The Murder of Laura Ann Parker

Episode 198

Laura Ann Parker, murdered in Lindenhurst, NY — Laura Ann Parker

On a cool spring morning in May of 1984, fourteen year old Laura Ann Parker went off to Lindenhurst High School and never came home. While her parents pressed the police, and even the FBI, to track down the missing teen, their concerns were written off as it was ruled that Laura had chosen to runaway.

For four long months James and Patricia Parker investigated for themselves. They gave out their home phone number, tracked down every lead from Manhattan to the eastern end of Long Island. Sadly, they never found a trace of their beloved daughter.

Then, in September, a group of teenage boys came upon a grisly scene. In a local hangout, in the middle of the woods, they discovered Laura's skeletal remains beneath an old rolled up carpet. A cause of death could not be determined, but evidence as the scene suggested this had likely been a homicide and that Laura had died the very day she was reported missing.

Now, urged to investigate the murder, the Suffolk County Police ran into a wall of silence from the community. No one wanted to talk, no one seemed to care. While some speculated that Laura had to have been killed by someone passing through town, investigators started to believe Laura may have known her assailant.

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Sources:

20 Jul 1984, 187 - Daily News at Newspapers.com

12 Sep 1984, 18 - Newsday (Suffolk Edition) at Newspapers.com

13 Sep 1984, 5 - Daily News at Newspapers.com

13 Sep 1984, 39 - Newsday (Nassau Edition) at Newspapers.com

23 May 1986, 35 - Newsday (Nassau Edition) at Newspapers.com

04 Jan 1987, 467 - Daily News at Newspapers.com

04 Jan 1987, 469 - Daily News at Newspapers.com

"Laura Ann Parker" from 1984 - 2023 in New York - Newspapers.com search

Murdered: Laura Parker | Timeline | Uncovered

23 May 1987, 17 - Newsday (Nassau Edition) at Newspapers.com