Janet Lucas (Christy Crystal Creek): Solved 1985

On September 9, 1985, a bear hunter walking along a rugged logging ridge overlooking Crystal Creek, twenty-two miles south of Missoula in Western Montana, stumbled across human skeletal remains partially covered in gravel. A young woman had been shot twice in the back of the head. For thirty-six years, she was known across the Pacific Northwest as "Christy Crystal Creek"—one of the unidentified victims of Montana serial killer Wayne Nance, the "Missoula Mauler."

Discovery, Wayne Nance Confession & Autopsy Findings

Pathologists estimated the victim had died between 1983 and 1984. She was between 18 and 24 years old, approximately 4 feet 10 inches to 5 feet 2 inches tall, with brown hair and extensive dental restorations. Two .32 caliber lead bullets were recovered from her cervical spine and skull.

In 1986, suspected serial killer Wayne Nance was shot and killed by a homeowner during an attempted home invasion murder in Missoula. A search of Nance's residence yielded hair, jewelry, and personal items belonging to multiple women, including the boots of another local victim, Marcella Bachmann. While physical evidence linked Nance to Christy Crystal Creek's murder, her legal name remained completely unknown.

Chronological Case Timeline