Lisa Ann Carnes:1984:Metropolis, Illinois

 

  Lisa Ann Carnes was born on July 20th 1957 to Margaret and General Hill. She had a brother named David. 

 Lisa graduated from Century High School in 1976. 

  She married Earnest Carnes and the two had a daughter and a son. They lived in the Stumptown section of Karnak, Illinois. 

  Karnak is a town in Southern Illinois somewhat near Cairo. Cairo is on I-57 just over the Mississippi River bridge. The Ohio River and Mississippi River converge near Cairo. Karnak is Northeast of Cairo and a short drive north of the Ohio River. It sits between I-57 and I-24. 

   Southern Illinois is a rural place with a lot of natural beauty.  The Ohio and Mississippi Rivers offer good fishing opportunities and the soil can be very rich for farming along that land near the rivers. 

   March 29th 1984, Lisa was reported missing around midnight. Her truck was found near the intersection of Illinois 169 and U.S. 45. Her truck was found to be in good running order. She had not broken down there. Was she “pulled over” by someone.  Perhaps someone fooled her into thinking there was something wrong with her truck.  Or, did they have a phony flashing police light?

   The next day on March 30th 1984 she was found shot to death just Northeast of Metropolis, Illinois. She was found in a field near Macedonia Church Road about 4 miles away from her truck.  Metropolis is a town close to I-24. 

   Lisa’s clothes were found between her truck and state road 1150 on the West Side of U.S. 45. 

   Lisa was found around 3:15 p.m. by the landowner.  A trail of blood and footprints told a gruesome and tragic tale. She had run for her life after being shot in the back. The bullet had punctured a lung.  A significant amount of blood was found on the porch of an abandoned farmhouse. It is thought that Lisa ran there for help but found the place empty. She then ran in another direction, possibly toward a light in the distance until she collapsed in the field and succumbed to her injuries. 

   Who abducted, assaulted and murdered Lisa Ann Carnes?

    1984 was a dangerous time in the United States. Violent crime was surging still. Many serial killers were active in the 70’s and 80’s. Who might have been operating in this area?

   The geographic location of Karnak between two major interstate systems seems significant. A killer or killers could have been traveling between several major U.S. cities. Or this could also be someone local. And by local it could easily be someone from the Paducah, Kentucky area, Illinois or even Missouri. 

   I am wondering if footprints were examined and photographed.  Was this one assailant or two? What about tire tracks? They obviously drove Lisa from the spot where her truck was found. What kind of vehicle was the assailant driving? 

   The local police in the area probably had little experience with a crime of this type. It is likely that crime scene evidence was not photographed in great detail or with a camera capable of capturing minute detail. 

   If you have information or tips to help solve this case please call the Illinois State Police at (618) 845- 3740.