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Who killed Lori Lee Farmer (8), Michele Guse (9), and Doris Denise Miller (10) on June 13, 1977? From the moment the gruesome discovery of their bodies was made at Camp Scott in Locust Grove, Oklahoma, that’s what everyone wanted to know. What kind of monster was capable of sexually assaulting and brutally murdering three innocent little girls? Heinous was the only way to describe such a crime —or the person who committed it.
There were some clues left at the scene, including a flashlight, a fingerprint, a shoe print belonging to a tennis shoe, and blood, not all of which was from the girls.
At first, the fingerprint appeared most helpful in identifying a possible suspect. It allegedly belonged to Gene Leroy Hart, an escaped convict. He remained at large for 10 months after the murders but was finally captured on April 7, 1978.
Gene Leroy Hart
He was ordered to stand trial in July 1978. In the meantime, he returned to the state penitentiary because he was an escaped convict after all. In addition to his original sentence, he added new time for breaking out. It added up to over 300 years in fact.
His trial started on March 19, 1979. On March 30, 1979, the jury found him innocent, acquitting him of the Camp Scott Girl Scout murders.
That didn’t make him a free man though. But he also didn’t serve much more time in prison either.
On a Monday night, almost two years to the day that the bodies of Lori Lee Farmer, Doris Denise Milner, and Michele Heather Guse were found, Gene Leroy Hart collapsed, suffering a fatal heart attack.
DNA
But guess what? Now, just a month and a few days shy of what would be the 45th anniversary of the murders, there’s new information. DNA evidence points very strongly that Hart was the murderer all along.
As Kym L. Pasqualini detailed on Medium.com, in 1989 the FBI tested a semen sample found on a pillowcase but the results were inconclusive. They retested the sample in 2008 but determined it was too degraded.
Was there any hope advancements in DNA technology could retrieve viable information from any of the remaining samples?
Turns out, the answer is yes, as a recent story in KLAW 101 proves. Lori Farmer’s family never gave up on finding answers. They asked the county sheriff to re-examine the case, which he did, and another look at the DNA evidence proved Hart was the killer. Or, more specifically, it ruled out every other suspect, except one: Gene Leroy Hart.
Which makes sense. Even the county sheriff explained Hart had the markings of a serial rapist. Kidnapping and raping two pregnant women is what landed him in jail the first time. The fact no other violent rapes or murders of the same nature happened once he returned to jail suggested one of three things:
- The killer had fled the area.
- The killer had died.
- Or the killer had been arrested and was in jail.
Hart kind of ended up fitting all three of those categories.
It’s nice to see there’s some sort of resolution but it doesn’t erase the suffering or bring back Lori Lee Farmer, Michele Guse, and Doris Denise Miller. Hopefully it gives their souls some peace, though.
Camp Scott Murders Podcast Episode
Last year I was semi-obsessed with this haunting and heartbreaking case. Not only did I wonder if the Camp Scott Girl Scout murders inspired the Friday the 13th movie, but it also inspired the first serialized season on the podcast, Haunting American True Crimes. As such, it was the first episode in that series.
I’ve embedded it below or you can listen to it wherever you get your podcasts.
Check-In
Is there an old cold case you’re obsessed with that you hope DNA evidence will help solve one day?
Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, and obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. (Yes, really! As explained here.) That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.
Speaking of mystical, to learn how Courtney channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.
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I am thrilled to hear the case is solved. Even if loved ones have passed away since 1977, I think they’re glad about it. As for other cases, I think JonBenet Ramsey was a high profile case that would shine a good light on investigators if they solve her murder.
Oh that would be a great case to finally have solved! Good pick. I hope that happens. Such a shame what transpired with her death.