After 44 years, DNA evidence finally revealed the killer of Mary Tracy, a young Idaho mother brutally stabbed and left in an irrigation ditch in 1980. Investigators struggled for decades, chasing dead-end leads—until a forensic breakthrough linked her murder to convicted killer Charles Strain. But even with the case officially closed, chilling questions remain: Was Mary’s death connected to a mysterious motel and an unknown friend named Lisa? The search for final answers continues.

https://www.deseret.com/1991/2/7/18904608/stepfather-guilty-a-2nd-time-in-teen-s-slaying/

https://1043wowcountry.com/idaho-cold-case-solved-2024/

https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/idaho-press/detectives-solve-1980-ada-county-cold-case-mary-tracy-boise-igg/277-5a4da1ee-b9a4-4cc5-9c97-197af5bd432e

https://www.forensicmag.com/3594-All-News/615377-Cold-Case-Investigator-Solves-1980-Murder-of-25-year-old-Woman/

https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/local/crime/article293508509.html

https://idahonews.com/news/local/ada-county-sheriffs-office-solves-44-year-old-cold-case

https://www.kivitv.com/news/local-news/in-your-neighborhood/ada-county/ada-county-sheriffs-office-resolves-cold-case-murder-from-1980

https://www.lawyer-monthly.com/2024/11/mary-tracys-murder-solved-after-44-years/

https://www.latintimes.com/dna-breakthrough-helps-idaho-officials-crack-murder-case-that-went-unsolved-decades-561497

https://truecrimenews.com/2024/10/09/idaho-cold-case-mary-tracy-murder-charles-strain-convicted-missing-woman/