Kriti Mehrotra
Directed and Executive Produced by Aengus James, Paramount+’s ‘Killer Father: The Green Hollow Murders’ is a documentary series we can only describe as gripping. That’s because it delves deep into the tale of a family that has long been divided over whether patriarch Donald “Don” Studey was an abusive, violent serial killer or not. One of his daughters, Lacy Studey-McKiddy, has never wavered in her belief that he was, so she now seems determined to prove her claims and settle the matter once and for all.
Lucy Studey-McKiddy Made Several Accusations Against Her Late Father
It was around 1969 when Lucy Studey-McKiddy was born to Lucy Studey and Donald Studey as their only daughter, only to sadly lose her mother less than a year later. According to records, her namesake died of a hanging in a small closet off the kitchen in the family’s home just outside of Denver, Colorado, on January 17, 1970, and her death was ruled a suicide. However, as per some family members, the closet was actually so small that the young mother’s knees could touch the ground, and the scene was rather bloody. Yet, according to Auburn Pub, Donald soothed out the situation by alleging that his wife died by suicide after a bloody fight, resulting in her burial in Omaha without any further investigations.
Two other wives of Donald, out of his 5 total, reportedly died by suicide at different points over the years, but they had all allegedly claimed that he was physically and mentally abusive. Among them was Charlotte Studey, who was found dead inside her estranged husband’s car outside her Omaha basement studio apartment, where she had moved not long prior. According to Auburn Pub, she had relocated alongside her three daughters after moving out of her marital home after years of physical and sexual abuse, only to soon be dead. She was 42 when she died of a single gunshot wound to the head in 1984, and her death was ruled a suicide. That is, until her daughters fought for her to be exhumed in the early 2020s, resulting in her manner of death being reclassified as undetermined.
Since then, Charlotte’s daughters have been engaged in a legal battle with Omaha police to get records of her case in hopes of figuring out if their suspicion of Donald having killed her is right. As for Lucy, she hopes “that my stepmom Charlotte’s death certificate finally gets changed to homicide so I can also exhume my mom Lucy. I want to prove that she didn’t commit suicide either. My father stated for decades that he didn’t mean to kill my mom. He said he either choked her too hard or too long.” Moreover, ever since she was a young girl, she has reportedly described her now-late father as abusive, manipulative, violent, and predatory, before culminating it with the title of a serial killer. From what we can tell, Donald died at the age of 75 in 2013, and many of his relatives have backed Lucy’s claims.
Lucy Studey-McKiddy is Dedicating Herself to Bringing What She Believes to be the Truth to Light
In the aforementioned original, Lucy claimed she first saw her father commit murder at the tender age of 4, following which she began really noticing all his actions and crimes. She has since also indicated that she has shared her story to teachers, pastors, and law enforcement countless times since she was a child, with many often telling her she was too young and imaginative. Therefore, after she moved out of her home, got married, and welcomed her son Dylan in 2000, she decided to start afresh and put her past behind her so as to be a good mom, and began going to therapy. That’s when she realized she was not responsible for the actions of others and that all she could do was not let it consume her.
“I learned that I’m not responsible for the people and things that happened in my childhood and teen years,” Lucy said in a Facebook post. “It’s in the past. Don’t let it consume your present and future. Don’t be ashamed of your past because it made you the person you are today. Always strive to improve your present self and situation. Find peace in nature and purpose. Count your blessings daily. Find joy in the little things in life.” However, after her father passed away in 2013, she realized she couldn’t stay silent, as there were people outside who were probably looking for answers about their loved ones, loved ones she alleges her father killed. When Lucy first came forward to publicly accuse her father of being a serial killer, she suspected 15 or so victims, but as the years have gone by, her number has gone up to 50-70.
However, all other aspects of her claims have remained the same, with her alleging he killed scores of people across the country, mostly women, starting in the 1960s or 1970s. She claims her father used the hills of Green Hollow along the mushroom paths as a burial ground, especially because it was isolated, located on a rural hillside in Iowa, about 40 miles from Omaha, Nebraska. As per records, the FBI and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation started taking her claims seriously in 2021, with her compelling and consistent statements even leading to a dig on the property in December 2022. The search turned up nothing but animal bones and debris, driving authorities to close the case, but Lucy remains vehement in her beliefs, and so she is currently working with two production companies on a non-profit basis to further investigate the grounds, share her story, and hopefully prove what she believes to be the truth.
Related
Lucy Studey-McKiddy is a Woman of Many Hats
Apart from fighting for truth, Lucy is proud to be a family woman, a public figure, and a corporate professional. From what we can tell, a lot of the Studey family members believe she is telling the truth, with Donald’s sister Marilyn Kepler herself having noted in her 188-page diary that he was “dead inside” and held “no human compassion whatsoever.” In an interview, she also asserted that while she “personally detests” her niece, she backs her claims. “Lucy was telling the truth,” she said. “I think Lucy’s 100% right.” Lucy is also backed by her stepmother Charlotte’s 3 daughters, and her own loving family, who have stood by her every step of the way. In fact, they even supported her when she moved from Florida to Council Bluffs, Iowa, just outside of Omaha, in the early 2020s to push her investigation further.
On a more professional front, the young girl who used to run away to an old brick grain silo to get away and hide from her family on hard days has since evolved into a career and family woman. The Fremont – Mills High School graduate and mother of one is the proud owner of a business called Family and Pet Guide, which she has been operating since 2008. She has also served as a Business Consultant, a Marketing Manager, and a Social Media Manager for various companies over the years, with her most recent role being in Omaha. From what we can tell, she is currently employed at a global company, where she started out as a Social Media Manager focused on Digital Marketing, but she has since evolved into a Sr. Digital Marketing Manager. Today, the haunting house enthusiast is juggling her career, home life, and investigations into her father, all the while also focusing on her own emotional, mental, and physical well-being.
You must be logged in to post a comment.