What happened to Vicki Lynne Hoskinson? Case explored as Frank Atwood is executed for the 1984 killing of 8-year-old

Frank Atwood has been executed for the 1984 murder of Vicki Lynne Hoskinson (representative image via Getty)

On June 8 2020, 66-year-old Frank J. Atwood was executed for the 1984 kidnapping and murder of Vicki Lynne Hoskinson. Hoskinson’s remains were later discovered in a desert 20 miles from Tucson. As per court records, her body was in such a state of decay that her cause of death could not be determined.

According to New York Post, the State of Arizona executed Frank J. Atwood by lethal injection. Attwood was a repeat offender, and at the time he had killed Hoskinson, he had been on parole for prior kidnappings.

Vicki Lynne Hoskinson was missing for months before authorities recovered her body in the desert. Frank J. Atwood was convicted of her murder 2 years after this, in 1986.

The Arizona Daily Star reported that Frank J. Atwood died at 10:16 AM on Wednesday, 12 minutes after he was given a lethal dose of pentobarbital. The family of Vicki Lynne Hoskinson, including her mother Debbie Carlson and stepfather George Carlson, witnessed the execution.

---

What happened to Vicki Lynne Hoskinson?

According to Associated Press, the last time Vicki Lynne Hoskinson was seen she had been leaving her Tucson home in order to mail a birthday card at a nearby mail box.

Hoskinson went missing after she was allegedly abducted by Atwood, who had already been involved in two child abductions and at least one other misconduct case, involving a child under 14.

The Tucson Weekly reported that 10 days after Hoskinson's disappearance, Atwood was arrested for the murder, based on witness testimony. It was seven months after this testimony that Hoskinson's remains were found in a desert, some 20 miles away from Tucson.

In 1987, an Arizona court found Atwood guilty of first-degree murder. According to the Daily Star, during his time on death row, he pursued education and focused on spirituality.

Debbie Carlson, the mother of Vicki Lynne Hoskinson, described Atwood’s time in prison:

“(Atwood has) gotten married, been baptized in the Greek Orthodox Christian Church, obtained 2 associate degrees, a bachelor’s degree in English/pre-law and a master’s degree in literature. He has written 6 books, 5 of which have been published.”

Arizona Central reported that in his final statement, Atwood continued to maintain his innocence.

With his last words, he said:

“Thank you, precious father, for coming today and shepherding me into faith. I want to thank my beautiful wife who has loved me with everything she has. I want to thank my friends and legal team, and most of all, Jesus Christ through this unfair judicial process that led to my salvation.”

At the execution, Debbie Carlson, who became a victim’s rights activist after the murder of her daughter, spoke to reporters about her child, going on to say:

“Her royal blue eyes reflected an old soul of wisdom, and her freckled nose was unique and we are blessed to see it in our grandchildren today. Vicki was a feisty little one that always kept you on your toes and will forever be known as dennis the menace, giggling all the way”

According to the New York Post, there are 111 death row inmates in the Arizona prison system, 22 of whom have exhausted their appeals. At the time of his execution, Frank J. Atwood was the longest serving death row prisoner.