Lisa Ziegert murder turns 25

[1990 UM fan]

Lisa Ziegert, a 24-year-old teacher's aide in the special education department at Agawam Middle School in Agawam, Massachusetts, was abducted from her night job at Brittany Card & Gift Shop between 8:40 and 9:10 pm on the evening of April 15, 1992. 4 days later, on Easter Sunday, Lisa's body was found in a wooded area outside of town. She had been stabbed repeatedly in the upper chest and neck. On the day of her funeral, more than 1,000 people showed up and stood in the pouring spring rain to pay tribute to Lisa.

Back at the gift shop, police found evidence that Lisa had been in a struggle in the back room, as blood was found on the corner of the door's bottom rail. Around the time Lisa vanished, a woman had entered the shop and found it empty. She had heard banging noises coming from the back but didn't call police. Later that evening, another woman saw a truck heading in the direction where Ziegert's body would later be found. She saw 2 men and a woman moving around in the back of the truck and assumed they were partying and drove off. Police believe the truck is a late model full-sized Broncho or Blazer, either colored dark red or dark blue. Moldings of tire track impressions were taken at the crime scene and physical evidence from Ziegert's body was also taken.

Lisa Marie Ziegert was one of four children and had lived in Agawam since 1974. She graduated from Agawam High School in 1986 and received a degree in elementary education from Westfield State College in 1990. While in high school, she played tenor saxophone and flute in the concert band. She had also been a drum majorette for the school's marching band for two years. She had worked for the school newspaper and literary magazine, Unicorn. Lisa worked at the Perry Lane Camp for four summers, was a communicant of Sacred Heart Church, and taught Confraternity of Christian Doctrine classes there. She also was a member of the National Honor Society and the American Field Service. Lisa's murder remains unsolved.

[UMfan77]

This case really angers me. She was an intellegent young woman who had her whole future ahead of her and some psychopaths took that all away. I think this would be a good case to be profiled on The Trail Went Cold.

[WishfulDreamer]

Originally Posted by UMfan77

This case really angers me. She was an intellegent young woman who had her whole future ahead of her and some psychopaths took that all away. I think this would be a good case to be profiled on The Trail Went Cold.

I feel the same way. She was clearly a hardworking young woman loved by many, and has now been gone longer than she was alive. I feel so bad for her family and friends. I'm hopeful this is the last Easter they will have with the case still unsolved.

[dynoguy88]

Originally Posted by WishfulDreamer

I feel the same way. She was clearly a hardworking young woman loved by many, and has now been gone longer than she was alive. I feel so bad for her family and friends. I'm hopeful this is the last Easter they will have with the case still unsolved.

In every interview I have seen with her relatives, they always seem like the nicest, down to earth people. They are the last people you'd want to see go through this kind of pain.

Something UM never mentioned that we didn't find out until a year ago was that she was fearful that she was being watched the days leading to her murder and that she frequently asked her friends and sisters to visit her at work because she was afraid of being alone at the card shop.

The location and time of night should NOT have made it easy to abduct her from the card shop. It was nothing more than luck that nobody saw the abduction from the many other businesses that surrounded that building.

I truly hope these awful men get captured. Her loved ones have suffered enough.

[Steve W.]

I've read that she had an on-again, off-again boyfriend shortly before or at the time of her murder. If the perp wasn't one of the guys working at that nearby carpet business, then it could be another unfortunate example of a "sweet, good girl" falling for an a**(edit) and things turning sinister after having a final falling out with each other. It's also rumored that it was a young police officer that did it (with an accomplice), which could be one-in-the-same as the a**(edit).

[JannTosh]

I get the feeling she wasn't killed by a local

[dynoguy88]

Originally Posted by JannTosh

I get the feeling she wasn't killed by a local

I've never felt that way. A complete stranger to the area seems far less likely to drive through a private property that connects to the woods (or even know if it's existence) to be able to rape, murder and dump her body the way he did.

If the killer WAS a local, I think he would have had to spend some time getting familiar with the general area to devise a plan first. Spy on her and get a sense of her routine and then strike at the first opportunity.

Maybe if the card shop was on the edge of town, more secluded and it was later in the evening...I could see a stranger happening upon her and abducting her rather quickly. But not being in the center of town like it actually was. It just seems too risky.

[MegtheEgg86]

Originally Posted by dynoguy88

I've never felt that way. A complete stranger to the area seems far less likely to drive through a private property that connects to the woods (or even know if it's existence) to be able to rape, murder and dump her body the way he did.

Same. I've always thought this one screamed 'local'.

[JannTosh]

if it was a local guy you'd think it wouldn't be that hard to pin him down


or maybe one of her students was crushing on her and after she obviously turned him down they retaliated. I've read of stories like that.

[dynoguy88]

Originally Posted by JannTosh

or maybe one of her students was crushing on her and after she obviously turned him down they retaliated. I've read of stories like that.

She taught middle school, ages 11-14. So I highly doubt that.

I think a mentally unstable father of one of her students would be more likely to retaliate after rejecting his advances.

[1990 UM fan]

It's interesting that I posted this back on the 25th anniversary of her murder and now months later, they arrested someone. Gary E. Schara's DNA matches the DNA taken from Lisa's body and he even wrote down a confession to her murder.