Account
Dec 12, 2008
Jun 11, 2024
Kristi
OPry
54
26
67 inches
115 lbs
White / Caucasian
Female
In the summer of 1996, Kristi O'Pry, a 26-year-old mother, vanished from her hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana. On the evening of July 19th, she needed to run some errands and accepted a ride from Eric Dale Mickelson, a friend of her boyfriend. The two were seen leaving her sister's residence at approximately 8:00 p.m. in Mickelson's white 1971 Chevrolet Fleetside pickup truck. According to Mickelson, he then drove O'Pry to the South Park Mall on Jewella Avenue, dropping her off near the El Chico entrance around 8:30 p.m. Kristi O'Pry was never definitively seen or heard from again. She left behind all her personal belongings, including her makeup and toothbrush, and most distressingly, her beloved three-year-old daughter, an action her family insists she would never have willingly done. At the time of her disappearance, it was also reported that O'Pry was pregnant. The initial days of the investigation were marked by a troubling delay and a series of dead ends. Kristi's live-in boyfriend, Jerry "Todd" Dean, told authorities that Mickelson had called him the morning after her disappearance, on July 20th, to say he had dropped her at the mall the previous night. However, Dean did not report Kristi missing to her family until July 23rd, a full four days after she was last seen. Her mother officially alerted the police the following day. Investigators looked into Mickelson's account of the evening, but could not verify his story. Security guards at the South Park Mall did not recall seeing anyone matching O'Pry's description being dropped off that night. Mickelson also claimed they had stopped at a Circle K where Kristi used a payphone, but phone records showed no indication of a call being made. From the outset, Mickelson was considered the prime suspect, but he refused to take a lie detector test and maintained his innocence for many years. For over a decade, the case grew cold, leaving Kristi's family in a state of agonizing uncertainty. A significant development finally occurred in 2007 when Eric Mickelson, who was in jail awaiting trial for the unrelated murder of an 86-year-old man, confessed to killing Kristi O'Pry. He admitted to investigators that he had strangled her on the night she disappeared. Mickelson provided a grim account of how he disposed of her body, first placing her in a pond on his property on Woolworth Road before later moving her remains to other locations. Based on his confession, authorities drained and searched the pond, where they discovered unspecified evidence that they stated corroborated his story. In August 2007, Mickelson was officially charged with second-degree murder in connection with Kristi's death. The case represents the tragic story of a young mother who disappeared after last being seen with a man who would, years later, confess to her murder while imprisoned for another homicide; despite this confession and subsequent charges, extensive searches have never led to the recovery of Kristi's remains, denying her family the closure of a proper burial.
Jul 19, 1996
Shreveport
Louisiana
Caddo Parish
3145
Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office
Shreveport
Louisiana
Caddo Parish
71101
501 Texas Street, Louisiana
3186752170
County
Law Enforcement
1996-00009797
Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office
4860
Blond/Strawberry
Green
Green
05/22/2026
