Posted in South Dakota August 07, 2022 by

The Heartbreaking Case That Was Solved 40 Years After Two Girls Went Missing In South Dakota

On May 19, 1971, two girls, Pamella Jackson and Cheryl Miller, were on their way to a party when they disappeared without a trace. More than 40 years passed without any solid leads. Finally, in 2013, the disappearance of Pamella Jackson and Cheryl Miller was solved. How was the Sherri Miller and Pam Jackson case solved? Take a look.

Cheryl Miller and Pamella Jackson were looking forward to the end of the school year on May 19, 1971.
TomoNews US/Youtube
Cheryl and Pamella were good girls who didn't drink or use drugs, and they didn't typically attend parties on the weekends. On this night, they'd heard about a party at a local quarry and decided it might be fun.
The girls met up with some boys from school and arranged to follow them along the gravel road to the quarry.
Jim Grey/flickr
Cheryl was driving her grandmother's car, a 1960 Studebaker Lark. Along the way, the boys took a wrong turn. By the time they got back onto the right road, the girls were no longer behind them. They figured that the girls had changed their minds and headed home. It turned out that those boys were the last people to see Cheryl and Pamella alive.

Police, family members and volunteers searched tirelessly for weeks, hoping to find some sign of the girls or the car. They had vanished without a trace.
More than four decades later, a fisherman at Brule Creek noticed the Studebaker lying upside down in the water. He called authorities, and the 43-year-old mystery was eventually solved.
AP Archive/Youtube
The car contained two bodies, and officials quickly identified Cheryl Miller and Pamella Jackson.
Cheryl's driver license was found in the car...
AP Archive/Youtube
...along with her purse, which was in remarkably good condition, considering that it been submerged in the creek for more than 40 years.
AP Archive/Youtube
The license plate also confirmed that the car belonged to Cheryl's grandmother.
AP Archive/Youtube
It might seem strange that the car would go unnoticed for so long in the creek, but it's actually not that unusual. In rural areas, it was common practice back then to submerge old cars or farm equipment along the banks of the creek to combat erosion. The sight of a sunken car would not have aroused suspicion.

Also, when the accident first took place, the car may not have been visible. In September, 2013, a drought left Brule Creek's waters much lower than normal, which may have led to the car's tires being visible when the fisherman found it.
Police didn't find any signs of foul play, and believe that the girls somehow drove off the road into the creek.
AP Archive/Youtube
One of the tires had very low tread, and police speculate that a blown or flat tire may have caused the girls to swerve off the road. Or, they may have had poor visibility out there in the dark, with dust kicking up from the car in front of them, and simply missed a curve in the road.

Pamella Jackson's father never gave up looking for her. He often drove along the rural roads near the quarry, looking for signs of the missing Studebaker. He died in 2013, just five days before the car was found.

Take a look at this news conference from April, 2014, posted by AP Archive on YouTube:

Do you remember the heartbreaking case of Pamella Jackson and Cheryl Miller? Did you know that it had been solved? Know of any other baffling unsolved mysteries in South Dakota? Tell us!

South Dakota has certainly suffered its share of tragedies. Just one year after the disappearance of Pamella Jackson and Cheryl Miller, there was a devastating flood in South Dakota.

Address: Brule Creek, South Dakota, USA
The OIYS Visitor Center

Pamella Jackson And Cheryl Miller

August 12, 2022
Daniella DiRienzo

Are there any urban legends in South Dakota?

The untimely deaths of Pamella Jackson and Cheryl Miller might not have resulted in any South Dakota urban legends, but the same can’t be said for the Gitchie Manitou Murders. The infamous killings took place in November of 1973 in the Gitchie Manitou, a nature preserve near Sioux Falls. According to reports, four boys and one girl, between the ages of 13 and 17, were sitting around a bonfire in the nature preserve. Suddenly, a shotgun blast rang out, killing one of the four boys instantly. The culprits, the Fryer brothers, then executed the other three boys and raped the young girl, who later identified the attackers, resulting in life-long prison sentences for all three. Though years have passed, many believe the Gitchie Manitou is still haunted by the heinous crimes that took place there.

What are the most popular ghost stories in South Dakota?

There seems to be no shortage of ghost stories associated with the state. One of the most popular ghost stories in South Dakota, though, is without a doubt the tale of Hooky Jack. As the story goes, Hooky Jack, who, in life, was known as John Leary, was severely injured in a mining explosion, losing both his arms and one eye. His arms were later replaced by hooks, earning him the nickname Hooky Jack. Not hindered by his injury, Hooky Jack went on to become a police officer. Sadly, he was killed in 1926, after being hit by a car. For years, it’s been rumored that Hooky Jack’s ghost haunts his former residence, which, at one time, served as a tavern. During the tavern’s heyday, staff and customers reported a slew of strange happenings, including disembodied voices, items moving on their own, strange flashing lights, and spirit orbs.

Address: Brule Creek, South Dakota, USA