In the quiet suburbs of Norcross, Georgia, the life of a bright and promising young woman named Lisa Marie Wallace Geise was tragically interrupted, leaving behind a mystery that has haunted her loved ones and investigators for decades. A native of Pensacola, Florida, Lisa had moved to Gwinnett County about a year before her disappearance. At 26 years old, she was building a life for herself, working as a computer programmer at Larson-Juhl, a custom picture frame company, and was happily planning her wedding, which was only weeks away. On February 26, 1989, a day she was scheduled to have off, Lisa went to her workplace to do some inventory. This would be the last time she was ever seen. The events that unfolded that evening at the Gwinnett Business Park would set in motion a long and frustrating investigation into her vanishing.
The following morning, employees arriving at Larson-Juhl were met with a disturbing scene.
A fire had been intentionally set within the building, which in turn activated the sprinkler system. Unconnected to an alarm, the sprinklers ran for hours undetected, leaving the office flooded with ankle-deep water. Near Lisa's desk, where the fire had originated, a chilling discovery was made: a pool of blood in the water. The immediate search for Lisa yielded more questions than answers. Her purse was found on the roof of a nearby building, with nothing missing except the keys to her 1983 Nissan Pulsar. The car itself was located parked a block away. The grim discoveries continued in the woods near her office, where investigators found a blood-stained 10-pound doorstop and a cloth mail cart, also bearing bloodstains. Faint blood stains were also present on the door of a company van. The extensive water damage inside the building, coupled with rain that had fallen, unfortunately, compromised the blood evidence, making it impossible to definitively determine if it belonged to Lisa.
Investigators have long suspected foul play in Lisa's disappearance and have focused on a former employee of the picture framing company. This individual had been terminated for falsifying his resume and was on probation for embezzling from a previous employer. The theory is that he may have broken into the building to erase computer files as an act of revenge and unexpectedly encountered Lisa. Evidence showed that the company's computer system had been tampered with on the day she vanished. Despite this strong suspicion, a lack of concrete evidence has prevented any charges from being filed. Over the years, numerous leads have been pursued, including a tip from the suspect's ex-wife that led to the search of several wells on a property they once owned, but these efforts have not led to a breakthrough. The Gwinnett County Police Department has investigated the case, and at one point, had two possible suspects, but lacked the definitive evidence to move forward. Lisa's family and friends have been left in a painful state of limbo, holding out hope for answers. Her mother has expressed that her desire is not for vengeance, but simply to know what happened to her daughter. The case of Lisa Geise remains a poignant and unresolved story of a young life cut short and a family's enduring search for closure.Last Seen: Feb 26, 1989
