There are two words that detectives hate hearing: Cold Case. But with advances in technology, cold cases are being solved at a faster rate than ever, allowing for large amounts of DNA testing, and a plethora of other techniques. When all hope is lost, it’s these techniques that detectives can rely on to clear their caseload. After 25 years, one such case was closed, and brought closure to an entire community.
Lisa Ziegert was a bright, vivacious, bubbly young woman from Agawam, Massachusetts. She grew up in a close-knit family, where she was very close to her parents, George and Dee, and your two siblings, brother David and sister Lynn.
In 1992, she was a recent graduate, working as a teacher’s aid, while also working part-time in the evenings at a small store named Brittany’s Card and Gift Shoppe. Lisa had a routine – she would work at Agawam Middle School all day, then work at the shop from 5-9 on weekday evenings.
On April 15th, 1992, Lisa followed this routine. Between 5:30 and 6:00 PM, Lynn went to visit her sister at work, and the two chatted for a while. Lynn didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary, and left.
The next morning, at around 8:45 AM, Lisa’s coworker, Sophia, noticed that Lisa’s car was still in the Brittany’s parking lot, which was unusual. Sophia knew that Lisa should be at the school by that time. At first, she thought that Lisa may have just run into some car trouble.
When Sophia entered the store, the feeling that something was seriously wrong grew. The store was wide open; the door hadn’t been locked the night before. It was very unlike Lisa to forget to lock the door. Moreover, the lights in the store were still on, cash was still left in the register, and all of Lisa’s belongings were still there. When Sophia checked the back room, she noticed that it was in disarray. She ran across the street to a restaurant, and asked them to call the police.
Lisa’s coworkers at Agawam Middle School were concerned when she hadn’t arrived for work. Calling her family to inquire as to Lisa’s whereabouts found them even more concerned. The last person from Lisa’s family to see her had been Lynn. No one had heard from her since then. Again, this was incredibly unlike Lisa.
As the police arrived at Brittany’s Card and Gift Shoppe, they made note of the same things Sophia had. Lisa’s coat, purse, and car were still at the store. But the backroom showed signs of a struggle.
Police found scuff marks along the floor, as well as drag marks. It appeared as though Lisa had put up a fight, while being dragged out of the back door of the shop. Upon closer inspection of the back room, police also found blood on some balloons.
From evidence gathered at the scene, the police were able to put together a DNA profile. However, the technology was still in its early days, and few put their faith in the DNA profile. Regardless, they ran it through their database, and came up dry.
Lisa’s disappearance greatly affected the small town. Local police, Massachussetts State Police, the FBI, and local townspeople launched a large-scale, intensive search for Lisa. They also made appeals to the public for information.
Two witnesses came forward. One had entered the store at around 8:20 PM, and indicated that everything seemed normal, and Lisa was fine.
The second witness stated that they entered the store at around 9:00 PM, and noticed that no one was out front. They heard some noise from the back, but left after a couple of minutes when no one came out front.
Another witness came forward with a troubling story. At around 9:15 PM, they were driving by Brittany’s when they noticed a car near the store. They said that they saw what appeared to be a man and a woman in the back seat of the car, and it appeared as though they were struggling.
Lisa’s friends and family also noted that Lisa had been saying that she felt as thought someone had been watching her for a while. She’d brought it up just few days prior to her disappearance.
The Agawam community never gave up the search, hoping to find Lisa alive.
Four days after her disappearance, Lisa Ziegert’s body was found off of Route 75, in a heavily wooded area. She was found assaulted, partially clothed, with deep stab wounds all over her body. She also had defensive wounds on her hands and arms, showing that she put up on hell of a fight.
News of the discovery hit the town hard. Rumours began flying immediately. The community believed that Lisa’s murderer had to have been a local – no outsider would have been able to find the spot where Lisa was found.
Soon, everyone was a suspect. From Lisa’s family and friends, to her boyfriend, and his roommates. Police began combing through numerous suspects, ruling them out as they went. Everyone was a suspect, and no stone was left unturned.
However, the investigation was stalled, repeatedly. Women would call in tips about their husbands, fathers, brothers, boyfriends, etc., claiming they were Lisa’s murderer. Ever vigilant, the police looked into every tip, often finding that an argument or dispute was often the cause of the call. Investigating, and then clearning, so many men ate up a lot of time in the early days of the investigation.
A year later, the case was featured on Unsolved Mysteries. The community hoped that the additional publicity would bring attention to the case, and hopefully lead to its closure. The show brought in many of the same tips taht had come int he first time around, especially targeting a family friend of the Ziegert’s, and a prominent member of the community.
These tips dried up, and the case went cold.
In 2016, the case garnered attention again when advancements in DNA technology allowed for new techniques to come into the investigation. DNA phenotyping was used to compose a composite sketch of Lisa’s killer. This allowed for certain attributes to be ascertained about Lisa’s murderer.
The sketch brought life back to the investigation. Everyone in the Agawam community believed they knew who the sketch looked like. And, again, the prominent family friend was heavily suspected.
A year later, in 2017, the police decided to round up a list of suspects. Over the years of the investigation, suspects had been asked to give DNA samples to compare to the profile they had of Lisa’s killer. 11 men were left who had denied to voluntarily give DNA samples. Through a grand jury proceeding process, police received a court order to retrieve the samples from these men.
When police went to the home of Gary Schara to present him with the court order, he wasn’t home. They left the order, and a card, with his roommate, and told them to have Schara call them when he got home.
Schara had been a person of interest from the beginning of the investigation. In 1993, his estranged wife, Joyce McDonald Schara, through her divorce attorney, contacted Agawam police, and told them that she believed her soon-to-be ex-husband was responsible for Lisa’s murder.
Police didn’t take this very seriously at the time. Schara’s own divorce attorney contacted police, and informed them that she was just a scorned wife trying to cause trouble for her ex. The attorney also highlighted that Joyce had been dealing with substance addiction, and she shouldn’t be taken seriously. The investigation was already ripe with jilted women calling false tips, it wasn’t a far cry to throw Joyce’s tip into the pile. But that wasn’t the last they’d heard from Gary Schara .
In 2002, police brought Schara in for additional questioning – just to touch base. Schara was vague, and seemed very at ease. As he’d done in 1993, he refused to give a DNA sample. His reasoning stuck out, though. He claimed he was afraid of cloning. The investigator shook their heads, then let him go.
In 2008, he was brought in again, with much the same story – they were touching base with anyone who hadn’t given a DNA sample. Again, Schara seemed at ease, friendly, and personable. He spent a good portion of the interview complaining that his name was only on the list because of his ex-wife, and she shouldn’t be believed. His behaviour, however, drew attention. Schara held himself and sat carefully. He didn’t touch anything, and he didn’t lean forward. He was careful not to leave his DNA or prints on anything unknowingly.
At the time, the investigators believed this to be strange. But now they knew why. The day after they’d paid his roommate a visit, Gary Schara vanished.
His girlfriend came by the station to tell them that she’d found his belongings still in the house, but that he was nowhere to be found. All that he’d left behind were three letters: A confession, a last will and testament, and an apology to the Ziegert family.
The confession read, in part, as follows:
“I’ve been dreading the day I’d need to write this letter for almost as long as I can remember. First off, I love you. I hope you never doubt that. Now the hard part. You are going to find out some awful things about me today. They will tell you I abducted [redacted] and murdered a young woman approximately 25 years ago. It is true. All of it. I had no intention of killing her when I grabbed her, but events spun out of my control, and int he eye of the law, it is all the same. I have never regretted anything so much. I was young and headstrong and foolish, emphasis on the last part.”
The confession also stated:
“I’ve never really been or even felt normal. From a very young age I was fascinated by abduction and bondage. I could never keep it too far from my mind for long. On that fateful day, I let myself do something terrible.”
They had him. They had Lisa’s killer. Now they had to find him.
To the Ziegert family, Schara said simply:
“I hope knowing who & knowing I am gone will bring you some closure and peace. I am so truly sorry.”
In his last will and testament, he left 30% of his assets to his mother, 30% to his brother, 30% to his girlfriend, and the last 10% to his roommate.
The letters also seemed to insinuate that Schara intended on taking his own life. Acting quickly, police began pinging his phone. They eventually found him in a hospital in Connecticut.
On September 16th, 2017, Gary Schara was arrested for the murder of Lisa Ziegert on April 15th, 1992.
He flew under the radar for 25 years, living quietly, working several restaurant and customer service jobs.
Police pulled DNA from Schara’s personal possessions, and tested it against the profile they had for Lisa’s killer. It was, undeniably, a match.
Gary Schara was charged for first degree murder. He pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
In 1992, police were at a loss. They had DNA, a new investigative technique, but no matches on file. Through advancements in technology, and a mix of new and old investigative techniques, Lisa’s killer was caught.
Most law enforcement agencies dread cold cases. But with recent, and continuing, advances in DNA technology, and in investigative techniques, those cases could very well all be solved. The potential is there.
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Sources:
Lisa Ziegert – Chilling Crimes Blog
How Investigators Solved the Stabbing Murder of Young Mass. Educator 25 Years Later – Harriet Sokmensuer – People.com
Lisa Ziegert killer Gary Schara’s confession letter: “I was fascinated by abduction and bondage from an early age” – Stephanie Barry – Mass Live
Lisa Ziegert case: Gary Schara pleads guilty in 1992 Agawam murder – Buffy Spencer, Stephanie Barry, and Patrick Johnson – Mass Live
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