On December 21, 1990, the body of 27-year-old white female Susan Melissa Sternfeld was discovered in Riverside, California. A janitor found her nude and carefully posed body near a dumpster enclosure at the rear of an industrial complex on Iowa Avenue. The Riverside County coroner determined that Susan Sternfeld died from strangulation. She was a local resident known to be involved in prostitution and drug use.
Investigations revealed that Susan Sternfeld was last seen on December 19, 1990, around 2:00 p.m., attempting to solicit clients on University Avenue in Riverside. Her murder was part of a series of killings targeting women, many of whom were sex workers and drug users, in Riverside County between 1989 and 1991. These crimes were later attributed to William Lester Suff, a white male serial killer also known as the Riverside Prostitute Killer.
William Lester Suff was arrested on January 9, 1992, during a routine traffic stop in Riverside. A search of his vehicle uncovered a bloody knife and other items linked to the murders. At the time, Suff was employed as a warehouse clerk for Riverside County. He was convicted of the first-degree murders of 12 women, including Susan Sternfeld, and the attempted murder of another woman. The jury found special circumstances, including multiple murders and lying in wait, and Suff was sentenced to death.
Susan Melissa Sternfeld's death remains a tragic example of the vulnerabilities faced by marginalized women and the dangers posed by serial predators. Her case, along with those of other victims, underscores the importance of diligent investigative work and the pursuit of justice for all victims, regardless of their backgrounds.
