FL FL - Nancy Leichner, 21, & Pamela Nater, 20, Altoona, 2 October 1966

[killarney rose]

I was 10 yrs old and living in neighboring Orange County when these girls were taken. I was fascinated by the case and always wondered what happened to them. I'm glad the family has some kind of closure. At least it's better than none.

 

[FrayedKnot]

I remember when the Orlando Sentinel ran a story on the tenth anniversary of Nancy and Pamela's disappearance. I was just a kid but the story haunted me, especially as I spent lots of time at various parks and lakes in the ONF. Alexander Springs, in particular.

I am sad for their families that their remains will likely never be found.

 

[MommaTish]

Hi, my first post here on here. Some things to consider when searching for the remains of these ladies are... 1) Was this a planned murder? (Did he stalk them? Have a car?). Or was it a spur of the moment killing? (SK hitchhiking and runs across them) obviously if he had no vehicle there is only so far he could get the bodies. 2) were most of his victims found in one area (did he have a dumping ground he felt safe using?) 3) did he have a residence at the time? (Keeping his victims close) 4) did he seem to follow a certain road or area? (Following it might shed light on good areas to dump them). Sorry if I seem to be rambling, just some ideas on where to look. ��

 

[Cincinnati Kid]

You do wonder if Gerald Schaefer had any previous contact with one or both of these victims? Could he have known or had contact with one or both of their boy friends? I don't think the term "stalking" was used in connection with these kind of matters in the 1960's, but that could have been what Schaefer did in this situation. At the same time, he may have just known that area where the abduction took place well suited his method of operation. The question remains if he disposed of the bodies in the area where the murders took place or did he have some way to transport them elsewhere?

 

[Backwoods]

Hi, my first post here on here. Some things to consider when searching for the remains of these ladies are... 1) Was this a planned murder? (Did he stalk them? Have a car?). Or was it a spur of the moment killing? (SK hitchhiking and runs across them) obviously if he had no vehicle there is only so far he could get the bodies. 2) were most of his victims found in one area (did he have a dumping ground he felt safe using?) 3) did he have a residence at the time? (Keeping his victims close) 4) did he seem to follow a certain road or area? (Following it might shed light on good areas to dump them). Sorry if I seem to be rambling, just some ideas on where to look. ��

:welcome5:


Welcome to Websleuths, MommaTish!

 

[Fede]

Bumping. Despite the theory that Scahefer killed them, their bodies have not been found.

 

[Richard]

Nancy Leichner
Missing since October 2, 1966 from Alexander Springs Recreation Area, Altoona, Lake County, Florida
Classification: Endangered Missing

Vital Statistics

• • Date Of Birth: July 24, 1945
  • Age at Time of Disappearance: 21 years old
  • Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'3"; 115 lbs
  • Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Blonde hair; green eyes.
  • Clothing: Bathing suit, 2 piece, blue bottom, blue-red stripe top.
  • Dentals: Available

Circumstances of Disappearance

Nancy Leichner and Pamela Nater disappeared from a skin diving club picnic on Sunday, October 2, 1966. The picnic was in the Alexander Springs Recreation Area of the Ocala National Forest in Lake County, Florida. They planned to scuba dive, canoe and picnic.

Pam Nater was a 1964 graduate of Clearwater High; Nancy Leichner (pronounced LIKE-ner) was a 1963 graduate of Largo High. Pam was a nurse at Morton Plant Hospital; Nancy worked for Honeywell. They had met each other just once before. The common thread was their respective boyfriends who were diving buddies.

The young women decided the 72-degree water in the spring was too cold and didn't go in. So as their boyfriends dived and took a canoe ride, the women began packing to go home. About 16.00, as the Aquaholics gathered to leave, the boyfriends began searching for them They found Nancy's prescription glasses and both women's purses and shoes at a picnic table, but no trace of either woman.

Nancy was last seen on a nearby nature trail, a winding path that follows the Alexander Spring Creek. That was shortly before 12:30. Pam was last seen about an hour later a short distance from the trail.

Cold-case investigators in Lake County has concluded that a convicted murderer and former law-enforcement officer -- long since dead -- had killed Leichner, and Pamela Nater.
Investigators said that they have discovered evidence, including a jail house confession and eyewitness accounts, that points to Gerard J. Schaefer as the person who abducted and killed the two young women.

During his incarceration, Schaefer told a fellow inmate at Avon Park Correctional Facility, that he took Leichner and Nater by gun and knife point at Alexander Springs park and killed them. The inmate kept detailed notes of his conversations, which he turned over to a corrections officer.
In 1995, a fellow inmate at Florida State Prison stabbed Schaefer to death.

Investigators

If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:

Lake County Sheriff's Office
352-343-9529

Agency Case Number: 66-10-0000
NCIC Number: M-357881491

Source Information:
Lake County Sheriff's Office
St. Petersburg Times 3/14/05
Orlando Sentinel 7/19/07
The Doe Network: Case File 1498DFFL

 

[Richard]

Pamela Ann Nater

• Missing Since 10/02/1966
• Missing From Altoona, Florida
• Classification Endangered Missing
• Sex Female
• Race White
• Date of Birth 05/30/1946 (74)
• Age 20 years old
• Height and Weight 5'3 - 5'5, 120 pounds
• Clothing/Jewelry Description A blue and white two-piece bathing suit and a blue and white pinstriped boys' Gant or Hugger short-sleeved shirt.
• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Dark brown hair, brown eyes. Nater had reddish highlights in her hair in 1966. Her nickname is Pam. Her middle name may be spelled "Anne." Her last name is sometimes given as "Mater" or "Taylor."

Details of Disappearance

Nater and her friend Nancy Leichner went on a picnic with Aquaholics, a skin-diving club, in the Alexander Springs Recreation Area of the Ocala National Forest in Altoona, Florida between 2:00 and 3:00 p.m. on October 2, 1966. They attended the picnic with Leicher's fiancee and Nater's date.

The two women were last seen going into the woods together along one of the nature trails. They left their purses, clothing, shoes, Leichner's eyeglasses, and other personal belongings behind on a picnic table. A search was organized when they didn't return. An extensive search covering fifteen square miles turned up no sign of either of them. They have never been heard from again.

It is not believed that the women drowned in the swampy area. They are both good swimmers and in any case did not plan to swim that day because the water was too cold. Their boyfriends are also not considered suspects in their disappearances.

In 2007, authorities announced they were closing the Leichner/Nater cases, as they believe the serial killer Gerard John Schaefer Jr. was responsible for their disappearances. A photograph of him is posted with this case summary. Schaefer is believed to have been responsible for the deaths of dozens of young women and is suspected in the disappearances of Carmen Hallock, Wendy Stevenson and Peggy Rahn. The family of Debora Lowe, who disappeared in 1972, believes he was involved in her case as well.

Schaefer was only convicted of two murders. He was murdered in prison in 1995. He was never charged in connection with Leichner and Nater's disappearances, but investigators are certain he was involved. They stated evidence, including a witness and a jailhouse confession, linked him to the two women.

Leichner is a graduate of Largo High School. Both women resided in Pinellas County, Florida in 1966. They did not know each other very well; they had met only once prior to their disappearances. Their cases are unsolved.

Investigating Agency

• Lake County Sheriff's Office 352-343-9529

Source Information

• The Doe Network
• The Crime Library
• Florida Department of Law Enforcement
• Newspaper Archive
• The St. Petersburg Times
• The Orlando Sentinel
• The Tampa Bay Times
• Pamela Ann Nater – The Charley Project

 

[Richard]

[URL='http://r.search.aol.com/_ylt=AwrExl9r7xtgKD8A7B1jCWVH;_ylu=c2VjA3NyBHNsawNpbWcEb2lkAzAxODRiYjUwOGU3NDEwZGQxZWU4MTlkMjQzMjAwN2I0BGdwb3MDMgRpdANiaW5n/RV=2/RE=1612472300/RO=11/RU=http%3a%2f%2fcharleyproject.org%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2017%2f10%2fpamela_ann_nater_2.jpg/RK=0/RS=lfM_JE8ZsfhxrITFNXoP18Rrk5A-'][/URL]
Nancy Leichner and Pamela Ann Nater
Missing since 2 October 1966

 

[PayrollNerd]

These ladies were last seen over an hour apart on the trail? So how did he get one to go with him but not the other? Did he somehow harm Pam, like knock her out temporarily, while he took off with Nancy? Then he returned for Pam? Wouldn't she be leery of him if she knew he was responsible for taking Nancy? As in, wouldn't Pam scream, run, yell, etc. Odd.

Nancy was last seen on a nearby nature trail, a winding path that follows the Alexander Spring Creek. That was shortly before 12:30. Pam was last seen about an hour later a short distance from the trail.

 

[Richard]

Missing for over 55 years...

Nancy Leichner and Pamela Ann Nater
Missing since 2 October 1966

 

[John/Jane Doe]

1498DFFL - Nancy Elaine Leichner

1497DFFL - Pamela Ann Nater

 

[spartanx]

poor girls coldly murdered the murderer deserves the electric chair