Lizzie was last seen by a family member at approximately 10:30 a.m. on January 8, 2007, at her residence in the vicinity of the 19200 block of Dawnshire Drive in Brownstown, Michigan. Her residence caught fire that day. When police and firefighters responded, Lizzie's husband, Roger Junior Sweet, told them his wife was missing and had probably gone into the woods behind the home and killed hereslf.

There was no sign of Lizzie in the house, but her upper denture plate and her vehicle, a Lincoln containing packed suitcases, were found in the debris. A check of the wooded area behind the residence turned up no indication of Lizzie's whereabouts either. Investigators stated there were signs of arson at the house, including traces of an accelerant.

Authorities found Lizzie's journal in her home after the fire. She'd written that her husband was having an affair with a mentally impaired young woman who thought of him as an uncle. He also took sexually explicit photographs of the victim when she was sixteen years old. About half a million sexually explicit images of children and babies were found on Roger's computer, and he was charged with rape and possession of child pornography. Photographs of Roger are posted below this case summary. Police also renewed the investigation into the 1990 death of Roger's first wife, Marlene Francis Sweet. Marlene's death was initially ruled an accident, but authorities changed the classification to homicide in January 2007 and charged Roger with her murder. Marlene had numerous bruises and abrasions on her body at the time of her death and her family members stated Roger abused her.

In April 2008, days before his trial was scheduled to begin, Roger reached an arrangement with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in Marlene's death, and guilty to the child pornography charges. In exchange, he will serve most of his sentence in federal prison rather than a state facility. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the child pornography and 15 for the murder. He maintains his innocence in Lizzie's case and listed her as his next of kin when he was booked into jail. Although he had suggested to authorities that Lizzie had set their home on fire and probably committed suicide, but now he says he believes she is alive. Roger is suffering from lung cancer.

Although Lizzie's remains have not been located, foul play is strongly suspected in her case and Roger is the prime suspect in her disappearance. She wrote in his diary that he was abusive and his violence was escalating, and she filed for divorce the month before her disappearance. She also purchased a gun for protection. Lizzie has not used her cellular phone or credit cards since her disappearance and never picked up her last paycheck. Her case remains unsolved.

Above: Roger Sweet