat。com 。。。more
ISBNthinkingaboutbooks
，
This was actually a very heartbreaking and sad story。 It’s 1971， and two seventeen year olds， Pam and Sherri haven’t returned home from the night before。 What comes next， no one could have been prepared for。 The way the police handled this case initially was subpar and almost non existent， stating to both families “that they must of run away and will eventually turn up”。 Leaving the families to try and piece the series of events together for almost seven months， before they opened an official in This was actually a very heartbreaking and sad story。 It’s 1971， and two seventeen year olds， Pam and Sherri haven’t returned home from the night before。 What comes next， no one could have been prepared for。 The way the police handled this case initially was subpar and almost non existent， stating to both families “that they must of run away and will eventually turn up”。 Leaving the families to try and piece the series of events together for almost seven months， before they opened an official investigation。 Once the investigation was launched， absolute chaos ensues as police follow hunch after hunch with no real payoff that ultimately puts the families through more bad than good （which could of been avoided in the first place if they took this seriously from the beginning and asked the right questions to the right people） while searching for answers。In the end， lazy and poor police work would send this case on a wild goose chase for the next 40+ years before the truth is uncovered。 Overall， this was an interesting read。 I’d never heard of this case so I was hooked， waiting to see how this would come full circle。 The final answers to their death， left me super sad for the families。 40 years of worry and suffering， worst of all， hoping that they would get answers when the truth was closer to home than anyone predicted。If you like crime， this is worth the read。 The author takes a unique approach， really painting the picture of what life was like and providing enough back story to show insight on why the investigation took the turns that it did before revealing the truth。 Thank you Permuted Press for this ARC， courtesy of NetGalley。 Publication date for “Vanished in Vermillion” is Feb 21， 2023。 。。。more
UnproductiveMother89
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In 1971 two teenage girls go missing while driving to a party。 It will take 40 years till it is finally discovered what happened。This was such an interesting read some of the twists in the case was crazy。 The writing was really good and this is a definite read if you are a fan of true crime。Thanks to Netgalley for the Arc。
SundayAtDusk
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It's hard not to see how ironic it was for two 17-year-old girls to disappear on the way to a late spring gravel pit keg party， when they had never been to a keg party before that night。 These weren't party girls or girls living in a dangerous big city。 Yet the local sheriff who starts the investigation tells everyone that Pam Jackson and Sherri Miller were wild girls who obviously ran off， and would eventually come back home。 （Years later， this sheriff would be convicted of raping a 7-year-old It's hard not to see how ironic it was for two 17-year-old girls to disappear on the way to a late spring gravel pit keg party， when they had never been to a keg party before that night。 These weren't party girls or girls living in a dangerous big city。 Yet the local sheriff who starts the investigation tells everyone that Pam Jackson and Sherri Miller were wild girls who obviously ran off， and would eventually come back home。 （Years later， this sheriff would be convicted of raping a 7-year-old child， after leaving law enforcement。） When Pam and Sherri remain missing， some others in their community start to accept the idea they ran away， even though the idea seemed preposterous， because it was less horrible than believing they were victims of a crime。 If they ran away， there was not a killer in their midst。 If they ran away， they were still alive and well 。 。 。 somewhere。 So starts the story of a missing persons case that would not be solved until decades later。 So starts a case with some shoddy law enforcement investigations， the persecution of the family of the criminal suspected of killing the girls， a lying jail house informer， "evidence" acquired from hypnotism， and the hopes of some law enforcement officers and prosecutors of closing the case by pinning it on a violent local man already locked up。 Even after the case was finally solved， some refused to believe what happened was what happened。 It's more than ironic， too， that the evidence needed to solve the case was discovered the day of the funeral of Pam Jackson's father， a man who would search for his daughter for years and years， never giving up hope。 An excellent investigative job by Lou Raguse， that bogs down in details at times， but clearly shows how the truth can surface when everyone doesn't give up searching for it。（Note: I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher or author。） 。。。more
Alan
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This review is for an ARC copy received from the publisher through NetGalley。Vanished in Vermillion was a very well written true crime book about a notorious case in South Dakota。 Having no prior knowledge of the case before reading the book， it was a real eye-opener。 Unlike many true crime novels， this one didn't spend half the book giving background of the two missing girls， the area they were from， what the world was like at the time of their disappearance， etc。， instead spending just enough This review is for an ARC copy received from the publisher through NetGalley。Vanished in Vermillion was a very well written true crime book about a notorious case in South Dakota。 Having no prior knowledge of the case before reading the book， it was a real eye-opener。 Unlike many true crime novels， this one didn't spend half the book giving background of the two missing girls， the area they were from， what the world was like at the time of their disappearance， etc。， instead spending just enough time doing so to get you up to speed。 It was only about 20% or so of the book before the primary suspect was unveiled， followed by his ignominious history and then the story of how he became the focus of law enforcement investigations。 As he is painted as the very likely culprit， every here and there are smidgeons of doubt as to if everything being said about him is true。 But as the story continues more and more damning testimony and the eventual pursuit by a cold case team makes everything seem like a foregone conclusion。 Even worse， the complicity of his family appears to make the situation worse。 And then a huge bombshell that unravels most of what you just read is revealed。 Lou Raguse certainly did his due diligence in researching and writing this book， and produced one of the more captivating true crime stories I've read。 4。5 rounded up to 5* 。。。more
Heather
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Pam Jackson and Sherri Miller were the “good girls” in town。 They didn’t drink or smoke weed and had never even been to a party before。 After hearing about a party out near Old Highway 77 the girls decide that they want to check it out。 They met up with a car of boys that night looking for directions， so the boys told them to follow behind their car and they’d get them to the party。 It was going to be a fun night - a new adventure for the two “good girls。” But somewhere on that twisty-turny rura Pam Jackson and Sherri Miller were the “good girls” in town。 They didn’t drink or smoke weed and had never even been to a party before。 After hearing about a party out near Old Highway 77 the girls decide that they want to check it out。 They met up with a car of boys that night looking for directions， so the boys told them to follow behind their car and they’d get them to the party。 It was going to be a fun night - a new adventure for the two “good girls。” But somewhere on that twisty-turny rural dirt road of Highway 77 the boys realized the girls’ car headlights weren’t behind them anymore。 The boys had to turn around because they had missed the road they were supposed to turn off on and the girls had just behind them not long before that。 Pam and Sherri were never seen again。 Failures by the police department dragged this case on longer than it should have。 They said the teens had simply run away of their own accord and refused to do much for a long time。 This is an amazingly well written book that takes you deep into the case of the missing teens。 It took more than 40 years for the police to discover what happened to the girls that night。 Between the events of that night and the 40 years that followed the case took so many twists and turns it’s almost unbelievable。 This is a must read for those who love true crime stories。 I couldn’t put this down once I started reading。 It’s compelling， gripping， and tears at your heart。 We get a chance to get to know these two girls better。 I noticed this case has a lot of 7’s associated with it。 It was 1971， the girls were 17， and they were on Highway 77 when they disappeared。 I received an ARC version of this book and am leaving this review of my own accord。 #VanishedinVermillion #NetGalley 。。。more
AnnieM
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A fascinating true crime story about a case that was unsolved for over 40 years。 The author does a fantastic job laying out the facts and giving us insight into each of the characters （victims， suspects， police， friends， family）。 As in any good true crime story， you think you have solved it as you are reading but as the story becomes more complex it clearly is a case of sometimes all the parts don't add up to the whole when you are dealing with memory， testimony， and supposition。 It took many ye A fascinating true crime story about a case that was unsolved for over 40 years。 The author does a fantastic job laying out the facts and giving us insight into each of the characters （victims， suspects， police， friends， family）。 As in any good true crime story， you think you have solved it as you are reading but as the story becomes more complex it clearly is a case of sometimes all the parts don't add up to the whole when you are dealing with memory， testimony， and supposition。 It took many years and many people involved to finally crack the case。 In the meantime， many families' lives were damaged。 The author was able to interview many of the key people later and I really liked the insertion of himself into the narrative at that point -- it worked really well to help add closure to the book。 I recommend this book。Thank you to Netgalley and Post Hill Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Kayleigh Finlayson
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Received as an eARC。Being a true crime fan， this was both interesting and frustrating to read。 Poor police work from the get go。 Laziness and just plain sad。 It took over forty years for the case to be solved。 Certain parts of the story dragged on more than i would have personally liked but， being a true story these things can be forgiven。 Not the outcome i thought at the end after so much drama but glad the cold case was solved and the author brought light to this book so their story could be h Received as an eARC。Being a true crime fan， this was both interesting and frustrating to read。 Poor police work from the get go。 Laziness and just plain sad。 It took over forty years for the case to be solved。 Certain parts of the story dragged on more than i would have personally liked but， being a true story these things can be forgiven。 Not the outcome i thought at the end after so much drama but glad the cold case was solved and the author brought light to this book so their story could be heard for years to come。 。。。more
Sheila
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I received a free copy of， Vanished in Vermillion， by Lou Raguse， from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 17 year olds， Sherri and Pam went missing on May 29， 1971， everybody had there own theories about what happened to the girls， but nobody really knew。 It seems like the detectives wanted to pin it on anybody， I know their are good and bad cops everywhere， but these guys were no good。 I felt so bad for the families Of Sherri and Pam， not knowing for decades， before t I received a free copy of， Vanished in Vermillion， by Lou Raguse， from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 17 year olds， Sherri and Pam went missing on May 29， 1971， everybody had there own theories about what happened to the girls， but nobody really knew。 It seems like the detectives wanted to pin it on anybody， I know their are good and bad cops everywhere， but these guys were no good。 I felt so bad for the families Of Sherri and Pam， not knowing for decades， before they were found。 A very well written book， I enjoyed this book。。 A horrible situation for sure。 。。。more
J Earl
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Vanished in Vermillion by Lou Raguse is an example of the type of true crime book that appeals to me， heavy on detail and narrative， light on sensationalism。 The case covered is both mysterious （initially） and infuriating。To give some background so you can understand where I am coming from， I like true crime but am not what is probably considered a big true crime fan。 I find far too many give too little attention to the victim's and play up any sensational aspects which， for me， makes the read l Vanished in Vermillion by Lou Raguse is an example of the type of true crime book that appeals to me， heavy on detail and narrative， light on sensationalism。 The case covered is both mysterious （initially） and infuriating。To give some background so you can understand where I am coming from， I like true crime but am not what is probably considered a big true crime fan。 I find far too many give too little attention to the victim's and play up any sensational aspects which， for me， makes the read less enjoyable。 That said， I still read too many of those types simply because some cases are only covered in such books。Raguse organizes this book in a way that compels the reader to keep reading while also getting reader investment in the victims and their families。 I like the somewhat slower but definitely more thorough approach he takes in setting the scene， telling the story as it was known and understood， or misunderstood， and in how the truth could come out not because of but in spite of local law enforcement。This is one of those cold cases that can easily be ruined by giving away too many details， so I won't talk in detail about the parts of the book that I found most effective。 What I will say is that we are led to the insights and discoveries very methodically and when we learn something new， we have the context already in place to understand it。Highly recommended for those who love true crime and also those who like to learn about these cases but might shy away from the sensationalized accounts we often get。 This one does not insult the reader's intelligence or assume you are coming to it just for explicit details。Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley。 。。。more
Melissa
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Vanished in Vermillion follows a very cold case that happened in South Dakota in 1971。 Two missing teenaged girls and one missing Studebaker！ The story itself was fascinating with many true crime staples， rude know it all cops along with good cops， unreliable witnesses， jail house snitch， dogged defense attorney， grieving families this one had it all。 #NetGalley
Jeff
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In 1971 in a small rural town in South Dakota， 17 year olds Pam and Sherri drive off in search of an end of school keg party。 They are never seen again。 Vanished in Vermillion is an intensive look at the investigation conducted by local police， and later， by the Cold Case Squad and other authorities。 The author， an investigative journalist， painstakingly recounts the police missteps in the early stages of the disappearance， as well as a deep-dive into the bungled cold case investigation which ne In 1971 in a small rural town in South Dakota， 17 year olds Pam and Sherri drive off in search of an end of school keg party。 They are never seen again。 Vanished in Vermillion is an intensive look at the investigation conducted by local police， and later， by the Cold Case Squad and other authorities。 The author， an investigative journalist， painstakingly recounts the police missteps in the early stages of the disappearance， as well as a deep-dive into the bungled cold case investigation which nearly resulted in a catastrophic prosecution。 Obviously well researched， filled with interviews， courtroom drama， and a hard look at the sometimes haphazard nature of a police investigation gone awry。 I received an arc of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Belle
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3。5 starsA very sad story。 My heart breaks for the family and friends， especially those who died before ever finding answers。Well researched but I just found it dragged a bit and I was struggling at times。*Free e-copy received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。
Candy
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Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review。If you are a true-crime buff， this is the book for you。 No spoilers ahead， so I won’t give you much of the story， and advise you not to look any further into the case。 Just pick it up， start reading and wait for the twists and turns of a roller coaster ride， keeping you guessing as to how this story ends。On May 29， 1971， Pam Jackson and Sherri Miller were just a couple of 17 year old girls lo Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review。If you are a true-crime buff， this is the book for you。 No spoilers ahead， so I won’t give you much of the story， and advise you not to look any further into the case。 Just pick it up， start reading and wait for the twists and turns of a roller coaster ride， keeping you guessing as to how this story ends。On May 29， 1971， Pam Jackson and Sherri Miller were just a couple of 17 year old girls looking to do what teenagers do， party and drink beer。 This was a first for the girls， and they weren’t quite sure how to get to the remote party location。 Luckily， they ran into some boys from school who told the girls to follow them in their car。 Somewhere along the way， the girls vanished from the face of the earth for the next 43 years。 Unfortunately， they were treated as runaways， and not much was done to find them。 Thirty years later， their case was reopened as a cold case and investigators had a chief suspect in mind。 From that point， the book takes so many twists and turns， you won’t be sure what to believe。 The story is gripping， and the author does a great job of keeping it easy to read while presenting all sides。I will admit my main motivation for reading this book was the setting， South Dakota。 We visited there many years ago， and I was picturing the remoteness of the Black Hills。 It has always stuck in my mind that you could hide a body there without it ever being found。 Should have looked at a map sooner， as Vermillion isn’t in the Black Hills。 No matter， because this story was great。https://candysplanet。wordpress。com/ 。。。more
Aria Harlow
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I love true crime in any format and especial when it involves， like this one， crimes that I know little to nothing about， It is incredibly well written and it is easy to tell that it has been highly researched without the book coming over as too heavy。 It was an eye opening and heartbreaking read in so many ways and has stuck with me since I read it， I just can't stop thinking that if the police had done their jobs well back in 1971 and not just assumed the girls were runaways then the outcome f I love true crime in any format and especial when it involves， like this one， crimes that I know little to nothing about， It is incredibly well written and it is easy to tell that it has been highly researched without the book coming over as too heavy。 It was an eye opening and heartbreaking read in so many ways and has stuck with me since I read it， I just can't stop thinking that if the police had done their jobs well back in 1971 and not just assumed the girls were runaways then the outcome for the families and the girls might have been very different。 A very powerful read 。。。more
Amanda Davis
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As a criminologist who works solely on cold cases， I've seen more than my fair share of shoddy police work， however in the case of the disappearance of Sherri and Pam- the level of laziness is beyond even my comprehension。 This book tells an important story， one that doesn't even really have anything to do with Sherri and Pam。 It tells of how easy it is for an investigator to fall into confirmation bias- to decide themselves how the story will end。 Raguse was wonderful at capturing the ineptitud As a criminologist who works solely on cold cases， I've seen more than my fair share of shoddy police work， however in the case of the disappearance of Sherri and Pam- the level of laziness is beyond even my comprehension。 This book tells an important story， one that doesn't even really have anything to do with Sherri and Pam。 It tells of how easy it is for an investigator to fall into confirmation bias- to decide themselves how the story will end。 Raguse was wonderful at capturing the ineptitude of the local law enforcement when it came to this case。 He was great at making even you believe you knew what happened， but at the same time- giving you the questions of are we really sure？ Though I will say， if the attempt at framing an innocent person had never happened， this story wouldn't have been nearly as interesting。 。。。more
Lauren Nicole
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