Wayne Nathan Nance: The Missoula Mauler
Overview
Wayne Nathan Nance was a suspected American serial killer who operated primarily in and around Missoula and western Montana between 1974 and 1986. Often called the “Missoula Mauler,” Nance was linked through physical evidence, stolen property, witness accounts and similarities in his methods to at least six killings. Investigators suspected that he may have committed additional murders that were never identified or conclusively connected to him.
Nance was never arrested, tried or convicted for murder. His suspected crimes were uncovered only after he was fatally wounded during an attempted home invasion in September 1986. The surviving victims of that attack described a carefully planned assault involving restraints, sexual violence, stabbing and an attempt to eliminate witnesses. Those details caused investigators to reexamine several unsolved Montana homicides that had involved similar patterns.
Early Life and Disturbing Behavior
Wayne Nathan Nance was born on October 18, 1955, in Montana and grew up near Missoula. Former classmates later described him as intelligent but socially isolated and unsettling. Accounts of his adolescence included an interest in violent fantasies, weapons and satanic imagery. He reportedly told acquaintances that he wanted to kill someone before reaching the age of nineteen.
Nance graduated from Sentinel High School in Missoula in 1974. During adulthood, he served briefly in the United States Navy and later worked in the furniture-moving business. His employment gave him opportunities to enter customers’ homes, observe their possessions and learn about their routines. Several women reportedly complained of receiving disturbing telephone calls after furniture deliveries, and Nance was suspected of using information obtained through his work to select or monitor potential victims.
Suspected Victims
- Donna Lorraine Pounds, 39 — April 11, 1974 — West Riverside near Missoula, Montana: Pounds was attacked inside her family home and found dead in the basement. She had been restrained, sexually assaulted and shot multiple times with a firearm taken from the residence. Investigators later connected Nance to the crime through similarities to his later attacks and evidence associated with the scene, although he was never prosecuted.
- Devonna Louise Nelson, 15 — believed killed in 1978 — Missoula County, Montana: Nelson was a teenage runaway from the Seattle area who disappeared during the summer of 1978. Her body was discovered near Interstate 90 outside Missoula on February 27, 1980. She had suffered a fatal stab wound. Because her remains were not immediately identified, she was temporarily known as “Betty Beavertail.” Her exact date of death remains uncertain, and the suspected connection to Nance has never been conclusively proven.
- Marcella Cheri “Marci” Bachmann, 16 — believed killed around September 28, 1984 — near East Missoula, Montana: Bachmann was a runaway from Vancouver, Washington, who used the name “Robin” while staying in Montana. She was seen living and socializing with Nance shortly before she disappeared. Her remains were discovered in a shallow grave near Deer Creek on December 24, 1984. She had been shot in the head. Photographs of Bachmann with Nance and hair connected to her found among his belongings strongly supported investigators’ belief that he killed her. She remained unidentified until DNA testing restored her name in 2006.
- Janet Lee Lucas, 23 — believed killed between 1983 and 1985 — near Missoula, Montana: Lucas’s skeletal remains were discovered on a hillside near Crystal Creek in September 1985. She had been shot twice in the head with a .32-caliber firearm. Known for decades as “Christy Crystal Creek,” she was identified through genetic genealogy in 2021. Investigators have examined a possible connection to Nance, but the evidence has not established his responsibility with certainty. Her precise date of death remains unknown.
- Michael Robert Shook, 34 — December 12, 1985 — Ravalli County near Hamilton, Montana: Michael Shook and his wife were attacked after an intruder entered their home. Michael was restrained, stabbed and killed. The attacker then attempted to burn the residence, apparently intending to destroy evidence and kill the couple’s children. Property stolen from the Shook residence was later discovered among Nance’s possessions.
- Teresa Lynn Shook, 32 — December 12, 1985 — Ravalli County near Hamilton, Montana: Teresa was restrained and murdered during the same home invasion in which her husband, Michael, was killed. Their children survived after neighbors noticed the fire and intervened. Nance had delivered furniture to the Shook residence shortly before the murders, giving him an opportunity to observe the home. The stolen objects recovered after his death became some of the strongest evidence linking him to the double homicide.
The Murder of Donna Pounds
The April 11, 1974, murder of Donna Pounds is generally considered the earliest homicide attributed to Nance. Pounds returned to her home in West Riverside during the afternoon and encountered an intruder who had apparently armed himself with a rifle belonging to her husband. She was bound with clothesline, sexually assaulted and forced into the basement.
Pounds was shot repeatedly at close range. Her husband discovered her body when he returned home later that day. Investigators collected evidence from the residence, but the case remained unsolved during Nance’s lifetime. Nance was still eighteen years old at the time, matching later reports that he had expressed a desire to kill someone before his nineteenth birthday.
The Unidentified Young Women
Several young women whose remains were recovered near Missoula became associated with the Nance investigation. Devonna Nelson, Marcella Bachmann and Janet Lucas were unidentified when their bodies were initially found. Each case involved a vulnerable young woman, a remote disposal location and evidence of stabbing or gunshot wounds.
The strongest connection involved Marcella Bachmann. Witnesses had seen her with Nance, and photographs documented their relationship. When acquaintances asked what had happened to the teenage girl known as Robin, Nance offered conflicting explanations, including claims that she had left with a truck driver or boarded a bus. Her grave was located only a short distance from his residence.
The links to Nelson and Lucas were less certain. Their deaths occurred during the period in which Nance was active, and their remains were found in the same general region as other suspected victims. However, investigators did not recover enough evidence to prove that Nance killed either woman. They are therefore commonly listed as suspected rather than conclusively established victims.
The Shook Family Murders
On December 12, 1985, Michael and Teresa Shook were attacked in their Ravalli County home near Hamilton. The intruder restrained the couple and killed them with a knife. He then attempted to set the house on fire while their young children remained inside. Neighbors saw signs of the fire and rescued the children before the building became fully engulfed.
Nance had delivered furniture to the Shook home shortly before the murders. Investigators believed that the delivery allowed him to study the family, examine the layout of the residence and determine when the victims might be vulnerable. After Nance’s death, objects taken from the Shook residence were discovered in his possession. The stolen property, together with the similarities between the Shook attack and Nance’s final crime, made him the principal suspect.
The Attack on Doug and Kris Wells
Shortly before midnight on September 3, 1986, Nance approached the Missoula home of his coworker Douglas “Doug” Wells and Doug’s wife, Kristen “Kris” Wells. When Doug noticed him outside, Nance claimed that he had seen a suspicious person near the property. After being allowed inside, he attacked Doug and restrained both members of the couple.
Nance stabbed Doug in the chest and left him severely wounded in the basement. He then took Kris upstairs and sexually assaulted her. Despite his injuries, Doug managed to free himself and reach a rifle that he had been repairing. The weapon held only one usable cartridge, making his attempt to resist extraordinarily dangerous.
Doug created a disturbance to draw Nance away from Kris. During the confrontation that followed, Doug fired the rifle and struck Nance. Nance returned fire with a handgun, seriously wounding Doug, but he was unable to continue the attack. Police and emergency personnel arrived, and all three injured people were transported for treatment.
Doug and Kris Wells survived. Nance died from his gunshot wounds on September 4, 1986. The resistance of his intended victims not only ended the assault but also prevented Nance from leaving the scene and concealing the crime as he was suspected of doing in earlier cases.
Evidence Discovered After Nance’s Death
Once investigators searched Nance’s home, vehicle and belongings, they found evidence that transformed him from a deceased attacker into the central suspect in several unsolved murders. Items stolen from Michael and Teresa Shook were found among his possessions. Investigators also recovered photographs and personal material connecting him to Marcella Bachmann.
Nance had kept numerous photographs of women, including pictures that appeared to have been taken secretly. He possessed photographs of Kris Wells and had apparently watched her during her daily activities before attacking the couple. The discovery suggested that his crimes involved prolonged surveillance and planning rather than impulsive encounters.
Investigators compared the attack on the Wellses with earlier homicides. The repeated use of home invasions, restraints, sexual assault, edged weapons, firearms, stolen property and attempts to burn or otherwise conceal crime scenes formed a recognizable pattern. Because Nance had died, however, detectives could not interrogate him or seek a confession.
Victim Count and Unresolved Questions
Authorities have generally associated Nance with at least six deaths, although the strength of the evidence varies from case to case. Donna Pounds, Marcella Bachmann and Michael and Teresa Shook are among the victims most strongly linked to him. Devonna Nelson and Janet Lucas are often included as suspected victims because of their locations, injuries and the periods in which they disappeared.
Nance traveled outside Montana during portions of his life, including during his naval service, leading investigators and writers to question whether he may have committed crimes in other states. No additional murders have been conclusively attributed to him. The absence of a trial also means that the allegations against him were never tested before a jury.
Legacy of the Case
Wayne Nance’s case remains unusual because his suspected series of murders was exposed only after an intended victim fought back and fatally wounded him. Had Doug Wells not escaped from the basement, Nance might have killed both Doug and Kris and attempted to destroy the residence, leaving investigators with another apparently isolated and difficult-to-solve crime.
The later identifications of Marcella Bachmann and Janet Lucas demonstrated the importance of DNA analysis and genetic genealogy in long-unsolved cases. For years, both women were known by temporary names created from the places where their remains were discovered. Restoring their identities allowed their families to learn what had happened and enabled investigators to examine their lives for connections to Nance and other possible suspects.
Although Nance was never convicted, the evidence recovered after his death left law enforcement convinced that he had carried out a prolonged series of violent attacks. His crimes brought lasting grief to families throughout western Montana and left open the troubling possibility that additional victims have never been discovered or connected to him.
