The Horrific Murder of Tracey Neilson
She was killed on her 21st birthday and despite an intriguing clue found at the crime scene, her killer remains unknown.
Tracey Neilson was in a celebratory mood on the morning of Monday, January 5, 1981. It was her 21st birthday and she was looking forward to having a nice dinner with her husband, Jeff, that evening. Tracey and Jeff were still newlyweds — they had gotten married the previous July — and it was the first birthday they were celebrating as a married couple. Jeff, who was in his first year of medical school at the University of Oklahoma, left early that morning for class, promising his wife he would be home by 5:00 pm for her birthday dinner.
Tracey spent the morning running a couple of errands, including going to the grocery store. Neighbors saw her return to her home at the Jamestown Square Apartments in Moore, Oklahoma shortly before noon. She was supposed to meet up with one of her sorority sisters for lunch that afternoon but never made it; she was never seen alive again.
Jeff finished class around 4:00 pm and stopped by a department store in Oklahoma City to purchase a bottle of perfume for Tracey’s birthday gift. He arrived home shortly after 5:00 pm and found the apartment door unlocked. When he went inside, he saw that Tracey…