On a cold November night in 1975, 19-year-old Mary Kay Harmer, a Caucasian female, was invited to what she was told would be a housewarming party. An acquaintance, Kathleen Ray, along with another woman named Brigitte Kohlert, picked her up and took her to the Omaha, Nebraska, residence that Ray shared with Thomas Edward "Red" Nesbitt, a known member of the Hells Angels motorcycle club. Shortly after their arrival, Ray and Kohlert departed, leaving Mary Kay alone with Nesbitt. This would be the last time she was seen alive by her friends or family.
For years, Mary Kay's disappearance remained a painful mystery. It wasn't until April 1984 that a breakthrough occurred. An engineering crew working in Carter Lake, Iowa, made a grim discovery in a manhole: the skeletal remains of a young woman. Forensic examination would later identify the remains as those of Mary Kay Harmer. The condition of her body, after nearly a decade of concealment, made it impossible for experts to determine a definitive cause of death. However, investigators noted holes in her skull that could have been from bullet wounds, and the state of her teeth and skull suggested a caustic substance, like lye, may have been used in an attempt to obscure her identity.
The discovery of Mary Kay's body launched a full-scale homicide investigation that quickly centered on Thomas Nesbitt. Authorities tracked him to New Carlisle, Indiana, where he was living under an alias. He was arrested on October 26, 1984, and charged with first-degree murder. During his trial, Nesbitt offered his own version of that fateful night. He claimed that Mary Kay had gone to the bathroom and never returned. He testified that he found her on the floor, unconscious from an apparent drug overdose. Fearing the legal ramifications, especially given his criminal associations, he chose not to call the police.
Instead of seeking help, Nesbitt enlisted his neighbor, Wayne Bieber, to assist in a cover-up. They wrapped Mary Kay's body in a piece of carpet and hid it in Bieber's garage for about a day and a half. Afterward, they drove her body to the housing development in Carter Lake and disposed of it in the manhole where she would remain undiscovered for nine years. The prosecution painted a much darker picture for the jury, alleging that Nesbitt had sexually assaulted Mary Kay and then killed her to silence her. While the judge determined there was insufficient evidence to prove the sexual assault, the state moved forward with the murder charge. After deliberating, a Douglas County District Court jury found Thomas Edward Nesbitt guilty of first-degree murder on March 7, 1986. He was sentenced to life in prison.
