UPBRINGING

Lucia, a mysterious and troubled figure, grew up in Illinois, but frequently traveled to Missouri. 

 

CONNECTIONS TO VICTIM PENNY 

In 1986, Lucia allegedly solicited sexual relations from Penny, a young woman who would later be murdered in Missouri. Although there is no direct evidence tying Lucia to Penny’s death, the circumstances surrounding their association have raised questions.

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CONNECTIONS TO WITNESS DOTTIE AND VICTIM APRIL

During the same year, Dottie, a fisherwoman from Kansas City, witnessed Lucia swimming in LaRue Swamp, Missouri. This sighting occurred near the time Dottie bore witness to the violent murder of her close friend, April (also in MO). Despite the lack of  physical proof connecting Lucia to either crime, her enigmatic presence in the region has fueled suspicions.

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CONNECTIONS TO VICTIM ELSBETH AND WITNESS GRETA

Lucia's history of fixation and rivalry was most evident in her relationship with Elsbeth, a fellow student at a prestigious dance academy in Northbrook, Illinois. Fellow suspect, Greta, was childhood friends at the dance academy with both Elsbeth and Lucia before Elsbeth and Lucia's feud (ultimately, Greta sided with Lucia). This lifelong jealousy culminated in the infamous "pointe shoe incident," where Greta watched Lucia embed needles into Elsbeth’s ballet shoes. When Elsbeth was murdered in 1990 in Illinois, Lucia quickly became a prime suspect. 

 

LUCIA'S INNOCENT PLEA

Her alibi—attending a film screening—fell apart when investigators discovered the theater had been closed for renovations that night. To complicate matters, a partial fingerprint found on the mezzanine railing matched Lucia's, but with an eerie anomaly: the print appeared elongated, as if her fingers had unnaturally stretched.

 

The case grew even stranger with the DNA analysis of hair recovered at the crime scene. While the DNA was human, it contained markers typically associated with amphibians, baffling forensic experts. 

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CONCLUSION

Despite these unsettling discoveries, no conclusive evidence has ever directly tied Lucia to Elsbeth, Penny, or April’s deaths. 

 

 

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TESTIMONY QUOTES

 

DOTTIE: “She was human, but had an energy like wacko. I distinctly remember a girl who looked like that suspect, Lucia, you know...emerging from the water. Petrifying…And- later that day my best friend April was dead…I think Lucia did it” 

 

GRETA: “Lucia wasn’t nice, and I was naive. She was a childhood friend...and I took her side over Elsbeth. Since Elsbeth died, I haven’t seen or heard from Lucia. I- I, Lucia couldn't murder someone....She would never do that...”

 

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