Dark Dialogue Episodes Posting Soon! Shadows Over Camp Scott: The Oklahoma Girl Scout Murders

On June 13, 1977, the serene woods of Camp Scott in Mayes County, Oklahoma, became the scene of one of the state’s most horrific crimes. Three young Girl Scouts—Lori Lee Farmer (8), Michele Heather Guse (9), and Doris Denise Milner (10)—were raped, beaten, and murdered on their first night at summer camp. The tragedy, known as the Oklahoma Girl Scout Murders, shattered families and communities, leaving a legacy of grief and unresolved questions. I firmly believe Gene Leroy Hart, a Cherokee fugitive, was guilty of these heinous murders, supported by 2022 DNA evidence, but the failures of Camp Scott staff and the Magic Empire Girl Scout Council—particularly their dismissal of a threatening note and lax safety measures—enabled the crime and hindered justice. While the police investigation had flaws, the camp’s negligence was the primary failure. This blog post honors Lori, Michele, and Denise—cherished by their families—focusing on their vibrant lives, the profound impact on their loved ones, and the enduring quest for truth, as explored in media like the Dark Dialogue podcast.

The Victims: Bright Lights Extinguished

Lori Lee Farmer

Lori Lee Farmer, an 8-year-old from Tulsa, was a bright, curious girl with a contagious smile. Known to her family as Lori, she was the youngest of five children born to Bo and Sheri Farmer. Lori loved Girl Scouts, eagerly anticipating her first overnight camp at Camp Scott to make friends and explore nature. Sheri described her as “full of life,” with a knack for storytelling and a love for animals, often bringing home stray pets. A budding artist, Lori filled notebooks with colorful drawings and dreamed of becoming a veterinarian. Her faith, rooted in her family’s church community, shone through her singing in the children’s choir. To her parents, Lori was their “little sunshine,” a nickname reflecting her warmth and optimism.

Michele Heather Guse

Michele Heather Guse, aged 9, was a spirited girl from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, known to her family as Michele. The daughter of Richard and Georgeann Guse, Michele was an adventurous soul with a passion for the outdoors. She excelled in school, particularly in reading, and wrote thoughtful poems for her parents. Having attended Camp Scott the previous year, Michele was thrilled to return for hiking and crafting. Georgeann told a newspaper that Michele asked her to care for her African violets while away, reflecting her nurturing side. Richard recalled her infectious laugh and backyard “campouts” with her brother, Michael. Michele’s kindness made her a natural leader, and her family cherished her as their “dreamer,” a nickname capturing her imaginative spirit.

Denise Milner

Doris Denise Milner, 10, known as Denise to her family, was a vivacious girl from Tulsa with a bold personality. The daughter of Bettye Milner, Denise was a protective older sister who loved music and dance, choreographing routines for her siblings. Bettye described her as “fearless,” with a quick wit and a heart for helping others, evident in her church food drive volunteering. Initially excited for Camp Scott, Denise grew reluctant when friends backed out, crying on the bus but bonding with Lori and Michele. Her letter home expressed dislike for camp but joy in her new friends. A straight-A student admitted to a Tulsa gifted school, Denise dreamed of becoming a teacher. To her family, she was their “firecracker,” a nickname reflecting her vibrant energy.

The Fateful Night: June 12–13, 1977

On June 12, 1977, buses filled with excited Girl Scouts departed from Tulsa’s Magic Empire Headquarters for Camp Scott, a 410-acre retreat near Locust Grove, Oklahoma. Lori, Michele, and Denise, assigned to Tent 8 (sometimes reported as Tent 7) in the Kiowa Unit, were strangers but quickly bonded. The camp, a supposed safe haven for nearly 50 years, was marred by critical oversights by its staff and the Magic Empire Girl Scout Council. Weeks earlier, during a training session, a counselor found her belongings ransacked and a handwritten note in an empty doughnut box reading, “We are on a mission to kill three girls in tent one” (tent numbers later changed, with Tent 8 targeted). The camp staff and council dismissed this chilling warning as a prank, a reckless decision I believe directly contributed to the tragedy by failing to enhance security or alert authorities.

After dinner and a campfire, the girls wrote letters home. Lori’s was cheerful, Michele described the camp’s beauty, and Denise noted her new friends despite mixed feelings. Around 10:00 p.m., they settled into Tent 8, 150 yards from the counselor’s cabin—far too isolated for adequate supervision, another failure of the camp’s layout and oversight. As a thunderstorm hit, I believe Gene Leroy Hart exploited these lapses, entering through the tent’s back between 2:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. on June 13 to sexually assault and murder Lori, Michele, and Denise. Their bodies were bludgeoned and strangled, then placed in sleeping bags. Denise’s body was left naked near a tree, while Lori and Michele’s were found inside sleeping bags nearby, about 140 meters from the tent. Evidence included duct tape, a red flashlight with a garbage bag over the lens, a red hair, and a partial fingerprint, but no murder weapon was recovered.

At 6:00 a.m., counselor Carla Wilhite discovered Denise’s body, followed by Lori and Michele’s, triggering panic. The 140 campers were evacuated, and the Mayes County Sheriff’s Office, with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI), launched an investigation. The murders’ brutality—Lori with severe head trauma, Michele strangled, and Denise beaten and assaulted—stunned the community. Sheriff Mike Reed later theorized the killer, whom I believe was Hart, entered the tent, killed one girl with two hammer blows, incapacitated another with bludgeoning, and then targeted the third, exploiting the camp’s poor lighting and isolated tent placement. These oversights by Camp Scott and the Girl Scout Council, I believe, enabled Hart’s calculated attack.

Camp and Council Failures Enable Hart’s Crimes

I am convinced Gene Leroy Hart was guilty of the murders of Lori, Michele, and Denise, but the negligence of Camp Scott staff and the Magic Empire Girl Scout Council was the primary failure that allowed Hart to commit these atrocities, while a flawed investigation further hindered justice. Hart, a 33-year-old Cherokee fugitive from Locust Grove, was arrested in April 1978 after a 10-month manhunt. A 1973 escapee from Mayes County Jail, convicted of rape and burglary, Hart was hiding in the Cookson Hills. Evidence linking him to the murders included a partial fingerprint, a flashlight at the scene, and items in a nearby cave—masking tape matching the flashlight and two wedding photos Hart developed in a prison photo lab. Witnesses reported a man matching Hart’s description—a 5’10”, 180-pound Cherokee with dark hair—near the camp, and a jailhouse informant claimed Hart confessed.

The 2022 DNA evidence solidifies my belief in Hart’s guilt. Sheriff Mike Reed raised $30,000 for advanced testing, revealing a partial profile from a semen stain on a pillowcase in Michele’s sleeping bag matching Hart, with a 1 in 7,700 probability among Native Americans. The OSBI stated the evidence points solely to Hart, reinforcing my conviction. Hart’s knowledge of the camp’s layout from his youth, his history of violent sexual crimes, and stolen items (glasses, a crowbar) found in the cave suggest premeditation. I believe Hart acted alone, targeting Tent 8 due to its isolation, a vulnerability created by the camp’s negligence.

The Camp Scott staff and Magic Empire Girl Scout Council’s failures were egregious. Dismissing the threatening note as a prank was a catastrophic error, ignoring a clear warning that could have prompted increased security, such as additional counselors, better lighting, or closer tent placements. The council failed to implement adequate safety protocols, leaving Tent 8 dangerously isolated, 150 yards from supervision, with no perimeter checks during the storm. Post-murder, the camp’s inadequate response—failing to preserve the crime scene before police arrived—allowed contamination, complicating the investigation. The council’s refusal to accept responsibility, as noted in Keeper of the Ashes (2022), deepened the families’ pain, with no formal apology or safety reforms implemented.

The police investigation, while flawed, was secondary to the camp’s negligence. Issues like unsecured crime scenes, mishandled evidence (e.g., the red hair on the flashlight, not matching Hart or the victims), and degraded DNA from 1989 and 2008 tests due to poor storage weakened the case. Key witnesses—campers hearing noises or seeing a man—were not thoroughly followed up, and alternative suspects, like a nearby convicted rapist, were underexplored, though I believe Hart was the perpetrator. At Hart’s 1979 trial, prosecuted by S.M. “Buddy” Fallis Jr. at the families’ request, the defense argued he was framed due to his fugitive status. The jury acquitted Hart after five hours, a travesty I attribute primarily to the camp’s initial failures and secondarily to investigative shortcomings. Hart died of a heart attack in prison two months later, serving time for unrelated crimes, leaving the case technically unsolved but, in my view, clearly pointing to his guilt.

The Families’ Grief and Resilience

The murders of Lori, Michele, and Denise, enabled by the camp’s negligence and Hart’s actions, left their families—the Farmers, Guses, and Milners—devastated. The lack of justice, compounded by the Girl Scout Council’s inaction, deepened their pain. Each family channeled their grief into advocacy, ensuring the girls’ legacies endure.

The Farmer Family

Bo and Sheri Farmer, Lori’s parents, were heartbroken by the loss of their “little sunshine.” Sheri, in a 2023 People Magazine Investigates interview, recalled the judge’s words post-acquittal: “Sometimes the guilty go free,” fueling her advocacy. In 1984, Sheri founded the Oklahoma chapter of Parents of Murdered Children (https://www.pomc.org/), supporting grieving families. She campaigned for Marsy’s Law in 2018, enhancing Oklahoma victims’ rights, and speaks to students and legislators. Bo, an emergency-room physician, supported Sheri, honoring Lori through community service. Sheri told People, “I always call this Lori’s legacy of love,” reflecting their resilience.

The Guse Family

Richard and Georgeann Guse, Michele’s parents, mourned their “dreamer” with quiet strength. Richard, a retail credit manager, worked with former state Attorney General Mike Turpen to establish the Oklahoma Crime Victims Compensation Board (https://www.ok.gov/cvc/), serving as its president, and helped pass the Oklahoma Victims’ Bill of Rights. Georgeann preserved Michele’s bedroom, with the June 1977 calendar unchanged, as noted in a 1988 Oklahoman article. Their resolve to “make something good” led to a Girl Scout scholarship fund. Richard, who died in 2018, said in a 2022 KOCO-TV statement, “Michele’s memory lives on through our work.” Georgeann, now in her late 80s, contributed to Someone Cry for the Children (1993), keeping Michele’s legacy alive.

The Milner Family

Bettye Milner, Denise’s mother, raised her children alone, making the loss of her “firecracker” crushing. Bettye advocated for child safety, speaking at schools about camp security. In a 2016 Tulsa World interview, she said, “She was my protector, my joy.” In Keeper of the Ashes (2022), Bettye shared Denise’s letter, revealing her camp struggles and friendships. Bettye’s faith sustained her, and her annual memorials kept Denise’s spirit alive. Her advocacy inspired safety reforms, though she died in 2020, still seeking justice.

The families’ efforts transformed grief into action, but Hart’s acquittal, which I believe was a miscarriage of justice enabled by the camp’s failures, and the council’s lack of accountability remain wounds. Sheri Farmer, in a 2022 News9 interview, called Sheriff Reed “family” for his DNA efforts but noted, “One piece is always missing.”

How to Honor the Victims

The legacies of Lori Lee Farmer, Michele Heather Guse, and Doris Denise Milner live on through their families’ advocacy and the community’s commitment to justice. To honor their memory:

1. Listen to Lauren’s story, covered on Dark Dialogue. It can be listed to everyplace you get podcasts, or on the player below.
2. Watch and Listen to Their Stories:
   • Explore the case through People Magazine Investigates: Girl Scout Murders (Season 7, Episode 1, 2023), on Investigation Discovery, Max, or Hulu.
   • Watch Keeper of the Ashes: The Oklahoma Girl Scout Murders (2022), a four-part Hulu series narrated by Kristin Chenoweth, a former Oklahoma Girl Scout.
   • Watch True Life Crime (Season 2, Episode 2, 2021) on MTV, streamable on Paramount+ or Amazon Prime Video.
   • Listen to the Dark Dialogue podcast for a compassionate exploration of Lori, Michele and Denise’s murders, available anywhere you listen to podcasts, alongside other podcasts such as:
     • Late Edition: Crime Beat Chronicles (2021, Tulsa World series)
     • Th Morbid’s two-part episode (2021)

1. Visit Advocacy Resources: Learn about the families’ work through the Oklahoma chapter of Parents of Murdered Children (https://www.pomc.org/) and the Oklahoma Crime Victims Compensation Board (https://www.ok.gov/cvc/). Support Sheri Farmer’s efforts via Marsy’s Law Oklahoma (https://www.marsyslaw.us/states/oklahoma/).
2. Support Child Safety: Contribute to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (https://www.missingkids.org/) or local Girl Scout councils to enhance camp safety, honoring the girls’ love for scouting and addressing the council’s past failures.
3. Raise Awareness: Share the girls’ stories on social media with #JusticeForLoriMicheleDenise or contact the Mayes County Sheriff’s Office at (918) 825-3535 with tips. Support the families’ call for renewed investigation, as urged by Sheri Farmer in 2022.
4. Honor Their Spirits: Reflect Lori’s love for animals by volunteering at shelters, Michele’s passion for reading and plants by donating to literacy programs or botanical gardens, or Denise’s flair for dance by supporting youth arts programs.

7. Stay Informed: Follow updates on true crime on this website. We will post updates as they become available.
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A Legacy of Light Amid Darkness

Lori Lee Farmer, Michele Heather Guse, and Doris Denise Milner were radiant girls whose lives were stolen by Gene Leroy Hart, whom I believe was undeniably guilty of their brutal murders, as supported by DNA evidence. The negligence of Camp Scott and the Magic Empire Girl Scout Council—ignoring a threatening note and failing to ensure safety—enabled Hart’s crimes, while a flawed investigation failed to convict him. The case, explored in Dark Dialogue, Keeper of the Ashes, and People Magazine Investigates, remains Oklahoma’s most haunting mystery. The resilience of the Farmer, Guse, and Milner families—through Sheri’s victims’ rights advocacy, Richard and Georgeann’s legislative work, and Bettye’s safety campaigns—ensures the girls’ legacies endure. As they seek justice for Lori, Michele, and Denise, may their efforts bring closure, and may the girls’ spirits inspire us to honor their memory with compassion and action.