Montana Murders: Notorious and Vanished

She was a young schoolteacher, pretty, from a well-heeled family, and respectable - just the type of classic archetype who should not end up the way she did - and her case aroused much public interest for that very reason.

Her name was Susan Pearson and she went missing under the hazy, cold skies of Missoula, Montana, Thursday, March 17, 1966. This is the oldest Cold Case in Montana history.

Susan's story is just one of 27 strange vanishings and mysterious murders spanning 45 years that award-winning Montana author Brian D'Ambrosio examines in his most recent book. D'Ambrosio also unearths gruesome, little known facts that haunt surviving families and friends to this day. Drawing on official investigative reports and numerous personal interviews with law enforcement officials, witnesses, and survivors, D'Ambrosio describes each murder and vanishing like a good detective story. Readers will find riveting details about the murderers and vanishings, their motives and methods, and their unfortunate victims.

Many of these crimes have bewildered Montana law enforcement and baffled true crime buffs for years. Step inside the cold case investigations that have confounded Montana police agencies since March of 1966.

Brian D'Ambrosio is a prolific writer of nonfiction books and articles. He specializes in histories, biographies, and profiles of actors and musicians. One of his previous books for Riverbend, Warrior in the Ring, a biography of Native American world champion boxer Marvin Camel, was a finalist for the High Plains Book Award. He also wrote Shot in Montana: A History of Cinema in Montanafor Riverbend. He has written for The History Press and contributes to several newspapers and magazines. He lives in Helena, Montana.