The Murder of Laura Houghteling: How She Exposed a Monster
Catching the graduate’s murderer would solve another cold case — and could open the door to cracking more.
When Laura Houghteling from Bethesda in Maryland went missing in 1992, it didn’t take too long for investigators to track down her killer. But little did they know that the disturbed individual had already claimed at least one life — and he could still prove to be behind many other unsolved deaths, including that of the famous ‘Lady in the Dunes’.
Laura Houghteling
Laura was a 23-year-old woman who had recently graduated from Harvard and was considered brilliant by all those who knew her. Tipped for big things carer-wise, she had returned to the family home in a quiet neighbourhood in Bethesda while she decided exactly what she wanted to do next.
On October 19th 1992, her employer was surprised when she failed to show up for work. There was no answer on the phone either, so she called Laura’s brother to ask him to check up on the normally punctual young woman.
Laura’s brother was unable to find any sign of her at home either, and as the hours began to slip by, the police were called to report her missing. The siblings’ mother Penny was also summoned back…
