Oklahoma Girl Scout Murders

How many times do you see a troop of girl scouts standing outside of the grocery store, selling those delicious cookies to raise money for camp? Have you ever wondered what happens at camp? Well, here’s a story that has only happened once, and hopefully never again. 

Camp started on Sunday, June 12, 1977. It was their first night at Camp Scott in Mayes County, Oklahoma. Most of the girls were excited, some were scared, and others were curious about was they were going to experience. 

The youngest girl to attend camp that summer was Lori Lee Farmer, who was just eight years old. She was the oldest of five children in her family and had to make the very difficult decision whether to go to Camp Scott with the girl scouts  or attend a camp at the YMCA. She couldn’t decide, so her mother chose for her. Lori was very smart and mature for her age, so when the bus came to take her to the camp, which was only 45 minutes from her home, her mother hugged her and told her she loved her.

Nine year old Michelle Heather Guse was excited to return to camp. It was going to be her second year, and before she left home, she made sure her mother was going to care for her plants – she had a green thumb, and African Violets were her specialty. She hugged her parents goodbye and let them know she would miss them. 

At only ten years old, Doris Denise Milner, was a bright young lady. A straight-A student, she had already been accepted into Carver Middle School – a Tulsa magnet school that was created for exceptional children. On top of that, she worked hard and sold enough girl scout cookies to go on the trip, along with her friends. Unfortunately, at the last minute, her friends backed out, leaving her to go alone. She was nervous and afraid, and wanted to back out herself, but her mother wouldn’t have it. She encouraged her to go, she had never been to camp before and it would be an exciting experience, helping her gain some independence. So, she went, with the assurance that all it would take was one call home, and her mother would pick her up.

These three beautiful young ladies were grouped together in tent #8 in the camp’s “Kiowa” unit, which just so happened to be located the farthest from the Camp Counselor’s tent, and was partially obscured by the camp showers. A heavy thunderstorm hit the area around 7pm that night, keeping all the kids huddled in their tents for the evening. Assuming all was well, the campers went to sleep.

The next morning, at around 6am, Carla Wilhite, a camp counselor, was on her way to take a shower when she discovered a sleeping bag in the forest. Upon further investigation, she found that a girl’s body was inside. She continued down the trail and found the bodies of two more young ladies, about 150 yards away from their tent. Lori Lee Farmer, Michelle Heather Guse, and Doris Denise Milner had all been raped, bludgeoned, and strangled to death.

Police were called, and the investigation started around 7:30 am. They found a large, red flashlight on top of the girls’ bodies, and it even had a fingerprint on the lens – but to date, the owner of that fingerprint has yet to be identified. Investigators found a shoe-print in blood inside the girls’ tent. The shoe was a size 9.5.

At 10am, they made the decision to evacuate the camp. The girls were loaded onto charter buses, and sent back to the girl scout headquarters, having been told that there was a problem with the water. Parents were notified that they needed to pick up their children, but not given details of what had occurred. Unfortunately, the press had already gotten ahold of the story, and some parents heard about it on the radio before they even made it to meet their children. 

Camp Scott had spent nearly 50 years hosting Girl Scouts, and after the events of June 13, 1977, it was closed and never reopened. 

The investigation continued. The wooden floor of the girls’ tent was covered in blood. What struck them as interesting is that it appeared someone had tried to clean up the blood using towels and even the mattresses. What else caught their eye was the fact that there was another footprint left behind – one outside of the tent, and this one didn’t match the one found inside. They carefully removed the floor from the tent and had it airlifted to the crime lab for further inspection. 

The press somehow catches wind of this new evidence and publishes it for all to see, spurring a large manhunt.

But there was still more evidence to study and catalogue. They found a red flashlight with a piece of newspaper inside of it, a roll of duct table, and a nylon rope close to the area where the bodies were found. Further examination of the bodies produced fingerprints, and a single hair, believed to be that of the perpetrator. The hair belonged to someone of Native American descent. 

Next to the tent, they found a pair of women’s glasses and a glass case that didn’t belong to any of the campers. They were removed and tagged, as they had suspected a woman may have taken part in the slaying of these young ladies. 

A man living in his car just seven miles north of camp was picked up by police and questioned. He was later released, as they believed he had nothing to do with the incident. They move on, this time looking at  a ranch just west of camp, owned by Jack Schroff. Jack had had some items stolen from his cabin, which could be related to the killings. 

They brought in a group of highly trained dogs, later nicknamed “The Wonder Dogs.” These dogs were able to indicate that the perpetrators must have passed by the camp counselors tent first before moving on to tent #8. The dogs followed the scent all the way into the woods before losing it.

They turned to the camp counselors and other children that had been camping that night. They both reported that they had heard strange noises in the night, like a frog or bullhorn. One camper swore she heard a scream and cries, while another recalled seeing a shadowy figure shine a flashlight into her tent. 

They turned back to Jack Schroff. He was questioned again, and even given a polygraph test – which he passed. Sadly, a newspaper got hold of the information and ran a story, indicating that Jack may have been guilty. He began receiving harassing phone calls and death threats, putting him in the hospital under mental distress.

On June 18, Sheriff Pete Weaver announces that he has found the murder weapon – a crowbar with three solid fingerprints on it. Interestingly, neither the District Attorney, or the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) agents know what the sheriff is talking about. 

The Wonder Dogs go out again, this time following a scent to a pond near Schroff Ranch. Investigators drug the pond, but found nothing. Then they catch wind of a rumor; a local medicine man has put a curse on the investigation, and on the tracking dogs. The rumor says that the dogs will soon die. As luck would have it, one of the dogs died of heat stroke later that day, and another ran out into the road, where it was struck by a vehicle and killed. 

The owner of the tracking dogs drops a line to the press, telling them they have found solid evidence and there would be a break in the case soon. Backing him up, Sheriff Weaver announces that they have a suspect in mind, and the OSBI suggests that they have three suspects with a mountain of evidence – but still no murder weapon. The District Attorney maintains that there are no suspects as of yet, and then retracts this statement the next day when he announces that there are several suspects in the case. 

The third Wonder Dog then ran out into heavy traffic and was killed by a car, leaving only one dog left.

On June 21, the Oklahoma Governor, David Boren, offers up the help of the National Guard. The next day It’s revealed that they found some photographs that are of interest. As is expected in this case, information is bungled, and one source says the pictures were found near the girls’ bodies, while another reported that the pictures were found in a cave just 2 miles from camp, where it appeared someone had been living. 

Regardless of where they were found, the crime lab took the photos and determined that they had been developed by Gene Leroy Hart, while he was incarcerated and working at the photo lab of Granite Reformatory. Turns out, Gene Leroy Hart was an escaped convict, having escaped from the Mayes County Jail in 1973. Hart had been convicted of kidnapping and raping two pregnant women, and also had four counts of first degree burglary. Facts that really stuck out was that during the investigation into his previous crimes, investigators learned that he had planned his crime months in advance, and had no plans to bring the women out alive. He had taken them deep into the woods. He kept one locked in his car trunk, and for no known reason, he tried on her eye glasses to see if the prescription, or look, suited him. He ended up abandoning the woman by a small pond – the same pond the Wonder Dogs had hit on. Gene Leroy Hart was Native American, and had grown up in the area, having lived only a mile from Camp Scott, and knew the area very well. 

A manhunt commenced, and over 200 law enforcement officials, and over 400 volunteers joined in. What should have been a well organized search, became a scene of chaos. Several volunteers had brought firearms, which they were not supposed to have, and several others were so intoxicated they could barely function. Others ended up being arrested themselves, for drug possession. 

Further impeding the search, was the American Indian Movement (AIM), who felt they needed to monitor the situation, as they believed there was racial profiling going on. Gene Leroy Hart’s mother claims that law enforcement planted evidence on her son, as they had no suspect. She proclaimed that Sheriff Weaver was corrupt, and just wanted to pin it on someone. 

On June 29, the FBI dispatched 40 agents to help in the case, and by the 30th, they claim that they have proof that Hart was in the area during the time of the murders. Someone even spotted a man matching Hart’s description in the area, and K9 tracking dogs were dispatched. They picked up the trail, but lost it shortly after. 

By July 6, the autopsies of the three campers were released. The director of OSBI, Jeff Laird, called a press conference where he announced that what they believed to be fingerprints on the girls’ bodies, were in fact not. He ended the press conference by saying, “I would say with certainty that Hart is guilty because I would not say with certainty that any person who has not yet been tried were guilty, but we do have a great deal of evidence in this case that points to his guilt.”

Investigators believe they have collected all the evidence they can from Camp Scott, and pack up and leave. They leave the camp to be monitored by a private security firm. Wanting answers, Girl Scouts around the country raise money, and a $15,000 reward is offered for the capture of the person responsible for this atrocity. 

Back at camp, the private security firm spots someone in the bush, and immediately go investigate. After finding nothing, they return empty handed, and find a bag on the steps of the camp director’s office. Inside was a wet pair of shoes and socks – later determined to have belonged to Doris Denise Milner. 

Searching the area again, investigators take a look at a cave near the camp where they find several pieces of evidence – the most shocking being a note written on the wall stating “77-6-17. The killer was here. Bye Bye fools.”

Investigators received a tip that Hart was staying with Medicine Man, Sam Pigeon, just 45 miles away from Camp Scott, and on April 6, 1978, he was arrested and taken directly to the Oklahoma State Penitentiary. One thing that stood out about Hart, was the eyeglasses he wore – women’s glasses.

The trial began on March 19 among numerous protests and riots. Tensions among the Cherokee natives were high, and a legal fund was setup to help defend Hart. In the end, the prosecution was unable to convince a jury that Gene Leroy Hart was guilty, and he was acquitted of all charges. However, since Hart was a convicted rapist, and jail escapee, he still had  305 years left of his 308 year sentence left to serve. He was escorted back to prison where he remained until June 4, 1979 when he collapsed and died after an hour of lifting weights and jogging in the prison exercise yard. 

The OSBI still believes that Hart is guilty, and continue trying to prove it to this day. In 1989, the FBI was able to connect Hart to the murders using Genetic Testing. In 2008, they conducted DNA testing which also pointed the finger at Hart, as three of five items matched – but the test was ultimately deemed inconclusive due to the age of the samples. 

Some question whether the murders could have been prevented, as there was evidence that the act was premeditated. 

In April 1977, 2 months before the girl scouts arrived for camp, there was a special Girl Scout cadet weekend. While there, Michelle Hoffman, who was also an aide at the camp in June, found that someone had gone into her tent while she and others were away on a training session. “Our bags had been scattered all over the tent and some outside,” she said. A box of donuts she had brought from home had been emptied, and among the crumbs she found a note on a small steno pad. On the first three pages was written, Kill, Kill, Kill over and over again. Then, on one of the pages, “We’re on a mission to kill three girls.”

Unfortunately, that note was dismissed as nothing more than a prank – that is until three girls were killed.