Who Murdered 14-Year-Old April Lacy in 1996?

October 8, 1996, began like any other day for a rancher in Decatur, Texas. He awoke early and headed to his land to tend to his cows, and as he neared a patch of brush, he noticed something odd: A group of buzzards had replaced the grass where his cattle usually stood. Worried that one of his cows had died, he rushed to the pasture to get a closer look.

Partially hidden in the brush was the body of a young woman. She was naked and lying face down, her face purple and right arm outstretched as if she had been dragged. The property was isolated and several miles from the nearest paved road, and the gates had been open as it was dove hunting season—allowing access to all.

Deputy David Walker of the Wise County Sheriff’s Office was one of the first to respond to the call that would haunt him for years. Walker immediately suspected that the woman’s purple face meant she had been strangled. His first priority was to identify his victim, but that would be easier said than done.

As the woman was found nude, there were no identifying documents or any other immediate clues as to who this woman was that investigators could use. The Wise County Medical Examiner noted in its report that the remains were significantly decomposed and had likely been exposed to the elements for several days.

Forensic entomologists at the University of North Texas tested maggots and other insects and determined the girl had been in the brush for at least seven days, with the furthest end of the estimate being placed at three weeks. The case quickly became personal for Walker, who was determined to solve the case, no matter the odds.

Despite the advanced state of decay, the medical examiner determined the remains belonged to a white woman aged 20 to 40, standing 5 feet 2 inches to 5 feet 4 inches, 110 to 130 pounds with brown hair dyed blonde. She had “little hands and feet” and was a frequent nail biter, and her teeth had a slight overbite.

Her small hands and feet puzzled forensic anthropologists, who believed she was much younger than the 20 to 40 years first postulated. Walker pushed for this aspect to be re-examined, and thanks to his insistence, the medical examiner worked with a forensic dentist who concluded she was around 14 years old when she had been murdered.

Walker—along with Lane Akin, a Texas Ranger, and the entirety of the Wise County Sheriff’s Office staff—began sifting through missing person reports of teenage girls. But there were no hits. After several weeks of dead ends, Walker began calling her "Brush Girl" in place of her still-unknown real name.

Akin suggested the pair broaden their horizons and look toward Oklahoma. The property where Brush Girl was found sat close to the border and was just a 20-minute drive from Interstate 35, which connects the two states. Walker also contacted Karen T. Taylor, a forensic artist who created composite sketches and reconstructions for law enforcement.

Taylor returned a sketch of a young blond woman with almond eyes and teeth in poor condition. The sketch was circulated throughout Texas and neighboring states, with several families wondering if it was their missing daughter. None of the leads went anywhere, and Walker and Akin were forced to turn their attention elsewhere.

Two and a half years later, Walker received a call from a sheriff’s lieutenant in Oklahoma who'd seen Taylor's sketch. He presented the case of 14-year-old April Dawn Lacy, who had vanished from Oklahoma City on October 3, 1996.

Born July 2, 1982, to Dale and Jacqueline Lacy, April’s life had been turbulent and full of neglect. Dale had been absent for much of April's life, and by the time she could walk, she had learned how to collect cans to get extra cash to buy food and crack cocaine for her mother.

Kathy Marion, whose daughter, Ashley Qualls, was one April's friends, told the Houston Chronicle that April "was ragged and dirty and we just took her in.” Ashley and April lived together in Kathy’s home until early 1996 when April and Jacqueline moved away to the Drover’s Inn Motel in Oklahoma City.

Walker contacted the Lacy family and provided them with the composite sketch; however, they held many doubts as to whether that was April. She had vanished on October 3, 1996, following an explosive argument with her mother.

Jacqueline told investigators her daughter had run away several times before, but when she returned home that evening to find April still gone, she realized this time was different. Her daughter was reported missing that day, but due to lack of infrastructure, the connection to Brush Girl wasn’t made until years later.

This new information led a forensic anthropologist to obtain April’s X-rays from a bicycle accident when she was 12 years old, finding that the sinus cavities were consistent with April’s, along with the incisors and overbite. Investigators were happy to formalize the identification, but April’s family had reservations. Their main concern was the timeline: April had vanished on October 3, but the forensic entomologist stated her body had been there for at least seven days.

DNA testing months later would confirm the findings of the forensic anthropologist, and Brush Girl was formally identified as April. Investigators believe she was taken from Oklahoma City and driven to rural Decatur along I-35. There were rumors that Jacqueline, who had engaged in sex work at the motel, forced her daughter to do the same, although she denies this.

Some have tied April to the "Redhead Murders," a spree of partially unsolved murders that occurred in the 1980s along major U.S highways. Walker believed her case matched the criteria, due to her alleged involvement in sex work and location, though no definitive links have been made. No one has yet been arrested or charged in April’s case.