The Horrific 1960s Murder That Happened On Mackinac Island

This entire story was first published in full on my Substack. Here is a snippet of that story.

Substack: For 65 Years, It Was The Only Murder That Ever Happened On Mackinac Island

49-year-old Frances Lacey had arrived on the island the day before on July 23rd for a weekend getaway with her daughter and some extended family. Little did she know, she would soon face evil and would never been seen alive again.

Mackinac Island is a small island located in northern Michigan between the upper and lower peninsula. It’s surrounded by Lake Huron - one of the great lakes. There are no cars allowed on the island (except for emergency services) and the only means of transportation are bicycle or horse and carriage, making it a popular vacation destination.

In July 1960 a woman named Frances Lacey from Dearborn, Michigan decided to take a trip up north and have a nice weekend away with her daughter Kay after a sudden loss left her stricken with grief.

Frances had extended family who rented a cabin at the back of the island and invited them to stay with them, however, Frances didn’t want to be a burden so she rented her own room at the Murry Hotel.

After a day of sightseeing, the group went to dinner at the Wanerie Restaurant (currently known as Winchester's) before deciding to call it a night. When they left the restaurant, Kay walked Frances back to her hotel room, and Frances told her she would meet everyone at the cabin in the morning.

The cabin that Kay was staying at was an hour and a half walk from downtown, and so Kay told her mother that she should take horse and carriage at least some of the way there. Frances made no promises, and that was the last time Kay and saw her mother alive.

The next morning on July 24th, Kay spent the morning watching the sunrise and relaxing on the shores of Lake Huron. Around 11 am, when there wasn’t any sign of Frances, she decided to call the hotel to see if she had changed her plans. The person at the front desk informed her that Frances had already checked out of her room - almost two hours before.

Kay immediately began to worry because Frances wasn’t one to be late. She walked back to the hotel in hopes to find her mother. By the time they made it there, they hadn’t been able to find her. So they walked back to the cabin another way and when Frances still wasn’t there she called the police.

The police searched her hotel room and the luggage she left in storage at the hotel - there were no signs of foul play. They checked the dock for her car, and it was still there. Frances was still on the island yet no one could find her.

By 9 pm that evening, there was still no sign of Frances. The search was called off for the day and set to restart the following morning. More than 65 local volunteers, state police and local police, and the coast guard all began the search for Frances Lacey.

As the hours passed by, Kay filled with worry that something terrible had happened to her mother.

After hours of searching and no sign of Frances, the police finally brought in the cadaver dogs to try and find her scent. They started at the hotel and used her luggage to guide them.

The dogs followed her scent along west lake shore, where they found a dilapidated boardwalk and her scent vanished completely. At that point, they knew that something bad had happened to Frances...

Read the full story here.