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EARLY LIFE:
Hang Lee was calved connected October 9, 1975. Of Laotian descent, she and her household were refugees who’d moved to St. Paul, Minnesota, erstwhile she was a young girl. One of 14 children, she was fluent successful some English and Hmong, which allowed her to construe for her parents, who spoke small English.
At the clip of her disappearance, Hang was a elder astatine Highland Park High School and had dreams of attending the University of Minnesota for writing. She worked astatine the Wong Café astatine Rice Street and Wheelock Parkway to gain immoderate spending money, and enjoyed listening to dense metallic euphony and speechmaking successful her spare time.
According to Hang’s family, determination was a play successful her beingness wherever she was hanging retired with a atrocious crowd, but successful the months earlier she went missing, she’d appeared to person recovered a amended radical of teenagers to befriend.
DISAPPEARANCE:
Hang Lee near her family’s North End apartment, successful the 200 artifact of Biglow Lane, betwixt 6:00 PM and 7:00 PM connected either January 12 oregon 15, 1993 (sources vary). She got into a conveyance with her 18-year-old friend, Kia “Nikki” Lee, and respective different passengers, but had made a troubling remark to her younger brother, Koua, anterior to leaving: “If I don’t travel back, travel and look for me, due to the fact that I don’t spot Nikki.”
His sister didn’t instrumentality home, truthful the adjacent morning, Koua confronted Nikki successful the cafeteria of Como Park High School, wherever she was eating breakfast. When helium asked wherever Hang was, she reportedly said, “I don’t cognize wherever your sister is. I don’t cognize what you’re talking about.”
Hang’s parents reported her missing a fewer days later.
SEARCH:
Initially, the St. Paul Police Department treated Hang’s lawsuit arsenic a runaway, meaning thing happened successful the probe for six months. Her household didn’t judge this theory, however, arsenic she’d near down her assemblage savings, a $100 paycheque, each of her covering and her purse, which contained a pb shot and weapon that she carried for protection.
It was lone erstwhile the Lee household began putting up missing persons flyers that section constabulary began taking the lawsuit seriously. While Nikki had initially told them her person had near with a radical of unidentified “White friends”, she aboriginal changed her communicative to accidental that Hang had really gone for an interrogation with her ain employer, Mark Steven Wallace.
Wallace owned a coating and carpentry concern astatine Iroquois and Stillwater avenues, supra which helium lived, and he’d asked Nikki if immoderate of her friends were looking for work. While she recovered the petition odd, arsenic determination wasn’t capable enactment for different employee, she’d recommended Hang, who’d been looking for a higher-paying job.
On the nighttime she went missing, Hang and Nikki got into Wallace’s achromatic pickup truck, earlier helium moved them into a tan oregon metallic 1988 Chevrolet Cavalier. After dropping Nikki disconnected astatine an East Side state station, helium drove disconnected with Hang, having told the erstwhile helium was going to instrumentality her person home. Wallace aboriginal told investigators that he’d dropped Hang disconnected adjacent the Wong Café.
When asked wherefore she’d lied instantly pursuing her friend’s disappearance, Nikki said she’d believed Hang had tally distant and wanted to support her. She added that Wallace had told her to not archer anyone what had truly happened that night.
With this caller story, Wallace became the premier fishy successful Hang’s disappearance, and the suspicion surrounding him lone accrued erstwhile investigators learnt he’d been convicted successful 1987 of 2 convulsive rapes. What’s more, he’d lured 1 of his victims with the committedness of a occupation interview. This was capable for constabulary to gully up hunt warrants for his home, bureau and truck, but thing incriminating was found.
It wasn’t agelong earlier Wallace hired an attorney, who told him to halt talking to authorities. Nikki besides hired her ain lawyer and stopped cooperating with the investigation.
Age-progression representation of what Hang Lee whitethorn person looked similar astatine 45 years old. (Photo Credit: National Center for Missing and Exploited Children)Years later, investigators received a extremity from a neighbour who’d been suspicious of a store Wallace had built astatine the residence he’d inherited from his precocious mother. The detached operation had been hastily erected successful 2004, and erstwhile Wallace mislaid the location successful 2009, cadaver dogs were brought successful to analyse it. Two of the animals indicated astatine the level adjacent the store wall, but they mislaid involvement erstwhile holes were drilled into the ground.
The location was searched again successful October 2021, aft a extremity was called successful claiming Hang had been buried successful an aged occurrence pit connected the property, but nary grounds was uncovered.
Wallace was arrested and charged with kidnapping, stalking and possession of methamphetamine successful narration to a antithetic lawsuit successful 2016. According to reports, he’d held a 20-year-old pistillate hostage astatine a edifice successful Woodbury, Minnesota, during which helium verbally and physically abused her. He’d besides threatened her life, allegedly telling her that he’d killed a pistillate successful St. Paul.
In 2020, Wallace was committed to the Minnesota Sex Offender Program and sent to a installation successful Moose Lake. He’ll beryllium held determination until he’s rehabilitated, with galore viewing this arsenic a beingness sentence.
DETAILS:
Hang Lee went missing from St. Paul, Ramsey County, Minnesota, connected either January 12 oregon 15, 1993. She was 17 years old, and she was past seen wearing a achromatic t-shirt with “Skid Row” written connected the back; a lightweight achromatic leather jacket; achromatic jeans oregon slacks; sneakers; and respective pieces of jewellery, including 2 metallic bracelets.
At the clip of her disappearance, Hang stood astatine 5’0″ and weighed 90 pounds. She had achromatic hairsbreadth with dyed reddish bangs and brownish eyes.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) has released an age-progression representation of what Hang whitethorn person looked similar astatine 45 years old.
CASE CONTACT INFORMATION:
Hang Lee’s lawsuit is presently classified arsenic Endangered Missing, with foul play suspected. Her DNA is disposable for comparison, should her remains her located.
Anyone with accusation regarding the lawsuit is asked to interaction the St. Paul Police Department astatine either (651) 291-1111 oregon (651) 266-5612. Tips tin besides beryllium called into the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office astatine (651) 266-9670 oregon Crime Stoppers astatine (651) 452-7463.
Image Credit: International Missing Persons Wiki
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