Oklahoma Girl Scout Murders

On the morning of Sunday, June 12, 1977, over a hundred young girls and their families gathered at the Girl Scout headquarters in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Everyone was saying their goodbyes as the girls loaded onto their buses and headed for Camp Scott, just about an hour away in Mayes County, Oklahoma. The Girl Scout camp promised two weeks of adventure, swimming, horseback riding, crafts, and hiking. Some of the girls were excited for their trip, while others were nervous about spending 14 days away from their families. However, within 24 hours, the girls would be back on the buses heading back to Tulsa, with no explanation as to why.

Who Were the Victims?

Three girls, 8-year-old Lori Farmer, 9-year-old Michelle Guse, and 10-year-old Denise Milner had been found dead that morning, laying in the woods about 100 feet from their tent. There was clear evidence of foul play. Almost 2 years later, after the largest manhunt in Oklahoma history, a man was arrested and charged with their murders. However, much of the community was not convinced that this was the man behind the massacre. The trial turned the courtroom and the community into a circus and seemed to forget about the most important question: Who killed Lori, Michelle, and Denise?

Lori Lee Farmer was born on June 18th, 1968, and was 8-years-old when she left for camp. The brown-eyed, blonde-haired girl was the youngest of the campers and was a year younger than everyone in her class. She’d skipped a grade at school, so she was used to being a little smaller than everyone. Her parents said that she was a smart girl, and that’s why the school suggested she skip second grade. She had just graduated from fourth grade at Jenks Elementary when her parents signed her up for camp.

Her ninth birthday would fall while she was at camp, so her parents decided they’d drive up for the day and celebrate with her. Lori was the oldest of five children to parents Dr. Charles “Bo” Farmer, an emergency department physician and Sheri Farmer. Her parents described her as a caring and nurturing little girl. She was very helpful with her younger siblings. Lori had been begging her parents to go to summer camp, but couldn’t decide between Girl Scout camp and the YMCA’s camp. Sheri ultimately decided that Lori would go to Girl Scout camp and which week she’d go. She said that this was a decision that haunted her for the rest of her life.

Michele Heather Guse (goo-say) was born on February 23, 1968 and was 9-years-old. She’d been a Girl Scout since 1974 and attended Camp Scott the prior summer. She had been telling her parents, GeorgeAnn and Richard Guse how excited she was to go back to camp, but she wanted to make sure that her parents watered her African violets. Michele was immensely proud of her flowers and wanted to make sure they were taken care of while she was away. Michele was active in sports and loved playing on the soccer team. Her father felt as though Michele had some sort of premonition prior to leaving for camp. She hugged her parents goodbye, and Richard felt like she knew she wouldn’t be coming home from camp. He said that the way she said goodbye was like she knew she wouldn’t see them again.

Doris Denise Milner was born on February 5, 1967 and was 10-years-old when she attended Camp Scott. Her friends and family called her Denise. Denise was a smart girl who’d recently been accepted to Carver Middle School. She was a straight A student and couldn’t wait to attend her new school in the fall. She was initially very excited to go to camp that summer. She’d sold enough cookies that year to be able to attend, and a few of her friends would be going too. Unfortunately, at the last minute, her friends were unable to go and Denise grew increasingly anxious about going to camp and not knowing anyone.

Her mother, Bettye Milner convinced her to go, hoping it’d help her be more independent. She promised her that she could call home anytime she was lonely, and that she’d come pick her up if she became too homesick. Denise was one of the only African-American girls at the camp, and was still incredibly unsure about leaving for camp on the morning of. Fortunately, a new counselor took her under her wing and rode with her on the bus.

Camp Scott

On Sunday, June 12, the Magic Empire Council headquarters in Tulsa was buzzing with excitement. There were over a hundred Girl Scouts there with their families waiting to board the busses to take them to Camp Scott. Some of the girls were ready to say goodbye to mom and dad, while others were much more hesitant. Denise was one of the hesitant ones. Fortunately, 15-year-old veteran camper Michelle Hoffman noticed her hesitation and introduced herself to Denise and her mother.

Michelle told them that this would be her seventh summer at Camp Scott, and although she’d aged out of the range for campers, she was going to be an aide for the camp director. Denise’s mother told Michelle that her daughter was very anxious for her first camping experience, so Michelle asked Denise to ride up front in the bus with her. Denise stayed mostly quiet throughout the bus ride, but Michelle was convinced she’d perk up once they arrived at camp.

Camp Scott was a 400 acre area in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. It had been operated by the Girl Scouts since 1928. The camp was split into 10 different units, each unit housing about 7 tents for girls and 1 for counselors. The tents were named after different Indian tribes. There was also the Great Hall, an arts and craft building, and a swimming pool. The tents were about 12×14 feet with thick canvas around them that could be rolled up. The tents sat atop wooden platforms and each had 4 cots inside.

When the girls arrived at the campsite, Michelle stayed by Denise’s side. They found that Denise was assigned to the Kiowa unit, tent number 8. Michelle told Denise that number 8 in Kiowa was her favorite tent. It was close to the bathroom and the kitchen area. The tents in Kiowa were arranged in a semi-circle, with the counselors’ tent on one end and tent 8 on the far side. Kiowa was the most secluded unit of the camp, and tent 8 was the most secluded tent.

Once Michelle walked Denise to her tent, Denise met her two tent mates, Lori Farmer and Michele Guse. There was supposed to be a fourth camper assigned to Kiowa 8, but a clerical error had sent her to another tent. For the first night, it would just be the three girls. Kiowa had three counselors: Carla Wilhite, 23 years old, Dee Elder, 20, and Susan Emery, 18. Once everyone was settled into their tents and familiar with their area, the girls and counselors went to dinner in the Great Hall. On the way back from dinner, the sky opened up and it started to pour. A huge thunderstorm ensued, forcing the girls to spend the evening in their tents. As tradition was, each of them wrote a letter home. These are the letters that Michele, Lori, and Denise wrote that evening:

Lori’s letter: “Dear Mommy, Daddy, Misti, Jolie and Kali, We’re just getting ready to go to bed. It’s 7:45. We’re at the beginning of a storm and having a lot of fun. I’ve met two new friends…Michelle Guse and Denise Miller. I’m sharing a tent with them. It started raining on the way back from dinner. We’re sleeping on cots. I couldn’t wait to write you. We’re all writing letters now ‘cause there’s hardly anything else to do. Love, Lori.”

Michele’s letter: “Dear Aunt Karen, How are you? I am fine. I am writing from camp. We can’t go outside because it is storming. Me and my tent mates are in the last tent in our unit. My tentmates are Denise Milner and Lori Farmer. My room is in shades of purple. Love, Michele.”

Denise’s letter: “Dear mom, I don’t like camp. It’s alfwl. The first day it rained. I have three new friends named Glenda, Lori, and Michele. Michele and Lori are my roommates. Mom, I don’t want to stay at camp for two weeks. I want to come home and see Kassie and everybody. Your loving child, Denise Milner.”

the night it happened

Though there was still a lot of horseplay going on inside of the tents, around 8PM, the girls had begun to settle in. It was incredibly dark and the counselors all carried flashlights as they moved around the camp, checking on their girls and making sure everyone was ready for bed. The girls had been told that if they had to leave their tents, they needed to be sure to take a flashlight and a buddy. Sometime between 8 and 10PM, a counselor from the Camanche unit noticed a dim light in the woods surrounding the camp. She pointed her flashlight towards it and it went off. She then turned her flashlight off and waited. The dim light turned back on and began moving towards the Kiowa unit.

At 10PM, a counselor does a tent check in Kiowa and all appeared well. Around midnight, Kiowa counselor Carla, heard laughter and noise coming from the latrine area. She left her tent and herded the girls back to their tent. Around 1:30AM, the counselors hear laughter coming from tent 6. Carla and another counselor shine their flashlights at the tent and go over to quiet the girls down. While there, the two counselors hear what they described as a low gutteral sound coming from the woods behind tents 1 and 2. Though scared by the noise, the two counselors attributed it to an animal and returned to their tent to sleep. Sometime during the night, a camper in tent 7 recalled that she saw a light outside of their tent. The flap of their tent opened, the light shined into the tent and she saw a male figure. The tent flap then closed. Several girls later reported that during the night, they’d heard girls screaming, but didn’t think much of it. One said she heard a girl crying, “momma, momma,” but didn’t know what to do, so she went back to sleep.

Carla awoke early the next morning. From her prior years at camp, she knew that the earlier she got to the showers, the more likely she was to get hot water. It was around 6AM and the sun had just started to come up. Carla left her tent and headed towards the road to walk to the showers. As she walked, something caught her attention on the other side of the road. She saw several sleeping bags and assumed they’d dropped off some of the luggage that had arrived late. She walked over and what she saw stunned her.

Three sleeping bags. A yellow plaid one, a dark green one, and one with a red flower pattern. A young girl was laying partially on and underneath one of the sleeping bags. Carla initially wondered why the young girl was sleeping outside of her tent, before she realized that something was very wrong. She saw two other sleeping bags not too far away, but didn’t approach them.

Carla ran back to the Kiowa counselors’ tent and woke them, telling them that she’d found a child’s body. She insisted that they check all of Kiowa’s tents. They found that tent 8 was empty with blood stains throughout the tent. Carla instructed Dee and Susan to stay in the Kiowa area and not to let any of the girls out of their tents. She then ran to the nurse’s quarters and told her there was a body in the woods. The nurse got dressed and ran to her car to drive down to the Kiowa unit. Carla continued on to wake up camp director Barbara Day and her husband, Richard.

The camp nurse arrived on scene quickly, along with Barbara and Richard. The young girl, who was later identified as Denise Milner, was laying partially on top and underneath her sleeping bag. She was nude from the waist down and had visible wounds and blood on her face and head. The nurse reached down to feel for a carotid pulse, but was unable to find one. She then reached to grab the child’s wrist to feel for a pulse, but then realized Denise’s hands were bound behind her back. Richard Day looked towards the other two sleeping bags. He didn’t open them, but felt their weight and knew there must’ve been a child in each of them.
Richard covered Denise’s lower half with her sleeping bag. Barbara Day got on the phone and called for highway patrol while her husband went to wake camp ranger, Ben Woodward. Ben lived on site with his wife and children. Ben and Richard checked the entrance gate to the camp and found it was still locked. Ben had returned to camp late the prior evening after picking his daughter up from her job in town. He locked the gate behind him upon his return. The other counselors throughout the camp gathered their girls and quickly escorted them to the Great Hall for breakfast.

They kept the girls busy throughout the morning until the buses arrived to return the girls to Tulsa. The girls were very confused as to why they had to leave after one night. Some scouts remembered being told there was a problem with the swimming pool, or with the drinking water. Others heard there was an accident, but no one could guess the magnitude of what had actually happened. The parents were notified that there had been an accident and that they needed to return to the Magic Empire Council Headquarters to pick up their children. Counselors on scene were searching through camp paperwork to find out exactly which girls were missing.

The Investigation

The Farmers, The Milners, and The Guses all remember June 13th vividly. They remember exactly how they found out that their daughters were dead. Bettye Milner recalled the exact words: “Denise is dead. She and two other girls.” Bettye asked if there’d been an accident. An accident was something that her brain could process, a reason for her daughter’s death. They told her no, that she’d been beaten to death. She remembered that she immediately felt fear. Fear for Denise. Fear that she couldn’t protect her remaining daughter.

Dr. Farmer was working at the hospital when he received a call from someone at the Magic Empire Council Headquarters. They told him that his daughter, Lori, had been found dead out behind her tent. They gave no details. He drove home with one of his colleagues to tell his wife that Lori was dead. He later found that before contacting him, the executive director of the council had made two other phone calls: to the Girl Scouts’ insurance company and to their attorney.

The Guses said that someone knocked on their door and told them that there’d been an accident and that Michele was found dead. It wasn’t until they turned on the news later that they learned that she’d be murdered.

Several things were revealed after the murders that may have predicted that something ominous was going to happen at Camp Scott. When the counselors arrived prior to the scouts’ arrival, they found that one of the tents in the Kiowa unit had a large slash across the canvas. They were able to repair it and didn’t think much of it. Supposedly, several weeks before the murders, counselors, who were attending a training session at Camp Scott discovered a menacing note in a donut box inside one of the buildings. It reportedly said something along the lines of “four girls will be murdered at your campsite,” as well as some odd things about martians. The counselors who found it believed it to be a prank and threw it away.

Investigators quickly arrived on scene, along with the medical examiner. Highway Patrol Officer Harold Berry was the first officer on scene. He recalled seeing only one set of boot prints that led from tent 8 to where the girls were found. Although he immediately secured the area where the bodies were, the surrounding camp area was not secured until much later. It’s unclear when exactly someone opened the other two sleeping bags, but it was a significant amount of time after the bodies were discovered.

The medical examiner pronounced all three girls deceased on scene. He said that Denise’s body felt warm enough that he speculated she had not been dead very long, and that she was the last to die. One of the other bags contained Lori, who investigators said didn’t have any obvious signs of injury when lying face up. They said it was almost as though she were asleep. In the last sleeping back was Michele, who had obvious trauma to the head. Her hands were also bound behind her back. It wasn’t long before local law enforcement called in the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) to assist with the case.

As they canvassed the area, investigators found many things that were out of the ordinary. Flaps of the counselors’ tent and tent 8 had been taken off their hook screws. Several items were missing from the counselors’ tent as well, including purses and eyeglasses. Tent 8 had blood across the wooden platform floor and on the canvas walls. The blood on the floor appeared to be smeared, as if someone had tried to wipe it with the mattress covers and towels that were later found in the girls’ sleeping bags. There was a bloody boot print that measured as a size 9.5 on the floor.

There were several items that were reported as being found beside the bodies or not far away: a roll of back duct tape, nylon cord/rope, a large red box flashlight, 3 empty beer bottles, and several pairs of prescription glasses. The box flashlight had a piece of black plastic over the front of it with a small hole in the middle. This was believed to be used to obscure the light while the attacker moved around the camp.

From the evidence inside of the tent and the scene, investigators believed that the attacker entered from the rear of tent 8 and struck both Michele and Lori as they laid in bed. It’s likely they both died inside of the tent, then were put inside of their sleeping bags and carried to where they were found. Denise had been found with a handsewn piece of fabric used as a gag around her mouth and some type of ligature around her neck. They believed Denise may have been bound or incapacitated while inside of the tent, then carried to the area where she was found to be killed. The medical examiner determined that the cause of death for Lori and Michele was blunt force trauma to the head. He said that though Denise also had head trauma, her ultimate cause of death was strangulation. All three girls’ injuries showed excessive force and overkill. There was also apparently clear evidence that at least two of the girls, if not all three, had been sexually assaulted.

Suspects and Evidence

There were several pieces of evidence found on scene. A fingerprint on the box flashlight, a boot print in blood inside of the tent, semen in or on all three of the girls, as well as a semen-stained pillowcase. There was a dark-colored hair found on the duct tape that was used to bind Denise. There was also a crow bar found on scene, however this has never been confirmed or denied as being the murder weapon. The park ranger who lived on site was quickly cleared of any involvement. His wife provided an alibi for him throughout the night.

Focus turned quickly to a farmer named Jack Shroff. Shroff owned a farm about a mile west of Camp Scott. He reported that his farm had been broken into multiple times and several things were stolen, including black duct tape and cord that resembled what was used to bind the girls. Shroff had alibis for the night of the murders and passed a lie detector test, so he was also cleared. He added that his farmhouse had been broken into in the past, so this wasn’t completely abnormal. In July of that year, as the investigation continued, some officers worked out of Camp Scott’s Great Hall. It was reported that one morning, they woke up to find a bag containing a pair of pink socks and shoes that had the name ‘Denise Milner’ written inside. Denise’s mother insisted her shoes had not been among the items returned to her. Other officers heard noises throughout the nights there and found footprints. They believed that someone was taunting them. They even reported putting thread up between trees to find it broken in the morning.

Heading up the investigation was Mayes County Sheriff Pete Weaver. Weaver had another suspect in mind: 33-year-old Gene Leroy Hart.

Hart was a native of the area and a Cherokee Indian. He’d been a popular, good-looking, football star in high school and was pretty well known within the community. Despite his seemingly normal life, Hart was arrested after kidnapping two pregnant women and raping at least one of them. In 1966, in two separate incidents, Hart held each pregnant woman at gunpoint and forced her into the trunk of a vehicle. He drove them to a secluded area, pulled them into the backseat and either raped or attempted to rape them. The women recalled him not speaking, but making strange, low noises, that didn’t sound human-like. He took at least one of the women’s eyeglasses and used them multiple times. Afterwards, he placed a rag in their mouths, wrapped tape around their mouth, eyes, and nostrils, covered them with brush and left them in the woods to die. Fortunately, they both escaped alive.

Hart pled guilty and was sentenced to 3 consecutive 10-year-sentences. He was imprisoned at Mayes County Jail, about 18 miles away from Camp Scott. During his stay, Hart escaped from prison, but was caught quickly. Wildly enough, Hart was released on parole after only serving 28 months. While out on parole in 1969, Hart was arrested for burglary in Tulsa. He was then sentenced to life. He was returned to Mayes County Jail to serve his sentence. In 1974, Hart and a few other prisoners escaped by using a hacksaw. When the murders occured in 1977, Hart had still not been caught. Being a Cherokee native, Hart had plenty of family members and friends in the area who could and would be willing to house him, despite his issues with the law. His mother’s home was not far from Camp Scott.

During the search of the area, a cave was located about 3 miles away from the camp. In this cave, there were signs that someone had been living inside of it. They found a newspaper that was the same date and issue to match a piece of newspaper that had been found inside of the red box flashlight at the murder scene. The piece had been used to help the battery make a better connection inside of the flashlight. They also found duct tape and pieces of a dark plastic material that matched what was used to cover the lense of the box flashlight.

In addition to these items, they found two pictures of different women, a pair of red lace panties, and glasses that were identified as some that had been stolen from the Camp Scott counselors’ tent. The two photos appeared to be wedding photos and were the best lead that police had to go on to figure out who had been living in the cave. They publicized the two photos in newspapers and on television. Luckily, a prison officer recognized the photos. As his part-time job, he was a wedding photographer. Hart often helped him develop photos at the prison as part of a photography course.

A second cave was found approximately 2 weeks following the murders. A farmer called in that he’d seen Hart in the woods. The cave was found nearby. Outside of it, there were four small piles where fires had been burning, arranged in a semi-circle. There were multiple cigarette butts on the ground, as well as filters that had been snapped off of cigarettes. An OSBI agent on scene, who was also a Cherokee himself, recognized the set-up and the fact that the filters had been torn from the cigarettes as a Native Indian Smoke ritual. The DNA on the butts revealed that the smoker had type O blood. Hart had type O blood. There was a footprint inside of the cave that matched the one that had been found in tent 8, however Hart wore a size 11 shoe.

The third cave, found about a mile from camp, was revealed to police by a prisoner. He said that he’d met Hart there after the murders. At the time, the prisoner was 16-years-old. Investigators found graffiti written on the outside. It read, “77-6-17 THE KILLER WAS HERE BYE BYE FOOLS.”

Sheriff Weaver felt strongly that Hart was their man. With this, the largest manhunt in the history of the state of Oklahoma ensued. Police, dogs, and aircrafts searched the area for weeks, looking for any sign of Hart, while the families of the girls who had been murdered hoped for closure and for the person who hurt their girls to be brought to justice. As the search continued to build momentum, the community seemed to rally around Hart. Most remembered him as a quiet, good kid, a star football player. They didn’t believe he was capable of what he was being accused of.

The Cherokee community was vocal in their belief that Hart was innocent. His mother, Ella Mae Buckskin, said that she knew her son was innocent, and that Sheriff Weaver was attempting to frame him because he didn’t like Indians. Many in Mayes County felt that he was a scapegoat because investigators couldn’t pin the murders on anyone else. They also felt that Sheriff Weaver held a grudge against Hart after he’d escaped twice from prison. Hart had become a sort of legend as the police continued to search for him, which brought lots of unfounded sightings, as well as rumors that Hart was under the protection of Cherokee medicine men.

Throughout the rest of 1977 and early 1978, the search for Hart scaled back and media interest declined. Finally on April 6, 1978, a tip led investigators to the small home of a Cherokee Indian named Sam Pigeon, in the hills of Eastern Cherokee County. He was brought into custody with no issue. The agent recalled saying to Hart, “you killed those little girls, didn’t you?” to which Hart replied, “you’ll never pin it on me.” He was wearing prescription glasses at the time he was captured.

The Trial

As the time for Hart’s trial grew near, the community had again rallied for him. The parents of the murdered girls remembered the awkward feeling of walking into restaurants and seeing jars out, asking for donations for Gene Hart’s defense. They felt as though they were being treated as enemies.

In March of 1979, almost two years after the deaths of Lori, Michele, and Denise, the trial of Gene Leroy Hart began. It was reported that many high profile lawyers had offered Hart their defense, yet he declined.

The community felt that the evidence that police had was either circumstantial, or had been planted. The photos found in the cave that tied the cave to the murders and the cave to Hart were argued by the defense as having been in the custody of Sheriff Weaver. They said that these photos were in Weaver’s desk, but there is no proof of that. Weaver said that he had a signed property receipt for the photos from Hart. The footprint found in the tent was too small for Hart’s foot. Hart also had a vasectomy, however it was later revealed (unsure if it was during the trial or afterwards) that the procedure had been unsuccessful and Hart was still producing sperm.

The hair found in the tape that bound Denise Milner was compared to one of Hart’s and found to be similar. Unfortunately, the forensics in the 70’s was extremely limited so comparisons were the extent of what could be performed. They said that the sperm that was swabbed from the victims also looked similar to Hart’s. On the second search of Sam Pigeon’s home where Hart was ultimately found, police found a toy corn cob pipe and a small mirror that were identified as belonging to one of the counselors. These items were supposedly in plain view and defense argued that they’d been planted after the police’s initial search, and before their second one. Hart never took the stand.

The jury came back with a verdict the following day. They found Hart not guilty for the murders of the three Girl Scouts. The courtroom exploded. People were celebrating and hugging Hart and his attorney. There was yelling and laughter, and a stereo playing from somewhere in the room. The parents of Lori, Michele, and Denise were in disbelief. They had to be escorted out of the courthouse by police.

It was later found in an anonymous interview with one of the jurors that the decision was not difficult for them. They felt that there were quite a few loose ends, and that the evidence was circumstantial. Many speculated that it was easier for the jury to find him innocent, because they knew he would be going back to jail for his previous crimes and serving a life sentence. Prior to the trial, the prosecution had been told they couldn’t bring up his previous crimes during Hart’s trial. However, the defense “let it slip” that Hart would be returning to jail for a life sentence regardless of whether he was found guilty for the murders.

It seemed pretty clear that the state did not intend to pursue the case further after Hart’s verdict. After the trial, the clothing that the girls had been wearing when they were murdered was returned to their parents. On June 4 of the same year, the community was stunned to hear that Hart had died in prison. Reports said he suffered a “probable” heart attack while in the prison yard, which led to cardiac arrest. Hart had a family history of heart problems. Rumors circulated that he’d been poisoned while in prison, but nothing was ever substantiated. Upon his death, it was also found that a sample of Hart’s sperm was very similar to the swab of abnormal sperm that was taken from the scene.

The Aftermath

After the trial, the families of Denise Milner and Lori Farmer sued the Magic Empire Council in a civil suit for $5 million, arguing that their negligence in investigating things prior to the murders that resulted in their daughters’ deaths. There are many reports that said in the years prior to the murders, there had been several burglaries on the campsite and intruders that had been seen or heard by staff and campers. This, in tandem with the reported note left at camp before the summer of 1977, made the parents feel as though they should’ve been notified prior to their children attending camp. They also said that if they’d been aware of how secluded tent 8 was, they wouldn’t have let their children stay there. The jury ruled in favor of the Council.

Richard Guse became an extremely active advocate for the victim’s rights efforts in the state of Oklahoma, eventually becoming the appointed governor of the Crime Victim’s Compensation Board. Sheri Farmer also became a well known advocate for victim’s rights, counseling and teaching others. She and her husband also started an Oklahoma chapter of Parents of Murdered Children on what would’ve been their daughter’s 16th birthday. In 2002, the OSBI attempted DNA analysis from the sperm that was found on the pillowcase at the scene, however the sample was too deteriorated and ultimately inconclusive. There have never been any other charges brought against anyone else for the murders of Lori, Michele, and Denise. On June 14, 1977, Camp Scott closed and never reopened.