Camps are places for relaxation, fun, and reflection. Scout camps provide a way for young people to learn about the environment and pick up new skills. On 13 June 1977, girl scouts set out on their own adventure in Camp Scott, near Locust Grove, Oklahoma. Their two-week stay started with dark clouds in the sky. Rain was on its way. At the time, no one knew that the evening would also bring pain, sorrow, and interrogations to communities.
First introductions
Heavy rain washed away all the plans for evening activities. Instead, camp counselors sent the girl scouts back to their tents to write letters to their families. Doris Denise Milner (10 years old), Michelle Heather Guse (9 years old), and Lori Lee Farmer (8 years) rushed into their Kiowa Unit tent. While a storm raged outside, the three girls got comfortable in their new accommodation. The plan was that they would be joined by a fourth member the next day. Lori wrote in her letter:
I’ve met two new friends. I’m sharing a tent with them. We’re sleeping on cots. I couldn’t wait to write. Love, Lori.
Lori, along with her new friends, then settled in for the night on their respective cots. Outside, the sky was pitch black.
Noises in the dark
Carla Sue Wilhite, a camp counselor, woke at around midnight. Her ears perked when she heard noises outside. Soon, she discovered a group of giggling girls near the outdoor latrine. The transgressors marched back to their sleeping areas, with Carla Sue Wilhite as an escort.
Only a few hours later, Tent 6’s laughter rippled through the forest. Wilhite directed a flashlight at the tent, demanded silence, and then paid the girls a visit with another camp counselor. The night became quiet once again.
A low moan pierced the peaceful atmosphere. With a flashlight in hand, Wilhite ventured outside to locate the source of the noise. She shone a light into the woods between Tent 1 and 2. The noise stopped all of a sudden. Once she walked away, the moan flared up, but then it stopped again when she directed her flashlight in that direction again. When she was back in her tent, the noise became louder outside.
Malicious eyes
Carla Sue Wilhite went to the showers just after 6 am to beat the morning rush. Near her tent, three sleeping bags lay on the ground. Inside: Michele Guse, Lori Farmer, and Doris Denise Milner. All three were motionless.
Camp Scott authorities bussed all the other girls to Tulsa that morning. Scouts didn’t get the chance to pack all their belongings before the evacuation. Parents reunited with their confused children.
Investigators analyzed the area after their arrival. They noted that Tent 8 of the Kiowa Unit, which had been the three girls’ quarters, was far away from the other tents. The shower facilities also blocked the counselor tent’s view of this unit. Someone had chosen it because of its isolation.
At the crime scene itself, there were eyeglasses, a red flashlight, duct tape, and rope. Someone had also jammed a piece of the Tulsa World newspaper inside the flashlight to quieten any rattling noises. There was also evidence of sexual molestation. Investigators formulated the theory that the guilty party had killed Michele and Lori inside the tent, then transported Michele to the location in the woods.
Scrutinized gaps
Discoveries in the area allowed investigators to piece together the movements of the guilty party. Shroff Ranch, about a mile from Camp Scott, reported that someone had stolen beer, duct tape, and rope from their premises. Officers also found a message in a nearby cave:
The killer was here. Bye bye fools.
A survey of the caves also produced duct tape, grocery items, and an edition of the Tulsa World that matched the one at the crime scene. Stranger still, they also discovered two photographs of women. They traced the photos to Louis Lindsey, an employee of Granite Reformatory, who had developed them for one former prisoner. This prisoner’s name was Gene Leroy Hart.
Net escapee
In June 1966, Gene Leroy Hart had kidnapped two women outside of a Tulsa nightclub, before he raped them in a parking lot. He had left them for dead, but they both survived. Authorities caught Hart, charged him with rape and kidnapping, and sent him to prison. He was out on parole in a couple of months, though.
Downtown, Tulsa, Oklahoma. By STAN ACUFF from Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0).
Once he was free, he committed a spate of violent burglaries. During his fourth robbery, he targeted the house of a Tulsa police officer, which made him more infamous. When he was caught again, he faced 308 years of jail time.
In 1973, he escaped custody, only to be caught soon thereafter. And then he escaped only a couple of months later. He was still at large on 13 June 1977, when the Camp Scott murders took place. The police had to find the elusive individual.
Contact sparks ideas
To uncover Gene Leroy Hart’s whereabouts, authorities offered a reward, monitored family members, and scoured Oklahoma. Over the months, he always evaded capture. Almost a year later, on 6 April 1978, OSBI agents acted on an informant’s tip that claimed Hart was in the Cookson Hills. They arrested him at a shack he shared with an old man.
In March 1979, the Camp Scott trial took place in Mayes County. The prosecution pointed to the hair found on Denise Milner’s body, which was similar to Gene Leroy Hart’s, as evidence that the accused had been present at the crime scene. Sperm from the victim’s bodies also matched Hart’s. Furthermore, only 0,002% of the US population, including Hart, matched the characteristics of the crime scene semen sample.
The defense used Gene Leroy Hart’s heritage — he was a member of the Anigiduwagi nation (also called Cherokee) — in its theories. They postulated the authorities had planted the blue mirror and corncob pipe, which someone had taken from Camp Scott, in the shack to frame their client. They also highlighted how the old man, his fellow tenant, claimed he had never seen the items during his stay.
After some deliberation, the jury came back with their verdict: not guilty. Still, Gene Leroy Hart returned to jail to serve out the remainder of his 308-year sentence. A couple of weeks later, in June, he jogged inside the prison yard. He then collapsed during his run.
A heart attack was the purported cause of death. Some theorized poison may have played a role, since officials had confiscated cyanide from McAlester State Prison prisoners only a day prior to the death of the 35-year-old.
Data surfaces
Camp Scout became a hunting ground after the traumatic events of 1977. The case remained open while people sought definitive answers. In 2016, Mayes County residents raised $30 000 for another round of DNA tests.
In May 2022, Mayes County Sheriff Mike Reed announced the tests linked Hart to the Camp Scott murders. The results also helped to eliminate a roster of other suspects. Sheriff Reed said:
Unless something new comes up, something brought to light we are not aware of, I am convinced where I’m sitting of Hart’s guilt and involvement in this case.
Officially, the case remained open after the announcement. For this status to change, The District Attorney’s Office, OSBI, Sheriff’s Office, and the victims’ families would have to agree to close the case. The new information has brought more clarity years later.
If you enjoy our writing, please consider leaving a small donation. Your support helps keep the lights on and allows us to hire more writers and grow our site.
