On the day they disappeared Diana and Jennifer were seen at a mini-mart at approximately 7:00 p.m. According to the cashier, the girls bought cigarettes and soda. But instead of going home, they lingered outside the store. Two hours later the girls were still in front of the mini-mart when the cashier saw a man pull up in a blue truck. The girls conversed with the driver and then got into the truck. The driver of the truck drove off. That is the last time the girls were seen alive. Family members believe the girls knew the driver or they would not have left with him.

Three months later two men were hunting in a remote desert 100 miles north of Phoenix. As they traversed a steep incline they came across a gruesome sight. Diana Shawcroft lay on top of Jennifer Lueth. Both had been murdered. Because the investigation is ongoing, police are withholding the cause of death. But the location of the girl’s bodies offered several clues as to who the killer or killers might be.

The area is extremely isolated some sixteen miles from the nearest highway and accessible only by pick-up truck or four-wheel drive. Authorities believe that the killer has frequented the area or has some personal knowledge of the area. The deepness of the ravine also raised another troubling possibility. Both of the girls were decent sized and authorities believe the killer was either very strong or there was more than one person involved in the killings.

The police investigation centered on finding the mysterious man in the blue truck. Believing that both girls knew this man, police delved into their personal lives. While in Phoenix, Diana and Jennifer had attended numerous parties and nightclubs. They were involved in many peoples’ lives, making it difficult to narrow the possibilities.

There is one final strange twist to this case. The families erected a shrine where the bodies were found. Pictures of both girls were placed at the foot of two wood crosses. Police decided to occasionally survey the sight, hoping for a morbid visit from the killer. No one ever showed up – at least while authorities were at the scene. On September 29, 2000, detectives discovered that both photos of the girls had been removed from their frames. Only police and the victims’ families knew the precise location where the bodies of Diana and Jennifer had been found. Had the killer returned for a macabre souvenir of his brutal act? Police can only speculate. No evidence that might identify the murderer has ever been found.

The search for Diana and Jennifer’s killer or killers continues. Authorities would especially like to question the man who was the last person seen with the girls. He may be driving a blue pick-up truck.

If you have any information about this case, please contact the Yavapai County, Arizona, Sheriff’s Office or call the Unsolved Mysteries hotline, 1-800-876-5353.

WANTED FOR QUESTIONING Above is a composite sketch of the man last seen talking to Diana Shawcroft and Jennifer Lueth outside the mini-mart. He was driving a blue pickup truck like the one depicted in the sketch above.