Elizabeth Vasser Found Dead After She Went Missing in St. Louis Missouri

In December 1986, a young mother named Elizabeth Turek Vasser vanished from St. Louis, Missouri. Not long after, her two-year-old daughter, Cherie Barnes, also disappeared without a trace.

It took seven years for Elizabeth’s remains, found in the Mississippi River, to be identified. Cherie, however, remains missing to this day, and her fate is one of the most perplexing cold cases in Missouri’s history.

Was Elizabeth’s death a tragic accident, or was it murder? And what happened to Cherie? These questions still haunt investigators and family members alike.

The Life of Elizabeth Vasser

A Young Woman Searching for Stability

Elizabeth Ann Turek Vasser, known to her loved ones as “Sissy,” was born in the mid-1960s. She had a troubled past, but she was also a devoted mother to her young daughter, Cherie Nicole Barnes.

By 1985, Elizabeth was living in Nashville, Tennessee, where she met Larry Vasser, a man with a criminal past. Despite warnings from her family, Elizabeth fell in love and quickly married him.

Larry was a convicted felon who had just been released on parole after serving eight years for armed robbery.

A Controlling and Troubled Relationship

According to friends and family, Larry was abusive and controlling. He allegedly forced Elizabeth into prostitution to make money.

In one particularly disturbing moment, Elizabeth was arrested on prostitution charges in Nashville. Her family believed she wanted to escape Larry’s grip, but she was too scared to leave.

In October 1986, Larry moved Elizabeth and Cherie to St. Louis, Missouri, in what he claimed was an attempt to start fresh. Instead, it would mark the beginning of the end for both Elizabeth and her daughter.

The Mysterious Disappearance

December 1, 1986: The Last Time Elizabeth Was Seen

By December, Elizabeth was still struggling under Larry’s control. She was allegedly working as a prostitute on Independence Avenue, a known area for illegal activities.

On December 1, 1986, she vanished without a trace.

Her family didn’t report her missing immediately. They assumed that she had either:

1. Left to escape Larry’s control.
2. Gone into hiding for safety.

Unfortunately, neither of those theories turned out to be true.

Discovery of a Body

February 1987: A Grim Find in the Mississippi River

Two months after Elizabeth disappeared, a fisherman made a chilling discovery: a woman’s body floating in the Mississippi River near the Interstate 270 bridge.

The body was unidentified at the time. Due to decomposition, authorities could not confirm her identity, and she was listed as a Jane Doe.

With no missing person report filed for Elizabeth, police had no reason to suspect a connection. The case went cold.

The Disappearance of Cherie Barnes

January 7, 1987: The Last Known Sighting of Cherie

A few weeks after Elizabeth went missing, two-year-old Cherie Barnes also vanished.

The last known sighting of Cherie was on January 7, 1987, when Larry was seen with her in Kansas City, Missouri.

When questioned about her whereabouts, Larry refused to give a clear answer. He only said that:

• Cherie was alive and safe.
• She was living under a new name with one of his relatives.
• He wouldn’t reveal where she was.

No one in Larry’s family ever confirmed seeing Cherie, and no official records have ever surfaced to prove she is alive.

A Break in the Case

March 1994: A Family Member Recognizes a Cold Case

For years, Elizabeth’s whereabouts were unknown, and Cherie remained a missing child.

Then, in March 1994, Elizabeth’s aunt, Geneva, came across a news article about a Jane Doe found in the Mississippi River years earlier. Something about the case felt familiar.

She contacted the St. Louis Police Department, urging them to check dental records.

Sure enough, the body was Elizabeth Vasser.

The Investigation Into Elizabeth’s Death

Larry’s Suspicious Behavior

With Elizabeth officially identified, investigators turned their attention to Larry.

When questioned, Larry denied any involvement in her death. However, records later revealed that in 1988, he told his parole officer that Elizabeth had been strangled in 1986.

Why would he mention this before her body was even identified?

A Pattern of Violence

In 1987, a woman came forward and claimed that Larry had abducted her. She said she had been held captive and, while imprisoned, she saw a young girl who looked like Cherie.

Larry was later arrested and convicted for armed robbery and burglary in 1988. He has been incarcerated ever since.

Despite mounting suspicions, he was never charged in Elizabeth’s murder or Cherie’s disappearance.

A Chilling Connection to Another Case?

The Blue Suitcase Mystery

In August 1989, authorities in Glasgow, Kentucky, made a shocking discovery.

A blue suitcase was found floating in Skaggs Creek. Inside, there were the skeletal remains of a biracial toddler—a girl estimated to be between two and three years old.

The case immediately caught the attention of investigators because:

1. The child’s age matched Cherie’s.
2. The suitcase looked similar to one owned by Elizabeth.
3. The remains had been in the water for a long time, making identification difficult.

At the time, DNA testing wasn’t available, so authorities used facial reconstruction to compare the remains to Cherie.

The results were inconclusive.

To this day, it’s unclear if the child in the blue suitcase was Cherie.

Where the Case Stands Today

Is Cherie Still Alive?

• Some believe Cherie was given away and is still alive under a new identity.
• Others think she was murdered and possibly placed in the blue suitcase.
• Larry remains tight-lipped, refusing to give authorities any real answers.

Larry’s Imprisonment

Larry is still serving time for armed robbery. He is eligible for parole in 2028.

Many fear that if he is released, any hope of finding Cherie or uncovering the truth about Elizabeth’s death will be lost forever.

Conclusion

It has been nearly 40 years, and yet, Elizabeth’s murder remains unsolved, and Cherie’s fate is still unknown.

• Did Larry kill Elizabeth, or was her death an accident?
• Is Cherie still alive, living under a different name?
• Was the child in the blue suitcase really Cherie?

Until someone steps forward with the truth, the mystery of Elizabeth Vasser’s death and Cherie Barnes’ disappearance will remain one of Missouri’s most haunting cold cases.