On January 2, 1975, the body of Nancy Jean Heard, a 24-year-old white woman, was discovered near Bulow Creek Road, just north of Ormond Beach, Florida. Her remains were found in a wooded area, partially concealed under tree branches. Investigators determined that she had been strangled, stabbed twice, and possibly sexually assaulted, as her underwear was pulled down and her shirt was pulled up. It was concluded that she had been killed at the location where her body was found.
In 1982, serial killer Gerald Stano confessed to the murder of Nancy Jean Heard. He stated that he had picked her up while she was hitchhiking on Interstate 4, and after an argument, he murdered her. Stano's confession linked him to multiple murders across Florida, including that of Nancy Jean Heard.
Nancy Jean Heard was born on August 13, 1950, in Georgetown, South Carolina. She was laid to rest at Pennyroyal Memorial Gardens in her hometown.
