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Kristin Chenoweth investigates the unsolved murders of three Girl Scouts in June 1977 in the new ABC News special Keeper of the Ashes: The Oklahoma Girl Scout Murders.
The Tony Award winner, 53, opened up about her connection to the tragedy. She was supposed to be at Camp Scott, the sleepaway camp where the murders occurred, until an illness prevented her from attending.
Now, 45 years later, in the ABC documentary, Chenoweth and investigators delve deeper into the unsolved case.
The four-part docuseries, which premieres on Hulu on May 24, examines the deaths of Lori Lee Farmer, Michele Heather Guse, and Doris Denise Milner in June 1977.
How is Kristin Chenoweth connected to the Girl Scout murders in Oklahoma?
Chenoweth revealed the terrifying childhood memory in the trailer for the ABC News Studio documentary Keeper of the Ashes: The Oklahoma Girl Scout Murders, released on Monday, May 16.
Chenoweth said:
“I remember I should have been on that trip, but I got sick, and mom said, 'You can't go.' It stuck with me my whole life. I could have been one of them. When I think of those three girls, I wonder what's the best way to honour them. That's why I'd come back home, to find answers once and for all. “
Chenoweth claims that her near-death experience has left her forever changed.
"There's no closure," she said. "There's no pretty red bow at the end. "
She said:
"It haunts me every day, but this story needs to be told."
Detailed description of the murders and the investigation
A group of Girl Scouts arrived at Camp Scott in Locust Grove, Oklahoma, in 1977. Three Girl Scouts, Lori Farmer, 8, Michele Guse, 9, and Doris Denise Milner, 10, were se*ually abused and murdered outside their tent on the first night of the trip.
Gene Leroy Hart, 35, was arrested as a suspect ten days later. Hart escaped from prison while serving time for other crimes.
Hart was charged with three counts of first-degree murder, but a jury found him not guilty in 1979. Later that year, while serving his original sentence, he died in prison.
Camp Scott was evacuated and closed down after the bodies of the girls were discovered. However, last Monday, Sheriff Mike Reed announced the results of some 2019 DNA testing. The results were made public at the request of the victims' relatives.
The new tests created partial profiles of the murderer, which Reed claims may be used to rule out potential suspects:
“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."
The ABC News series is now delving into fresh DNA evidence to identify the killer.
