Infamous Serial Killers

Wayne Nathan Nance | Weird Wayne | The Missoula Mauler

Wayne Nathan Nance was the soft-spoken Missoula furniture mover who, investigators believe, lived a double life as the “Missoula Mauler,” a predatory offender tied to at least five Montana homicides between 1974 and 1986 – until a would-be victim shot him dead during a home invasion, ending the spree authorities had struggled to see.

Wayne Nathan Nance
Wayne Nathan Nance

American Serial Killer

Last updated: November 17, 2025

Wayne Nathan Nance | The Missoula Mauler

  • Full name: Wayne Nathan Nance
  • AKA: “Weird Wayne,” “Missoula Mauler”
  • Born–Died: Oct 18, 1955 – Sept 4, 1986 (age 30)
  • Active window (suspected): 1974–1986
  • Jurisdiction(s): Missoula & Ravalli Counties, Montana (primary)
  • Known/attributed victims:
  • Donna Lorraine Pounds (44) – shot and killed in her Missoula home’s basement (1974).
  • Devonna “Debbie” Louise Nelson (15) – remains found near Beavertail Hill (1980), later linked to Nance.
  • Marcella “Marci” Cheri Bachmann (16) – remains found near Deer Creek (1984), identified in 2006.
  • Janet Lee Lucas (23) – long known as “Christy Crystal Creek,” remains found in 1985; identified via genetic genealogy in 2021.
  • Mike & Teresa Shook – bound and murdered in Ravalli County home invasion (Dec 12, 1985), house set on fire.
  • How he was stopped: Shot by Doug Wells during a 1986 home invasion; Nance died the next day.
  • Status: Deceased; never tried/convicted for the homicides.

Classification & Characteristics

Nance fits the pattern of an organized, socially functional predator who blended into the community—steady job, approachable demeanor—while stalking vulnerable victims and using firearms or edged weapons to control scenes. Investigators later tied him to multiple outdoor body-dump sites east of Missoula and to a string of home-invasion crimes, including the Shook double homicide and the 1986 attack on the Wells family that cost him his life. Evidence recovered after his death (and subsequent identifications via DNA) tightened links between cases that once looked disconnected.

Timeline of the Wayne Nathan Nance Case →

  • 1974 – First known homicide: Donna Pounds is killed in her Missoula home’s basement; suspicion later falls on Nance, a family acquaintance, but no indictment is secured at the time.
  • 1980 – “Betty Beavertail”: Remains later identified as Devonna Louise Nelson (15) found near Beavertail Hill east of Missoula.
  • Dec 1984 – “Debbie Deer Creek”: Remains later identified as Marcella “Marci” Bachmann (16) found near Deer Creek. ID confirmed in 2006.
  • Sept 1985 – “Christy Crystal Creek”: Skeletal remains found near Crystal Creek; in 2021, DNA identifies Janet Lee Lucas (23).
  • Dec 12, 1985 – Home invasion double murder: Mike and Teresa Shook are bound, murdered, and their Ravalli County home torched; items later traced to Nance.
  • Sept 3–4, 1986 – The Wells fight back: During a violent home invasion in Missoula, Doug and Kris Wells resist; Doug breaks free, retrieves a rifle, and shoots Nance, who dies the next day—ending the spree.
  • 2006 – Identification: Bachmann (1984 Deer Creek) confirmed via DNA.
  • May 2021 – Identification: “Christy Crystal Creek” confirmed as Janet Lee Lucas through genetic genealogy; MCSO renews homicide focus.

Case Summary

What looked like isolated homicides around Missoula – one in a basement, others in timbered draws east of town, a wintertime double homicide inside a burning home – began to cohere only after Wayne Nance died. The 30-year-old furniture mover arrived at his supervisor’s house in September 1986, attacked the couple, and was ultimately shot by the husband – an act that both saved lives and opened a door for investigators. In the aftermath, evidence turned up that linked Nance to earlier cases; over the years, DNA and cold-case work identified long-anonymous victims, sharpening the picture of a methodical predator who used familiarity and access (deliveries, social ties) to isolate his targets.

→ Quick Answers

  • Where was he from? Missoula/Clinton, Montana area.
  • Was he convicted? No. He died in 1986 after being shot by an intended victim during a home invasion.
  • How many victims? At least five homicides are attributed or strongly suspected; some remain debated.
  • What broke the case open? His death in 1986, subsequent evidence recoveries, and later DNA identifications (2006, 2021).

🕊️ Victim of Wayne Nathan Nance

  • Donna Lorraine Pounds (44) – Missoula, 1974. Shot in her basement; Nance was a family acquaintance and key suspect, but no indictment issued at the time.
  • Devonna “Debbie” Louise Nelson (15) – remains found near Beavertail Hill in 1980; later linked to Nance’s series.
  • Marcella “Marci” Cheri Bachmann (16) – remains found near Deer Creek (Dec 1984), identified by DNA in 2006.
  • Janet Lee Lucas (23) – found Sept 1985 near Crystal Creek; identified in 2021 via genetic genealogy from Othram/LE collaboration announced by MCSO.
  • Mike & Teresa Shook – bound and killed in a Ravalli County home invasion (Dec 12, 1985); items traced back to Nance’s residence.

Wayne Nathan Nance | Weird Wayne | The Missoula Mauler

→ FAQs

Was Nance ever formally charged?

No. He was never tried; the homicide picture came into focus only after he was fatally shot by Doug Wells in 1986.

How did investigators connect the cases?

Through physical evidence recovered after Nance’s death (including items tied to the Shook murders) and decades-later DNA identifications of previously unidentified victims, strengthening attribution to Nance.

Who was “Christy Crystal Creek”?

In 2021, the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office announced the remains long known as “Christy Crystal Creek” were identified as Janet Lee Lucas (23) of Washington, via genetic genealogy work; the cold-case homicide review continues.

Best long-form source on the case?

To Kill and Kill Again by journalist John Coston (2016), which synthesizes Missoula case files and interviews into a comprehensive narrative.

Wayne Nathan Nance | Weird Wayne

👉 The Story

The Missoula Mauler

Early Years in Missoula County

Wayne Nathan Nance grew up just east of Missoula and was remembered as bright, odd, and increasingly delinquent—boasting about “devil worship,” branding himself with a coat hanger, and telling classmates he wanted to kill before he turned 19. He graduated from Sentinel High School in 1974, the same year the first homicide later linked to him occurred.

1974 | Donna Pounds

On April 11, 1974, 39-year-old Donna Lorraine Pounds was found shot in the basement of her West Riverside home. Investigators later tied scene details to Nance – then a local teen who knew the family – but no indictment issued at the time. The case would become the suspected starting point of his series.

The Jane Doe Cases | Debbie Deer Creek, Betty Beavertail, Christy Crystal Creek

Between 1980 and 1985, skeletal remains of young women were discovered east of Missoula. Two were later identified as teenagers Marci “Marcella” Bachmann (often nicknamed “Debbie Deer Creek”) and Devonna Nelson (“Betty Beavertail”). A third victim found in September 1985 near Crystal Creek – long called “Christy Crystal Creek” – was identified by genetic genealogy in May 2021 as 23-year-old Janet Lee Lucas of Spokane, Washington. Authorities have publicly associated these victims with Nance’s pattern.

December 12, 1985 | Mike and Teresa Shook

In Ravalli County, a home invasion turned double homicide left Mike (34) and Teresa (32) Shook dead, their children narrowly rescued. Items stolen from the house were later recovered in Nance’s residence; he had delivered furniture to the family days earlier. The crime’s control, sexual violence, and post-crime staging echoed elements seen in other suspected cases.

Harassment Pattern Emerges

While working as a mover at Conlin’s Furniture, women complained of harassing calls after deliveries; coworkers said Nance photographed female colleagues and used a “peephole” he blamed on others. This mix of stalking, fixation, and boundary-testing aligned with the escalation investigators suspected.

September 3–4, 1986 | The Wells Home Invasion and the End

Just after midnight, Nance was confronted outside the Missoula-area home of Doug and Kris Wells—people he knew from work. Inside, he tied them, stabbed Doug, and attempted to assault Kris upstairs. Doug freed himself, chambered a single round in a rifle he’d been repairing, and lured Nance to the stairwell, where he shot and stopped him. Nance died of his wounds at the hospital the next day; the Wells survived. Only then did the fuller web of linked evidence begin to snap into focus.

Aftermath and Later Identifications

Following Nance’s death, detectives reassessed unsolved homicides and found overlapping signatures and physical links. Decades later, advances in DNA and genealogy named “Christy Crystal Creek” as Janet Lee Lucas, further solidifying the scope of Nance’s suspected victims and keeping open questions about additional cases that may yet be tied to him.

Legal Status / Paper Trail

  • Prosecutions: None – Nance died in 1986 and was never tried.
  • Cold-case milestones: 2006 DNA ID (Bachmann); 2021 genetic genealogy ID (Lucas) announced by MCSO (via AP/CBS reporting), prompting renewed homicide focus.
  • Authoritative synthesis: John Coston’s To Kill and Kill Again (2016).

📚 Additional Resources

📚 Further Reading / Watching

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Beyond the Gavel

Roll Card | Snapshot

  • Name: Wayne Nathan Nance (“Weird Wayne,” “Missoula Mauler”)
  • Status: Deceased (shot by intended victim Doug Wells; died Sept 4, 1986)
  • Jurisdictions: Missoula County & Ravalli County, Montana (primary).
  • Attributed/linked cases: Donna Pounds (1974); Devonna Nelson (1980); Marci Bachmann (1984; ID’d 2006); Janet Lee Lucas (1985; ID’d 2021); Mike & Teresa Shook (1985).
  • Stopping event: Wells home invasion turns defensive; assailant shot.

Docket Map | Proceedings (Condensed)

  • 1974: Pounds homicide in Missoula; Nance suspected, no indictment.
  • 1980–1985: Outdoor body finds east of Missoula (Beavertail/Deer/Crystal Creek). IDs later: Devonna Nelson (1980), Marci Bachmann (2006), Janet Lee Lucas (2021).
  • Dec 12, 1985: Shook double homicide; items later recovered at Nance’s residence per Missoulian reporting referenced by AP/CBS.
  • Sept 3–4, 1986: Wells home invasion; Doug Wells shoots Nance, who dies next day; no prosecutions follow.
  • 2006 / 2021: DNA/Genetic genealogy IDs confirm Bachmann and Lucas, refocusing cold-case review.

Stay / Warrant / Window

  • Not applicable. Nance died in 1986; there were no charging instruments to execution windows. (Investigative activity continues in victim identifications/case linkages.)

Case File Extras | What the Record Show

  • Wells scene & aftermath: Assault on Doug & Kris Wells; Doug’s escape and defensive shooting; Nance’s death the following day.
  • Shook evidence trail: AP/CBS recounts Missoulian reporting that property linked to the Shook home was later found at Nance’s residence.
  • Outdoor-site pattern: Three distinct recovery areas east of Missoula (Beavertail/Deer/Crystal Creek) tied to young female victims – two later ID’d (Bachmann, Lucas).
  • Cold-case breakthroughs: 2006 DNA ID (Bachmann) and 2021 genetic genealogy ID (Lucas) announced by MCSO (via CBS/AP).
  • Comprehensive narrative: John Coston’s To Kill and Kill Again synthesizes investigative threads.

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