She went to Burger King and never came home...
Your first job is one that usually generates feelings of nervousness, anticipation and excitement.
Patricia Schmidt - or Suzie as she was affectionately known by all who loved her - felt all those emotions as she embarked on her first day of work at Burger King in Darlington, SA.
It was December 1971 and, already dreaming of the Christmas presents she would buy the family, she volunteered for the late shift to earn that bit more.
With that first day under her belt, Suzie was feeling positive about her new found independence.
Her second shift was a Friday night and again, it went well. She finished work at 1.45am and was waiting for her father, Werner, to pick her up.
Only he, too, was working as a barman at the nearby German club and was running 10 minutes late. Suzie decided to walk home instead of wait for him.
That 10 minutes sealed her fate...
What happened to Suzie? Listen to the latest episode of New Idea Investigates. Available on OMNY or iTunes.
This article originally appeared on New Idea.
