More than two decades after the mysterious disappearance, the remains of Wendy Camp along with her daughter and sister-in-law were just discovered in a septic tank. From here, what seemed like a forgotten crime is now being brought to light.
Mysterious Disappearance
At midnight of May 29, 1992, in Oklahoma City, USA, the loved ones of Wendy Camp (23 years old) felt like sitting on a fire. That day, Wendy went to visit her 4-year-old son Jonathan Noe in Shamrock, Oklahoma. At that time, Wendy was accompanied by her 6-year-old daughter Cynthia Britto, and sister-in-law Lisa Renay Kregear. Driving to Shamrock took just over two hours, so the family expected to return around 7-7:30 PM.
Wendy was in a custody battle with Jonathan’s father, Chad Noe. She also suffered from multiple sclerosis required medication and couldn’t drive, so the family was very concerned about this trip.
Her former mother-in-law, Beverly Noe, and grandmother-in-law, Ida Prewitt, picked them up early in the morning on May 29. Around 4:30 PM, Wendy called her husband Leon to inform him they were on their way home. But they never made it back.
The family grew increasingly worried, especially since Wendy had multiple sclerosis and didn’t have her medication with her. On the morning of May 30, the family decided to report the three missing persons to the police.
As investigators began to look into the case, they soon learned detailed information about Wendy’s life and the intense custody battle before her disappearance.
A Hellish Battle
Wendy grew up on a large farm and dreamed of becoming a veterinarian. At age 16, she dated college student Christopher Britto and became pregnant. They welcomed their daughter Cynthia together in 1986.
However, when the child was six months old, Christopher was pressured by his parents not to marry Wendy. He agreed to divorce and returned to his hometown. Wendy brought her child to live with her family, who welcomed them warmly.
In 1987, Wendy met Chad Noe while working at a local restaurant. After getting married, the couple lived with Chad’s parents and had a son, Jonathan.
But just a few months later, Wendy fell ill and was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Chad’s mother, Beverly, proposed to help temporarily take care of Jonathan until Wendy recovered. Meanwhile, Wendy’s family would take care of Cynthia.
About seven months after Wendy fell ill, Chad decided to divorce. The family said that since then, Wendy was dragged into a hellish battle for custody.
After the son won this right, Beverly took responsibility for raising him. The woman did everything to keep the boy for herself. Wendy’s parents wanted to visit their grandson but were prevented by the Noe family.
Meanwhile, Wendy’s recovery process took quite a long time, lasting over a year. During this time, she met Leon Camp in the hospital. The two gradually developed feelings and moved towards marriage.
With her health stable, Wendy requested her former husband’s family to allow her to visit Jonathan every weekend. But this was not easy at all.
Battle with the Former Mother-in-law
After stabilizing her health, Wendy Camp requested her former husband’s family, Chad Noe’s family, to allow her to visit her son Jonathan every weekend. Previously, Chad’s mother did everything to keep the child for herself. This woman even sought full custody of the child, citing drug addiction and numerous illegitimate children, including one with a minor.
For a month, everything went smoothly. Wendy got to see her son as requested. But then, Beverly began to refuse visits, even accusing Wendy’s new husband of abusing the child during visits, despite her presence.
Court-appointed experts later confirmed that the abuse allegations were baseless. Medical tests also found no evidence of this, clearing Wendy and Leon of any wrongdoing.
Wendy was allowed by the court to continue visiting her son while Beverly and Chad consistently ignored the court orders. Beverly then took Jonathan into hiding. One day, when visiting her son, Wendy was shocked to find the house empty, with no notification from her former mother-in-law about their relocation.
This went on for about a year until Beverly had to return the child. However, the court still did not require Beverly to return the child to Wendy, only ordering her to facilitate meetings between the two mothers.
On May 29, 1992, Beverly told Chad to call Wendy to visit, offering to drive her because she was ill.
That day, Wendy and Leon were ready, but Beverly refused to let Leon go, citing fears of him fighting Chad. Leon found this odd, but Wendy agreed on the condition that her sister-in-law, Lisa Renee Kregear, accompanied her. Later, Cynthia – Wendy’s 6-year-old daughter – also wanted to visit her brother. Beverly appeared displeased but eventually reluctantly allowed Lisa and Cynthia to go.
A Turbulent Journey
The drive was about 180 km and took just over two hours. When they arrived at 1:45 PM, Wendy called her mother to inform her they were at a restaurant waiting for Chad. They then went to Chad’s house. Here, Wendy, Cynthia, and Lisa spent a few hours playing with Jonathan.
At 4:15 PM, Wendy, Cynthia, and Lisa left in Beverly’s car. Beverly’s mother – Ida Prewitt – also went with them. Wendy continued to call her mother and said she would be home soon. That was at 4:42 PM, the last time anyone heard from Wendy.
After Wendy and the two relatives disappeared, Beverly claimed to have dropped all three off in Chandler, Oklahoma, on the afternoon of May 29.
According to Beverly, Wendy complained and argued throughout the trip that visiting Jonathan was too difficult. Ida, because she “didn’t want to tolerate Wendy anymore,” requested her daughter to take her home around 5:15 PM.
After that, according to Beverly, the argument continued for the next half hour. Tired of her former daughter-in-law, Beverly pulled into a convenience store parking lot and asked Wendy, Cynthia, and Lisa to get out of the car. Beverly said at that point she thought they could catch another ride or call Leon to pick them up. Ida Prewitt’s statement corroborated this story.
However, the convenience store in Chandler had no surveillance camera system. The employees working on May 29 couldn’t verify seeing the missing trio.
Working with the police, Chad stated that the meeting had gone smoothly. The last time he saw Wendy, Christina, and Lisa was when they got into the car to leave. Chad then passed a lie detector test.
Despite no evidence contradicting Beverly’s story, the police still scrutinized her statement closely as there were no other leads remaining.
Stalemate in the Search
Investigators searched everywhere for Wendy Camp, her daughter Cynthia, and sister-in-law Lisa Renee Kregear but found no leads. Wendy’s ex-husband, Chad Noe, along with his mother, Beverly Noe, and grandmother, Ida Prewitt, were under suspicion.
Despite no evidence contradicting Beverly’s story, investigators still closely scrutinized her statement as there were no other leads. Beverly claimed the three missing victims left Shamrock at 4:30 PM. Later, Beverly met Chad at a restaurant in Cushing at 7 PM.
Investigators concluded that Beverly couldn’t have reached the restaurant at that time as the travel distance would have taken more than three hours. Moreover, she drove on a two-lane road, making it an unlikely route.
But subsequent interviews with Beverly’s family members led nowhere. Meanwhile, investigators were racing against time as Wendy’s multiple sclerosis prevented her from going without medication, putting her life at risk.
During interviews with Wendy’s family, police noticed their discomfort with Chad and Beverly. They believed that Chad’s mother and grandmother were responsible for the incident.
They claimed Beverly had disappeared and couldn’t be found for about a year. Then, unexpectedly in May 1992, Chad invited Wendy to visit their son. The family insisted that something sinister had happened to Wendy, Cynthia, and Lisa. They believed the three were murdered on the night of their visit, and Beverly, Chad, and Ida were involved.
Surprising Revelation
After a week of searching, authorities announced the disappearance on the media and offered a $5,000 reward for any useful leads. Alongside, investigators continued interviewing witnesses. But for the next year, they found no suspects.
Later, Ida agreed to be interviewed for a program investigating unsolved mysteries. She asserted that she and her daughter Beverly knew nothing about the disappearance of the three victims. However, investigators felt she was downplaying any involvement she might have had.
Upon deeper investigation, police learned that in 1983, Ida and another daughter named Debbie had been arrested and charged with murder in the death of Debbie’s husband, John Rausin.
John was found shot and stabbed to death in his car on June 12, 1980. Ida and Debbie were eventually released due to lack of evidence. However, Chad’s cousin described Ida as “very cruel” and willing to commit crimes.
In 2011, Ida passed away. Police hoped she would confess something about her actions, but she remained silent.
In 2013, police received unexpected information from Grover Prewitt, a 60-year-old brother of Beverly. Grover suspected his mother and sister might be involved in the disappearance of the three victims. He earnestly claimed to believe that three bodies were buried in a septic tank on his old property.
The Secret Beneath the Septic Tank
Ida had lived on the property and dug a pit for a septic tank. Later, it was used as a trash pit for several years. Around the time Wendy, her 6-year-old daughter, and sister-in-law went missing, Ida instructed Grover to fill it in.
Grover then led investigators to the alleged burial site. Meanwhile, Beverly continued to deny any involvement in the crime.
The excavation process was slow and meticulous, supervised by forensic anthropologists. Finally, on April 16, 2013, they found the remaining bones and clothing of the three victims buried about 2.4 meters deep.
Medical examinations determined that the victims had multiple gunshot wounds, evidenced by bone fractures. Additionally, experts found signs of stab wounds. A firearm and two kitchen knives were found near the skeletons.
The Truth After Over 2 Decades
On January 10, 2014, DNA test results confirmed the skeletons as Wendy Camp, Cynthia Britto, and Lisa Kregear. Wendy died from gunshot wounds and blunt force trauma, Cynthia died from “severe violence caused by unspecified means,” and Lisa died from gunshot wounds. Cynthia’s body still had adhesive tape attached.
On March 28, 2014, Beverly was arrested and charged with three counts of first-degree murder. Grover Prewitt was implicated as an accomplice. Ida Prewitt, Beverly’s mother, was also a suspect, but she had died in 1992. Meanwhile, Chad Noe, Wendy’s ex-husband, was never charged.
Grover was charged as an accomplice but pleaded not guilty and was later acquitted. He passed away on January 25, 2017. Before his death, Grover confessed that it was his grandmother, Ida, and his mother, Beverly, who had murdered the three victims.
To avoid the risk of failure in the murder trial, the prosecutor’s office proposed a plea deal with Beverly, which she accepted.
In January 2015, Beverly, then 67 years old, pleaded guilty to aiding in the murders. Her charges were reduced to being an accomplice to murder, and she was sentenced to 15 years in prison plus 15 years probation.
Due to her age and health issues, Beverly was released on parole in early 2020, after serving 3 years in prison. She passed away on October 13, 2023.
