Human Wreckage True Crime
Join us as we navigate the wreckage left behind by humanity’s darkest instincts.
Disturbing True Crime Stories, These include, murderers, kidnappings, serial killers. Solved and unsolved.
Human Wreckage True Crime
Death By Victim: The Unexpected End of Wayne Nance
It's certainly unheard of for a serial killer to be killed by his intended victim. Nevertheless, that's exactly what happened to suspected serial killer Wayne Nance in 1986. Welcome to Human Wreckage, the podcast that dives into the minds of murderers, the victims who crossed their paths and the moments that changed everything. I'm your host, thomas. Today's story flips the narrative because this time the victim fought back. This is the case of Wayne Nance, a suspected serial killer operating in Montana during the 1970s and 80s, a man who lived a double life by day a friendly furniture deliverman in Missoula and by night a predator with a terrifying history. Nance is believed to have murdered at least six people, possibly more. He was calculating, manipulative and always one step ahead of the authorities. But his story didn't end in a courtroom. It ended in a bedroom in the home of a couple he thought would be his next victims. On a September night in 1986, wayne Nance broke into the home of Doug and Chris Wells. Armed and prepared, he tied them up, intending to carry out yet another brutal crime. But what he didn't count on was that Doug would survive a gunshot wound, break free and fight back, killing Nance in a final act of resistance. That act didn't just save two lives. It stopped a killer who might have continued murdering undetected. In this episode we'll unravel the mystery around Wayne Nance's life and crimes, piecing together how he hid in plain sight for so long. We'll look at the chilling details of his suspected victims, the clues that connected them and how the Wells family became unlikely heroes in a story filled with terror. We'll also explore what makes Nance's case so haunting the lack of full closure, the unanswered questions and the reminder that sometimes justice comes not from the system but from survival. This is human wreckage and this is the story of the serial killer who picked the wrong house and didn't live to kill again. Let's get into it, thank you.
Speaker 1:Nance was born in Missoula, montana, in 1955. His mother worked as a waitress, while his father worked as a trucker. The young family lived in a mobile home just on the outskirts of town. While young Nance excelled in school, often earning A's and B's, he had a hot temper and was known as a troublemaker. Nevertheless, he sailed through grade school and high school. While considered a bit peculiar, nance was well-liked around the town. Living several houses down from the Nance family was the Pounds family. Donna worked part-time at a Christian bookstore in Missoula, while Harvey worked at Yance Men's Store. The couple were extremely religious, with Harvey being the deacon of the Bethel Baptist Church. They had three children Kenny, karen 20, and Kathy 12.
Speaker 1:It was the 11th of April 1974 when Donna was home alone. Harvey and Karen were at work, kenny was in the army and Kathy was at school. A man crept into the family home, retrieved Harvey's .22 caliber Luger and approached Donna in the bedroom. He tied her up in a spreadigal position on the bed with a clothesline which he had brought along with him. After raping the terrified woman, he took her down to the basement, pushed her under the stairs and then shot her five times in the back of the head. A neighbor told police that she had seen a man who looked like Nance in the vicinity of the Pounds home that afternoon. Furthermore, nance was a regular at the house and knew exactly where the .22 caliber Luger was kept. When police arrived to question him, he denied any involvement and claimed he had been sick in bed
Speaker 1:all day. Police executed a search warrant of his home and discovered a bloodstained pair of underwear which had recently been washed. While the bloodstain was identified as coming from a human, they could not determine who it had come from. While Nance was considered a likely suspect, they could find no physical evidence to connect him to the case. Another suspect at the time was Harvey, a likely suspect. They could find no physical evidence to connect him to the case. Another suspect at the time was Harvey. It was uncovered that he had been having an affair which hinted towards a potential motivation. Nevertheless, police could find no evidence to connect him to his wife's murder. The case gradually
Speaker 1:went cold. In 1979, railroad workers discovered the badly decomposed body of a young woman near the I-90 in Missoula. She had been sexually assaulted and stabbed to death. She was Caucasian and wore a flower print dress. Police searched through missing person reports but were unable to identify her. Therefore, she became known as Betty Beavertail. In the summer of 1984, nance became romantically involved with a woman from out of town known only as Robin. The duo dated. Throughout the summer of 1984, nance became romantically involved with a woman from out of town known only as Robin. The duo dated throughout the summer and then in September the couple left town, presumably to start their
Speaker 1:own family. Just shy of three months later, a wildlife photographer trudging through the woodland of Missoula came across a grisly scene. Poking out from the earth was a human foot. Police arrived at the scene and unearthed the body of a young woman. The pathologist determined that she had been dead for around three months. Police trawled through missing person reports, yet none matched the features of the dead woman. Whoever she was, she had met a brutal death. There were three gunshot wounds to her head, with no identification. She became known as Debbie Deer Creek. Then, in September of 1985, a bear hunter found skeletal remains scattered across a hillside in West Missoula. She had two bullets lodged into her skull. She had no personal items which could identify her and she became known as Christy Crystal Creek. Forensic experts at the time theorized that she was likely of Asian ethnicity and had dental work unique to Asia. She was likely left-handed and took care of
Speaker 1:her teeth. The following year, on the 12th of December 1985, mike and Teresa Shook and their three young children had just finished up their dinner when they heard a violent knock on their front door. When Mike opened the door, a man lunged at him with a butcher knife, stabbing him to death. Teresa was dragged to the bedroom where she was tied up and then raped and stabbed to death. Afterwards. The man set the house on fire in a bid to conceal evidence, but miraculously the Shook's three children escaped the
Speaker 1:blaze unharmed. Meanwhile, nance had gotten himself a job at Conlin's Furniture where he worked as a delivery driver. His store manager was Chris Wells and he was said to have developed a crush on the married woman. One night in September of 1986, chris and her husband, doug, were returning home. It was around midnight when Doug thought he spotted somebody lurking outside their home in the darkness of the night. He went to inspect and sure enough, he found Nance in the bushes. Nance explained to Doug that he had been driving past. When he thought he saw somebody looking into their window, nance asked Doug to go inside and get a flashlight for them to investigate further. However, when Doug turned his back, nance struck him on the back of his head with a gun. Doug fell to the floor, bleeding profusely from the wound. The two men struggled on the floor. As Chris rushed to see what all the commotion was about, nance pointed the gun at her and forced her to tie her husband's hands and feet, before Nance
Speaker 1:tied hers. With Doug and Chris bound, nance took Chris to the bedroom and tied her to the bed. Nance then turned his attention back on Doug With his hands and feet tied, he forced Doug down to the basement. Here Nance tied Doug's neck to a pole before lifting out an 8-inch butcher knife. Nance plunged the knife into Doug's chest, just missing his heart by centimeters. Believing that Doug was dead, nance then went back upstairs and headed towards the bedroom where he had tied Chris up, but Doug wasn't dead, despite the beating and the stab wound to the chest. Chris up, but Doug wasn't dead. Despite the beating and the stab wound to the chest, doug was still alive and
Speaker 1:still conscious. Doug managed to free himself from the vines and retrieved his Savage 250 rifle. He staggered up the stairs and confronted Nance. Doug shot Nance once in the side and he dropped to the ground. As Nance attempted to get back up, doug began to batter him with the rifle. He continued the ground. As Nance attempted to get back up, doug began to batter him with the rifle. He continued to do so until Nance stopped moving and his head was a bloody mess. Both Nance and Doug were rushed to the hospital. Nance died of his injuries but miraculously
Speaker 1:Doug survived. After Nance's death, authorities uncovered that this attempted slaying wasn't an isolated incident. Nance was linked to six different murders. In his home, police discovered a photograph of him with Marcy Bachman, and when Marsai was 16 years old, she went missing from Vancouver, leaving behind a family who had no clue about her fate. Her family recollected that Marsai was a kind and gentle and loving individual. Then, in 2006, dna testing showed that the woman known as Debbie Deer Creek was Marsai. Furthermore, an investigation uncovered that the young woman known as Robin in Missoula was also Marsai, indicating that almost as soon as she left town with Nance, he killed her. Robin had been a pseudonym Marseille used after running away from home. In his home, they found evidence which connected him to her murder. In 2009, betty Beavertail was identified as 14-year-old Devon and Nelson, a runaway who had been hitchhiking through Missoula from Seattle. Christy Crystal Creek still remains unidentified, but it is presumed that she, too, was a victim of Nance. The true number of victims attributed to Nance is unknown, but it's safe to say he certainly never expected to meet his demise with the same violence he showed his victims. However, unlike his victims, he was deserving of it. In May of 2021, christy Crystal Creek was identified as Janet Lee Lucas. She grew up in California and Washington and had a son who was five years old when she vanished. He had spent much of his adult life searching for
Speaker 1:his mother. Wayne Nance lived in the shadows, hiding behind an ordinary job, blending into the quiet community of Missoula Montana. Job blending into the quiet community of Missoula Montana. For years he preyed on the unsuspecting, leaving behind a trail of unanswered questions, broken families and lives lost too soon. He was the kind of killer that true crime stories are built around Meticulous, hidden in plain sight and frighteningly methodical. But what makes this story different, what makes it unforgettable, is how
Speaker 1:it ended. Doug and Chris Wells weren't trained for violence. They weren't police officers or detectives. They were a couple in their own home, targeted by a man who believed he had total control, and yet, in the face of unimaginable fear, they fought back. In doing so, they saved each other and unknowingly stopped a serial killer who may have otherwise kept going. The death of Wayne Nance closed the chapter on a terrifying string of crimes, but it didn't answer every question. How many victims were there? Could more have been saved if the dots were connected sooner? And just how many killers like Nance are hiding in plain sight? Even today, we may never know the full extent of his crimes, but what we do know is this. Sometimes the victims rewrite the ending. Thank you for joining us on Human Wreckage. If this episode resonated with you, consider subscribing, leaving a review and sharing the story. And, as always, stay curious, stay safe and remember even in the darkest stories, there are moments of light. Until next time, I'm Thomas. Thanks for watching.