The Murdered
Lisa Thomas
Nanuet, NY
🕯️ Still Unsolved: The Murder of Lisa Thomas (1974) 🕯️
On October 7, 1974, 15 year old Lisa Thomas left her home on North Fairview Avenue in Nanuet, New York, around 3:30 p.m., planning to walk the short distance to the Nanuet Mall to buy a blouse with money she had earned babysitting. When she did not return home for dinner, her parents contacted friends and police. The following morning, her father made the devastating discovery of Lisa’s body in high grass and wooded brush near a ball field behind the mall, only about 700 feet from their home. She had been brutally beaten and was found face down, blindfolded with a red print handkerchief she had originally had wrapped around her black purse.
Lisa suffered multiple blows to the head, including strikes above the bridge of her nose, behind her left ear that fractured the base of her skull, and to the top of her head. A white sock that was covered in bright orange spray paint and filled with rocks was located nearby, though authorities could not conclusively determine it as the murder weapon. There was no sexual assault reported. Her white shoes were found near her body, still clean, though dirt had gotten through her red socks onto her feet. Her white sweater had been knotted around her neck, but she was not strangled. Her purse was discovered ripped in half some distance away, with $15 missing, and her house keys were never recovered.
Despite decades of investigation by the Clarkstown Police Department, no one has ever been charged in Lisa’s murder, making it one of Rockland County’s most notorious and longest-running cold cases. Detectives have revisited the case multiple times, including renewed efforts in 2014 using DNA testing that was unavailable in 1974. Authorities maintain that the investigation remains active and continue to urge anyone with information to come forward.
The impact of Lisa’s murder forever changed her family. Her sister, Maryann, has recalled the shock of being pulled from school and told that her sister was gone. Their father, Stanley Thomas, found Lisa’s body and later died in 1987 at age 49. Their mother, Barbara Thomas, who passed away in 2020, tirelessly sought justice for her daughter for decades, preserving Lisa’s room exactly as it had been and advocating for answers until her final days. Friends and community members continue to honor Lisa’s memory, remembering her as kind, joyful, and full of life.
Fifty years later, the question remains: who killed Lisa Thomas? Though theories have circulated over the years, no definitive answers have emerged. Her case remains open, and those who loved her continue to hope that one day, someone will come forward and bring closure to a family that has endured half a century without justice. 🕊️
If you have any further information, please contact the Clarkstown Police Department at 845-639-5800.
Sources:
https://imgur.com/a/lisa-Vp3ZGSB
https://www.facebook.com/JusticeforLisaThomas/
https://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/rockland/2024/10/07/clarkstown-ny-murder-of-lisa-thomas-remains-unsolved-after-50-years-cold-case/75482665007/
https://pix11.com/news/local-news/serial-killer-emails-about-new-york-mall-case/
https://newjersey.news12.com/clarkstown-teens-murder-remains-unsolved-50-years-later
https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/cold-case-spotlight/lisa-thomas-n366901
https://defrostingcoldcases.com/lisa-thomas-50-years-unsolved/
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/98516593/lisa-thomas https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/nanuet-mother-hopes-for-justice-40-years-after-teenage-daughters-murder/
The Lost & The Taken 
Leave a comment