Regina Jane Pierce:Monrovia, Indiana

    

  Regina Jane Pierce was born on December 29th, 1966. She lived in Monrovia, Indiana on Rural Route 2, Box 44. She seems like a very typical student in the yearbook photos I found. She sang in the choir. She had the same early 80’s hairstyle as her peers. She was only a few years older than me.  It’s easy to identify with her. 

   On June 8th, 1984 Regina J. Pierce was found dead on the roadside I-70. She had been sexually assaulted and was only wearing a dress. She had been tied at the hands and feet. She had been dragged or carried about 80 feet off the road. She was shot multiple times in the head with a large caliber weapon. She was thought to be the victim of a serial killer trucker. It makes some sense. She was right there on the side of the road near the Putnamville exit. 

    

   If you want to see classic “victim blaming” the articles about Regina J. Pierce are textbook cases. In the newspapers she is much disparaged. 

   In one article someone said she had been in Iowa working as an exotic dancer but was on her way home. Her family had last heard from her two days before. 

   She almost made it home. Her family lived in Monrovia, Indiana. 

   Yes, Monrovia is where she was headed.  It makes sense that she was getting closer to home. It definitely could be a trucker. 

   If it was a trucker; Regina’s murder might be one in a long string of murders from coast to coast.  

   Why was her body on the side of the road that leads away from Monrovia? Maybe I am overthinking it but my first instinct is that her body would be on the eastbound side going toward Monrovia. 

   The Sheriff said she ran away a couple of times in the past.  Why?  People don’t often run away from a wonderful and idyllic home. 

   What if her homelife was fine but there was a teacher, pastor, boyfriend, uncle or other predator on the periphery who was up to no good? 

   Her mother, Linda Asher’s maiden name was Pierce according to Regina’s death certificate. Does that mean that Regina’s Mom was single when Regina was born? The father is listed as Herbert Asher.  He is also the “informant” for the death certificate. Would he be Regina’s stepfather then? 

   

   There are plenty of examples of serial killers who drove trucks.  Keith Hunter Jesperson was known as the Happy Face Killer. His first murder was thought to be 1990 and he was not a truck driver in 1984 to my knowledge. 

  We don’t know that she was in a truck though. She could have been in any vehicle. 

  If her case had gotten big media attention at the time there might have been people who could have provided information.  Perhaps someone who picked her up along the way could fill in information about her movements. Perhaps a gas station worker or a restaurant worker saw her and remembered who she was with and the vehicle they were in. But there was no big media plea for tips.  She was seen as a runaway and an exotic dancer who put herself in a risky situation by hitchhiking. 

   She was just 17. Maybe she was making some choices that were not especially safe for a teenager but she didn’t deserve to be murdered for those choices. 

  She was 17 and had no car.  Why did she go to Iowa? Police and her parents thought she hitchhiked to Iowa.  Why Iowa? Did she just end up there from catching a ride? 

   Police spoke with the owner of the club in Iowa that Regina worked at as an exotic dancer.  Except she only worked there a couple of days.  She asked for an advance on her first paycheck and disappeared.  They thought she caught a ride out of town. 

   And then she almost made it home. 

   Hopefully there is evidence still stored somewhere.  Someone tied her hands and feet.  Did investigators save those bindings?  Could they have the killer’s DNA on them?  Did she fight her killer?  Did she scratch him?  His DNA might be under her nails.  Hopefully they clipped and saved those nails. 

   She was sexually assaulted.  Hopefully they saved the rape kit or her dress.  DNA might be found there. 

   There’s always hope that a case can be solved. 

    I just find it odd in this case that she was killed so close to home. Anything is possible but I can’t help thinking that she made it back to Monrovia and someone was not happy to see her back. 

    I also keep thinking about Cheryl Bolin who was also from Monrovia. She disappeared in 1975 and her body was found east of Monrovia too. 

    Proximity and probability make me think maybe these two murders are related. 

    Maybe someone back then saw something.  Maybe someone between then and now heard something. Maybe someone knows what happened and would need to finally tell. 

    Regina Jane Pierce was only 17.  She didn’t deserve what happened to her.  She deserved a long life. She deserved a life lived in peace and safety. She was brave and tough. She was trying to find her way in life. She did not deserve this. 

    Rest in Peace Regina Jane Pierce.