Brenda Jean Pruitt, 27, of St. Louis was last seen on May 4, 1990; her family reported her missing on May 9. On the morning of October 4, 1990, city crews in Maryland Heights found a 32-gallon trash can lying in the grass near 12400 Basston Drive. When workers tried to load it, they discovered a decomposing body packed inside.

Investigators later determined the woman had been strangled, but the remains were not identified immediately. For months she remained nameless while detectives explored other missing-person leads. In March 1991 the body was finally confirmed as Brenda Pruitt, establishing the timeline that she was last known in May and found in October. Who placed her in that trash can and why remains an open question.

Did anyone in the area remember Brenda or notice anything unusual near Basston Drive that spring?