April Dawn Lacy (nicknamed as "Brush Girl") was a previously unidentified

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

homicide victim who was discovered in 1996 in

Decatur, Texas Decatur is the county seat of Wise County, Texas, United States. Its population was 6,538 in 2020. History Wise County was established in 1856, and Taylorsville (in honor of Zachary Taylor) was made the county seat. Absalom Bishop, an early sett ...

. She was identified in 1998 after her face was reconstructed and dental information was compared between both subjects. Although her body was identified, her murder remains unsolved. The circumstances surrounding April's murder are unknown, although she is believed by police to have run away from home and may have engaged in

prostitution Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in Sex work, sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, n ...

Circumstances

April was born in

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, and ...

, on July 2, 1982. She grew up in a poor family who used both drugs and alcohol and was often estranged from them, as she frequently stayed at a friend's house. April had a dysfunctional relationship with her parents, who allowed her to use substances such as cigarettes at a young age. The family reportedly lived in cheap hotels and rummaged through garbage for aluminum cans and other items to provide money for food and drugs. It is also believed that her mother, Jacqueline, had coerced April into prostitution and

shoplifting Shoplifting is the theft of goods from an open retail establishment, typically by concealing a store item on one's person, in pockets, under clothes or in a bag, and leaving the store without paying. With clothing, shoplifters may put on items ...

to provide for her cocaine addiction, although she claims her daughter was not involved with sex trafficking. When she failed to succeed with these tasks, April claimed that she was physically abused. April ran away from home after an argument with her mother, who refused to converse with her daughter about an unknown reason, presumably due to conflict between her parents. Her mother Jacqueline reported her missing on October 3, 1996, which she claimed was the day the argument took place. Her father, Dale, also reported her missing three months later. Some members of the police force have stated that her mother may be more knowledgeable about the murder than she has provided, as there is strong evidence that Jacqueline had served as a pimp for her daughter. By the state of April's remains, it is also believed that she had been missing for longer than reported, as it appeared that she had died at least a week before, instead of five days.

Discovery

On October 8, 1996 a farmer discovered a girl's nude body in a pile of dead branches outside

. When police officers came to the scene, it was presumed that she had been strangled and then dragged, by the arm, to the pile of brush, judging by the position of her body. Her body had decomposed to a point where she was not in a recognizable state, which often causes problems with body identification. Investigators noted that the victim had dyed her hair blond, bit her nails, and was between 5′4″ and 5′5″ tall (~164 cm) at a weight of 110 to 130 pounds (~54 kg). She also lacked any visible identifying features, such as scars or tattoos. A forensic dentist examined her teeth and concluded she was around 14 when she was murdered, although initial reports stated she was between 20 and 40.

Investigation

Because the girl remained unidentified for some time, the officer investigating the case dubbed her as "Brush Girl." Authorities attempted to identify her body by using her physical description to match to missing persons, who were ruled out of the case. Because her body was found near the border between Texas and Oklahoma, it was presumed she may have been native to Oklahoma City or possibly Dallas, Texas. April's face was reconstructed by forensic artist

Karen T. Taylor Karen T. Taylor (born March 6, 1952) is an American forensic and portrait artist who has worked to help resolve criminal cases for a variety of law enforcement agencies throughout the world. Her primary expertise includes composite imagery, c ...

to aid in her future identification. Authorities interviewed April's parents about the circumstances of her disappearance and showed them the sketch of the unidentified girl, which bore a strong resemblance. The Lacy family was reportedly in denial about the possibility that their daughter was murdered, as they "wanted more proof" than a match of dental records, which was made after the teeth of the victim and X-rays taken of April's teeth were compared. Additionally, comparison of sinus passages also matched between the subjects, but did not convince her family. DNA was eventually compared and matched. It is believed that April Lacy was murdered by a

serial killer A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...

who had preyed on prostitutes in the same area. There was also a possibility that she was a victim of the Redhead murders, although her murder took place over a decade after the spree began. Authorities have also traced leads across Oklahoma with no results.

References

Cited works and further reading

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