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Investigators say they have new information about Brenda Starr's disappearance in 1995. The case has been dormant for nearly four years.
By DEBORAH O'NEIL
© St. Petersburg Times, published September 10, 2001
In the six years since she vanished, Brenda Starr's face has appeared in newspapers and television stations around Tampa Bay. Now she is looming over U.S. 19 drivers, almost smiling, in a white Walt Disney World T-shirt.
The billboard seeking information about her disappearance is part of the latest effort by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office to uncover what happened to the Palm Harbor nurse who has not been seen since on April 21, 1995, when she dropped off her daughter at school.
Authorities say new information has recharged the investigation.
After a lull of nearly four years during which the Sheriff's Office said nothing more could be done, the probe was renewed last fall. In addition, the billboard north of Tampa Road has generated one tip since it went up Aug. 30. A new detective, Cpl. Tom Klein, has taken over and said the investigation has kept him busy for the past year.
"We had one of information come in last fall, and another piece came in January," Klein said. "I'm hoping to find out the truth as to what happened exactly happened to Brenda."
Her parents, Grant and Deanne Starr of Steubenville, Ohio, say they are glad to hear local officials still are looking for answers. Mrs. Starr said she and husband need closure after years of tormented questions about Brenda.
"Since the first day it happened -- that's exactly where Grant and I are at," Mrs. Starr said. "Nobody will ever understand unless they have a child missing."
The billboard, Mrs. Starr said, is a great idea. She mused about the T-shirt Brenda is wearing in the photo.
"She was absolutely crazy about Walt Disney," Mrs. Starr said. "She and Mariel had passes so they could go there for an escape."
At the time of her disappearance, Starr was going through a bitter divorce with her husband, Scott Snouffer. The divorce was riddled with accusations as each fought for custody of their daughter Mariel, now 13 and being raised by Snouffer.
Starr also was preparing to testify against Snouffer and her brother-in-law in a criminal trial built on information she supplied to police. In fact, Starr was a key witness in the case involving an alleged car-theft ring. When she disappeared, all of the charges against Snouffer's brother and some of the charges against Snouffer were dropped.
Snouffer was convicted of assorted charges including grand theft auto, title fraud and altering a vehicle identification number.
The night of Starr's disappearance, Snouffer gave an initial statement to the Sheriff's Office saying he did not know of her whereabouts. But through his attorney, Snouffer has declined to speak further with authorities.
"We have not been able to rule Scott Snouffer out as a suspect in the disappearance of his wife," Klein said. "He won't submit to an interview. We need to know more."
Friday, Snouffer said he remains reluctant to speak to investigators.
"You're not on my side," he told a Times reporter, "and neither are they."
But he said he is not concerned about not being ruled out as a suspect.
"I guess they couldn't rule anybody out," said Snouffer, who was reached at his family's boat shop in Largo, where he works. "That's the way it is."
There have been numerous theories about what happened, from Starr running away to her falling victim to some terrible crime. Her car, a turquoise 1993 Mazda Protege, never has been found. Her family and Tampa attorney, Sigrid Edwards, say they have never believed she would take off without her daughter.
"I very much believe she was murdered," Edwards said. "If there were any possible way to find the murderer, it's got to be done. If you can put it to rest and find the murderer, you can have peace and healing."
"Somebody out there knows and should come forward," Edwards said.
The case has been frustrating for the Sheriff's Office, said Sgt. Greg Tita, a sheriff's spokesman.
"As time went on, it was like, 'Man, we've got to get a break,' " Tita said. "There's stuff out there. Hopefully, the billboard will keep things up."
Authorities say they cannot comment about the new information they are investigating. Her family says they haven't learned anything.
Snouffer, too, said he has heard nothing new about his ex-wife. He said he wants to know the truth.
"That would be great," he said. "It would take a whole lot off me. There's nothing I could say that could help them with that eventuality."