1977 Girl Scouts Murders: Police Hope DNA Will Identify Killer

On June 13, 1977, Michele Guse (left), Lori Farmer (middle), and Denise Milner (right) were all brutally murdered while at Camp Scott.

40 years ago, under the darkness of a waning crescent moon, three Girl Scouts were brutally murdered at Camp Scott in Oklahoma. June 13, 1977, marks one of the most terrible and shocking crimes in Oklahoma history, kicking off an investigation that continues to this day.

The now-abandoned Camp Scott is in a densely wooded location on 410 acres in Mayes County, Oklahoma.

Anticipating two weeks of activities and fun, Lori Farmer, 8, Michele Guse, 9, and Denise Milner, 10, were heading to their Girl Scout Camp near Locust Grove, northeast of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Located just two miles from town in Mayes County, Camp Scott had been operated by the Girl Scouts since 1928. Generations of girls had gone to the camp for the annual two-week getaway.

Michelle Hoffman has never forgotten her first time at Camp Scott when she was 9 years old. The first thing she recalled was it was “dark” there. “If you’ve never been camping in a platform tent in the deep woods, it’s a little intimidating,” she told Tulsa World.

However, during daylight, Camp Scott was a beautiful campground and a step away from the hustle and bustle of Tulsa. Hoffman loved it there. She hiked, swam, and slept in tents, coming back every year.