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The Murder of Michelle Wyatt: How DNA Unmasked Killer of the Girl Next Door
The 20-year-old student worked hard and dedicated her life to helping others — but one day she crossed paths with her polar opposite.
Michelle Wyatt from California was the type of young woman everyone wants as a friend. The athletic student was 20 in 1980 and enjoyed scuba diving and tap dancing, and she was trying to decide whether to pursue a career in oceanography or telecommunications.
However, she also worked as a Safeway cashier to pay her way through her studies and taught kids how to dance and play musical instruments.
According to the San Diego Reader, her mother Louise once asked her why she still bothered giving dance lessons for such little money, only to be told: “Mom, you don’t know the enjoyment I get out of it.”
Her father Raymond told the San Diego Union-Tribune: “She was a real independent go-getter. Pretty good in school. Knew what she wanted to do.”
The night of the murder
On October 8th 1980, Michelle had just moved into an apartment of her own in the small community of Santee. She was excited at the prospect of a more independent lifestyle, although she remained…
