Solved?: The Oklahoma Girl Scout Murders 

I went to a Girl Scout camp around the same time in MD. I went with my little sister. She went missing. I freaked out & wanted to call my parents. The counselors wouldn’t let me. I was 16 at the time, and no little kid. I ended up getting my way & got my mother to come right away. Meanwhile, they found my sister. She was ok. My parents were incensed, to say the least, that the supervision was so lax. Needless to say, we went home immediately. Moral of the story: if a kid is uncomfortable & wants to call their parents, LET THEM. Poor Denise might still be alive if she was allowed to call her mother. Sometimes we have a “feeling” that something is not right. Since we’re children, we don’t know exactly what’s wrong. I’m willing to bet Denise had that feeling, just like I did.

How does a man get only a few months in jail for two counts of kidnapping and rape!?!

OMG! Denise's letter is just heartbreaking. Her mother's heart must have sunk through the floor when she read this. Those poor girls. Some evil just can't be excused.

This case is the reason my parents never let me go to camp or spend the night anywhere. I thought they were ridiculous at the time. Now that I’m a parent, I get it.😢

I sold my 10yr old butt off so I could go. When my troop leader called to secure my spot at camp, my mom told me in Spanish to leave the room. She told me it was a no & of course I was livid. When I got older, she explained what happened to these beautiful girls. She already buried one baby, she wasn’t about to do it again

One of the most heartbreaking cases ever .. & poor little Denise wanted to go home . I can’t even imagine wanting to go home, having such a miserable time at camp & then something like this happening to her & her new friends . That is extremely sad . Thank you for sharing this case 🙏🏼

I attended many different NJ Girl Scout camps from the late 60’s to’72. We had those exact platform tents. The best part for me was that my highly creative, amazing Mom was our troop leader, and everyone always said, “You’re SO LUCKY!” My Dad would come for dinner (with my younger sisters) and teach knots, wood carving, and other skills. He’d stay overnight and patrol, keeping “all his girls safe.”

I can't imagine how guilty Denise's mother must have felt knowing her daughter didn't even want to be at camp...I bet it haunted her for the rest of her days...😒

2 mothers must have felt terrible advising their daughter to go.

I'm so sorry for the souls of these little innocents, and their parents. I'm sure there was pressure on the DA's office, but its a shame prosecutors didn't wait for more solid evidence against Hart before going to trial. I also can't believe Dr & Mrs Farmer lost against the girl scouts TWICE. Their daughter was one of three girls MURDERED while in the care of the girl scouts--what more did a judge or jury need to know? How could the girl scouts not be at fault?

The counselors hearing a child screaming for their mom, even if they think they're homesick, they should've went to check on them. If you're in charge of children, you bear the responsibility of their care.

This case infuriates me so bad!!!!! Those counselors heard the murders going down and chalked it off.

Wow, what a horrible story!! But it still seems odd to me that 3 little girls would be LEFT ALONE in a tent, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WOODS, with NO Counselor? Why was no adult sleeping in their tent? They WERE little girls. And BTW, I don’t care if they were Girl Scouts or Astronauts they were still THREE LITTLE GIRLS? Those poor baby’s died horrible deaths and justice has NOT been served. How sad is that in the greatest Country in the world?

Love your story telling style,very informative.great stuff

Councilor sees and hears a dark figure making animal sounds near the camp. Does nothing about it. Really? REALLY???

I remember this case. It was horrific. There’s another case that only recently they found the bodies. There were 2 women and a child abducted near Shamrock Oklahoma. They went there to visit one of the womens little boy. The father I guess had custody. They never made it home. I hope you can find this one. I don’t know any of the names off the top of my head but I lived close to the area. It’s a horrific story as well.

I know this one, but Jesus Christ, what is wrong with some men? How could they do this to children?

Jesus, I can't even imagine how the parents feel, they encouraged their kiddos to go, that they would have fun and I'm sure the rest of their life, they regretted that. As a parent, I can't even imagine. I too think that it was Hart. Whether he was acting alone or not, I don't know. The evidence is definitely there to support it. Those poor girls. I'm also incredibly horrified by the camp!!! And I think the quite from the father is going to haunt me for a long time, not even the first people they called. Damn. Please don't feel the need to apologize for being late on the video. We know you have a busy life and things up come, that's normal and it's okay if the videos get back burnered a little bit, we understand. And good luck on your root canal, I've never had one, but I have had my molars taken out and that was not fun. So I wish you the easiest procedure and a speedy recovery. And dont be like me and try to eat french fires a day later because you think you're okay :)

This case has always stuck with me. I know he did it. How was it possible for him to escape a second time? Today he would have been found guilty. My thoughts on the other suspect that owned the flashlight according to testimony… he may have been in on it and took off after rethinking it. Also my thought… I believe life means life. Once a suspect is found guilty they should never be paroled as the families never get paroled from their mental torture.

I went to GS camp every year as a kid. I'm the same age they would be. Not only were the camp counselors outnumbered, they were also not much older than the campers. They were teenagers. Watching this gave me chills thinking about the circumstances and how our camp wasn't much different and it could happen anywhere to any of us. Our tents were also spread out, there was no security and no gates that would keep a predator out. So scary. Those poor girls.

This case gets to me... It really bothers me.. I can't believe they haven't 100% solved this one yet.. and that near by hide out hidden cave... And the notes.. it's all so eerie and I with they could get forensic evidence to solve this (oh wow! They are solving the case finally!!)

I have heard of this due to being a girl scout when young and from Texas near Oklahoma. You gave a very detailed and wonderful narrative of this tragic story. Great job. Thank you

If someone is interested in going deeper into this case, You Tube Channel Mobile Instinct has an excellent video visiting the camp where the murders happened and showing what is left there today.

its K-EYE-OH-WAH. Kiowa. its a tribe of indians.

Never heard of this story. Never understood taking kids in the woods with no armed security. Sure this was a different times, but my parents would have never let us go. Rip little ones

Children need vigilant and armed protection at all times. They are the most precious.

How could they take DNA in the 70s?

I’ve seen this one before and my heart literally breaks every time I come across it. Those poor little girls didn’t deserve to go through that. RIP. 💔

Jesus f.......Christ. The long list of what this sadist has done over and over and over again and he keeps getting released? Why the hell wasn't he just locked up gor good? Well. The deaths of these 3 little girls blood is on the hands of the judges. The law is crap and always will be.

I've seen this story a few times before, and still the heartbreak gets no less. What a tragedy for no reason. You're research and presentation is excellent. Thanks Ash

My goodness WOW poor babies so innocent and gone to soon prayers for all evolved and all who are left to grieve this great loss! Rest in peace!

I believe the camp should have been better secured & the girls tent should not have been so apart from the others! Of course the world was a very different place in the 70s, it wasn’t the cess pool of evil it is today😕

Those poor girls. I was in girl scouts in 69 and 70 and went on a camping trip with them. I didn't really have a good time.

i was not born when this happened but last year i saw a similar video on this case on a different channel , wow poor girls

I think it was hart. Rip little innocents. 😞

I just love you. You do a wonderful job of telling stories. Great personal touch. Have a great day. Thank You.

2 different footprints would’ve surely implied 2 killers, right? Also, how accurate could the authorities possibly have been with “comparing DNA” in the late 1970s??? I mean, really….

My favorite day ... Any day a new video comes out!! Thank you for the new vid!!!❤️💜

Y in the hell didn’t the families get turned down on their lawsuit against the main Girl Scouts of America 🇺🇸 if these girls would of bee😢protected more, they’d still be alive ! These girls parents deserved closure, and even paid for losing their girls, because nobody would go and check out the noises that they heard, ( talking about the counselors)? Whoever heard the noise should of hollered and have one of thee guys to help investigate the noise!!! If that would of been ur child u would of had them closer not way out there, like these 3 girls were!!! Counselors should of been in every tent area!!! RI😢U 3 Lost Little ANGELS!!!!! I Do Remember This, seen it on the news for a very very long time!!! I don’t think 🤔 he did it alone!!!!! These girls would of screamed real real loud, for someone to come and help them!!! God Bless Them, And Their Families!!! I am sending My Condolences 💐 Again!!! In Jesus Christ Name I Pray 🧎‍♀️🧎🧎‍♂️👼👼👼😇😇😇🙏💔🙏💔🙏💔😢😭 !!!!!! SO DAMN SAD 😢!!!!!

Of course they called their insurance company first...trash.

I’ve never heard of this case before. Oh my gosh it’s incredibly sad. Those poor girls! I couldn’t imagine what their parents must’ve felt. It’s almost like Denise knew something terrible would happen at camp before going. This is such an eery case. Rest easy Denise, Michelle, & Lori..

I didn’t go to Girl Scout camp until the 90s, and in Florida, which is a good bit distance from Oklahoma, but had I known about this story as a kid, my mom never would’ve been able to get me to go to summer camp. One year I was in a cabin (an actual cabin, not the tent platforms they had at this camp) that was on the edge of the treeline, FAR away from the other cabins and the main building that counselors would sleep in. I would have immediately called my mom to come get me lol

Really good job. First time I have listened to your work. Regarding the case, I have a hard time believing Hart acted alone.

My parents sent me to a camp run by notorious offender Lawrence O'Shea.

I remember going to camp when I was 10. I didn't want to go, but my mother made me. The cabins were very primitive and hot, but I ended up having a pretty good time. It's scary and evil that something like this happened.

My younger sister and I went to a very similar Girl Scout camp in the early 90s in Ohio. We slept in the same exact platform tents. As much as I loved going to camp, sleeping in those are terrifying. All 4 corners and the front and back flaps are only tied closed by nothing more than shoelace like string. I remember hearing animals come into the tents scratching the floors and sniffing our bags under our cots. You could hear animals walking around the tent and making noises...it was even worse during a thunderstorm. The wind and rain would come through the gaps, and the cots were pushed up right to the edges of the platform. If you looked over the side of the cot you could look through the gaps in the side flap and see outside to the ground. I was always terrified something would be hiding under the platform and they could reach up through the gap and pull me outside. This story resonates with me so much every time I hear it. What an absolutely terrifying and horrific event for these beautiful little girls. 💔💔💔

Those poor girls. Their care givers were slackers. And the slacker system cost those young girls their lives. After the tent vandalism and threating note the camp should never have been allowed to open.

DNA testing was unavailable in 1977 only blood grouping was utilized, however samples from crime scenes of various items collected in some old cases were stored, and found to be of some use many years later than when actual DNA testing first began being utilized in 1986.

KY-OH-WA Not KEE-OH-WA! THANK YOU!!!

I remember waking up to this radio news bulletin.

Criminally Listed showed this case. I've been watching other stories ever since(RIP to the victims)

I always went to camp, Girl Scout and church. We always had a counselor in our cabin or tent. We all stuck together as a group. This was considered safe. I always felt safe! That makes this especially horrifying!

I was a Girl Scout in the late 70s, all through the 80s. I went to Camp after selling cookies. It wasn’t until I grew up that my mother told me that they had wanted to send us to Oklahoma. All our parents wouldn’t allow it. We went to Camp Mary White in New Mexico instead. I never knew the whole story now. So sad.

How could anybody want to harm a child or anybody for that matter 🤦 I really believe some people are born with no soul or remorse for others.

I was a Girl Scout at this time. Stayed in a tent like this. The mid 70s we didn’t think of something like this. Poor girls. Denise last communication is how much she hates it. That’s heart breaking

Thanks Ash, this one always sticks with me. The lack of security and number of adult carers was chilling but I hope its improved now. I dont understand why americans always ship their children off to 'camps', often for weeks and weeks. We just dont do that here in U.K but then we do have very generous annual leave compared to the states! Those letters home were so sad to read, especially poor Denise's she just didnt want to be there and hated it. Good luck with your root canal, what joy! Take care my friend, Jessie x

I think its worth mentioning the counselors were also children. They were all like 15 or 16. This whole story is so tragic

I hope you have a safe procedure and heal quickly 😊

As a kid in the 70s, I hated the fact that my parents didn't let me go to any kind of sleep over camp, or even sleep at a friend's house until I was 14. "But mom, everyone else gets to do it! 😭" As an adult, I'm ~very~ appreciative of their caution, and even surprised they caved in and let me go at 14!

Also, well done & thorough! Great episode

DNA in the 1970’s? Not likely.

Of course it was hart, he was already known for stealing glasses. Not a common thing he ticked all the boxes! So sad for the families. But suing the girls scouts hardly the answer it’s not their fault but I suppose they wanted someone to blame. Security wasn’t huge back then as this was incredibly unusual. Can’t look at it with 2023 eyes any more than you can look at how kids never had car seats back then. More population more weirdos as in more population more cars and faster speeds on roads

No parent should ever outlive their children, but to lose a child in such a horrific way is just beyond comprehension.

Hi Ash, with all due respect I'm going to have to disagree with you on this one, there are at least 2 good reasons for thinking that Gene Hart was innocent; 1. Shoe prints at the scene showed that the killer wore size 9% shoes, that wasn't Hart's size. 2. His fingerprints didn't match the one on the flashlight.

Breaks my heart to think this could have happened to my daughter, but with church camp each cabin or tent had a counsler in with them.

This camp was totally unsafe for anyone especially young children. I heard in another podcast that a couple of the victims’s families tried to sue but lost. Shocking!

I used to live near the location, very sad place to drive by. The book gets stolen from the local libraries all the time. Thank you for sharing the information

Thanks Ash. It's such a shame, camping should a innocent fun activity.

This is one of the scariest cases I've ever heard. Those poor girls and their families omfg..I can't even imagine.

Thank you for being so respectful in your videos. I just found your channel today and I'm binge watching after one of your videos was suggested to me. I feel like listening to these tragedies somehow means that the victims didn't suffer/die in vain and their short lives are not buried and forgotten about. Their lives meant something and we can learn from what happened. I can't even imagine how traumatic it is still to this day for the parents and loved ones of these three precious girls. I know it's six months later but I hope that your dental work went well. I've had to have my top teeth removed as I have a medical condition that causes me to collapse as my venous system is damaged and blood therefore oxygen doesn't get to my brain sometimes. Actually it happens most days and I'm unconscious for up to 8 hours each time. I live alone as both my parents passed away in the past two years but there is now nothing my medical team can do especially since there is no warning. I'm terminal now as these is just one complication from an illness I was born with. This is a long way of saying I feel for you needing a root canal. Xx

I went to the now defunct Girl Scout camp Camp Francis it looked very much like Camp Scott. My two older sisters had also gone to Camp Francis I hated it. We did call the structures cabins but apparently now people call them tabins, and counselors still don’t sleep with the girls. There is a Girl Scout counselor on Tik Tok that tells stories about GS camp. I was a GS from 1968-1975 back before the Daisys existed. GS councils are still extremely tight lipped about what happens at camps and other events.

It kind of sticks with me that it looks like the date in the cave is written as 77-6-17? Not a normal American way of writing the date. The womens' eyeglasses found there, too, possible from a previous camper, possibly dropped by killer. The other thing that stands out to me is that the counselors should have been in tent #5 or #6, a tent where they could easily see all the other tents just by looking from their own. And FFS if a sound starts and stops based on the light and seems out of place, why would you not check it out (or maybe have someone like local police check it out)? Too blasé! From personal experience I can say that the GS campgrounds I went to in the mid 80s had the exact same tent design then. I doubt it's been updated much.

This was a appalling crime. On other channels I never saw the writing on the cave wall. For whatever reason that singular fact makes it even more horrendous. I don't understand how the girl scouts of america were not found negligent. An even bigger mystery. Very well produced video. Good luck on your upcoming procedure. Not a big fan of the DDS. Lol. But a huge fan of Under The Ash Tree. God bless everyone 👍✌

I really enjoy your narration style, as well as the research you do for each case. However, I believe there was an oversight, at approximately 15 minutes into the narration, when you said, “... they tested his DNA.” DNA technology and testing wasn’t used in crime scene analysis until 1986, making it impossible to have used it in this case. The type of testing that was available in 1977 was blood-type testing, which would have revealed the perpetrator’s blood type. For instance, if the perpetrator’s blood type at the crime scene was B+, but a suspect’s blood type was A-, then his blood is clearly not a match to the perpetrator’s. BTW... although other channels have followed this case, I think your style, research, and concise presentation makes it among the best! Keep up the good work 👍

Well done Ash. I don’t remember this story. But you presented it very well. Thanks Ash.❤️

I can only imagine how creepy it would feel to walk around that abandoned camp. I read a book about this case, written by a couple former OSBI investigators (it's just called The Oklahoma Girl scout Murders, I'm pretty sure) many years ago, when I wasn't much older than these girls. One thing I distinctly recall is that the two young women whom he attacked (whose violations only warranted a few months 😳), reported that Hart made a really creepy grunting noice pretty much continuously while he was assaulting them. In combination with what the one counselor reported hearing, and all the other evidence, I have always been convinced of Hart's guilt. One final note: one of the investigators involved in the case consulted a medicine man, and a kind of curse was laid which would cause the death of either Hart or the prosecutor, whichever was "of bad blood". He must have been awfully sure, to effectively point a gun, potentially and figuratively speaking, of course, at someone on his side. And we know the outcome: Hart died just weeks later, while the prosecutor was still trying cases when the book was written. I believe the person who was intended to be punished was.

Now that my stepdad has passed away, I can tell this story… him and his father were both in the military. The National Guard. His father was very high up in the military. Anyway, he overheard three very prominent businessmen in Pryor, Oklahoma laughing and bragging about what they had done to those three girls. I’m not sure if my stepdads father was caught listening to them or not but all I know is that he was threatened with his military career if he ever opened his mouth about these murders. My stepdads father was not scared of much but this threat did worry him until the day he died.

Reading those kids letters is a kick in the guts. Just awful. Poor babies. I can’t even understand how violent sexual crimes against women have been given so little jail time in the past. Then multiple offenders are let out for good behavior to only go sexually assault some more with many murdering in order to not get caught. Sexually crimes especially if violent nature against any children should mean life no parole ever.

those poor girls evil truly exists x

Hey Ash 🌺🌼 glad to see you post this one! Been bugging me forever

I went to this same camp many times as a young scout. I have many fond memories here. We also lived in Tulsa Oklahoma like these girls. My times at the camp was prior to these murders.

I'm sooo sick of these PREDATORS !! Young girls just trying to enjoy summer camp !!

Please keep these murder/crime videos up! I really find them interesting, entertaining, and whenever I'm bored I love to watch these videos. Thank You for making these awesome videos!

solved?????????

Those poor girls. This is so sad and horrific. My heart goes out to their families.

Three girls brutally murdered. Girl Scouts: Rest easy parents. Just an accident. Nothing violent!

I heard about this this story it was so sad I hope they get the justice they deserve and there family's my friend your videos keep getting better and better

Who puts the youngest camper in the farthest tent?

I thought this case was solved years ago. My brother and sister and our spouses had just spent the weekend near Locust Grove. Obviously this was shocking to us. I pray for the families.

Hangon a minute, they let children all sleep in tents WITHOUT close proximity of adult supervision? I'm not talking 10 metres here, I'm talking a few metres, if not next to them with bells attached to the tent when ruffled, maybe a dog.

15:15 He wore Richard Simon type workout clothes. That's funny for some bizarre reason. 😉

"The witness later REDACTED his statement" ??? I think you mean RETRACTED his statement.

I don't understand why the counsellor didn't check the tents when she hear a noise which obviously alerted her/him three times...! I am hoping that things are very different today with high levels of security so these young lives aren't put at risk. Very irresponsible to take these children somewhere where anybody could get in.

Also, your editing is amazeballs! I usually listen more than watch, but I'm being lazy today so I'm actually paying attention to the visuals. The fades, the backgrounds, even the inclusion of some stock photos is heckin ~perfect~! Not to mention all the actual photos and articles you managed to dig up! A lot of folks don't realize how challenging it can be to find stuff from the pre-internet era. Alsö alsø, you don't need to apologize to us, you're worth waiting for! Don't worry about the actual root canal, that part doesn't hurt at all. The worst part of the whole thing is getting the tooth prepped for the crown, and that is entirely dependent on the skill of the dentist. The first time, I didn't notice a thing, and can't tell the crown from the original tooth. The second one... well, let's just say that you get what you pay for.😖

If I remember right hart used the fact he had a vasectomy had couldn't make sperm because of that but at his autopsy it was revealed his vasectomy had been botched so he could in fact make sperm also the sperm had a weird mutation some as the sperm found on the girls

I had a root canal a couple months back and it was not the horror I'd anticipated and had heard about all my life. When I mentioned it my dentist said with new tech it's much better, and if the experience is worse (pain wise) than a filling, that dentist needs to retire. Hopefully your dentist is on top of the newer tech and well practiced with it!

Love your work! Thanks for your hard work

I like your channel it covers the story very well, this case is specially shocking, I noticed in many occasions when a child ask desperately for something and parents dosent listen to their wishes it doesn't end well may be children have more instinct to what to come, a mother told me her child kept asking her to pick him up from school but she refused she wanted him to get used to riding the bus and that day she was by the school by the time of him going home and she just left to get the news latter that the bus was at rush for being late and backed up on her child killing him, You don't have to say "end of quote"

So sad, The girl scouts councellors should have had safety measures protecting these girls. Such a terrible tragedy and for their families. May they rest in peace and justice be found. I just became a subscriber of your channel and enjoy very much your videos. Hope all goes well with your root canal.

When is about out door activities for children security is a must , and even more when is a camping in the middle of nowhere.