In the summer of 1996, a young mother named Kristi Gwen O’Pry vanished from her hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana, leaving behind a life and a family that loved her. On July 19th, the 26-year-old, who was pregnant at the time, needed to run some errands. As she didn't own a car, she arranged for a ride with Eric Dale Mickelson, a friend of her boyfriend. The two were seen visiting Kristi's sister's home, departing at approximately 8:00 p.m.
in Mickelson's white 1971 Chevrolet Fleetside pickup truck. This would be the last time her family ever saw her. Mickelson's account of the evening would become the focal point of the initial investigation, an account that began to unravel under scrutiny. He claimed to have dropped Kristi off around 8:30 p.m. at the South Park Mall, but security guards on duty that night had no recollection of seeing anyone matching her description. His story also included a stop at a Circle K for Kristi to use a payphone, yet phone records showed no calls were made from that location at that time.
The days immediately following Kristi's disappearance were marked by a disturbing lack of urgency from her live-in boyfriend of six years, Jerry 'Todd' Dean. He and Kristi were known to have a troubled and tumultuous relationship. It wasn't until July 23, four full days after she was last seen, that Dean informed Kristi's family that she had never returned home. Kristi's mother then officially reported her missing to the police the following day. A search of her home revealed that none of her personal belongings were gone, and most importantly, she had left behind her three-year-old daughter, something her family insisted she would never do willingly. While both Dean and a roommate passed polygraph tests, Mickelson, the last person known to have seen Kristi, refused to take one. For years, he was considered the prime suspect but maintained his innocence as the case grew cold, leaving Kristi’s family in a state of agonizing uncertainty.
A significant break in the case came more than a decade later, under grim circumstances. In 2007, while in prison awaiting trial for the murder of an elderly man, Eric Mickelson confessed to killing Kristi O'Pry. He provided a chilling account, stating that he had strangled her on the night she disappeared. Mickelson claimed he initially disposed of her body in a pond on his property, weighted down, but later returned to dismember her remains and scatter them in various dumpsters and a culvert. Investigators drained the pond and reported finding unspecified evidence that corroborated parts of his confession. In August 2007, Eric Dale Mickelson was charged with second-degree murder in connection with Kristi's death. The case of Kristi Gwen O'Pry is a deeply tragic story of a young life cut short. Despite a confession and the charging of a suspect, her body has never been located, denying her family the closure of a final resting place. The investigation highlights the devastating impact of her disappearance and the long, painful wait for answers that her loved ones have endured.Last Seen: Jul 19, 1996
