Mysterious case of man convicted of killing two teenage girls despite passing lie detector test

The case of a man convicted of killing two teenage girls despite passing a lie detector test is one of the US' most mysterious crimes.

Dawn Donaldson and Crissy Campbell grew up in the small mining city of Grass Valley, California.

The pair were best friends who spent a lot of time with each other. Like most 16 years olds, they went out shopping together and would go round to each other's houses for sleepovers.

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You can learn more about the harrowing story on the Small Town Murder podcast (episode 481), available on Audible with a free trial.

July 1994: The best friends vanish without a trace

On July 23 1994, the teens were together at Dawn’s house for a sleepover, with them leaving sometime that evening.

However, they never returned.

Dawn and Crissy's parents only realized they were missing when they went to go check on them the next morning.

Unable to locate them, the worried parents reported the teens missing later that afternoon.

August 1994: Their remains are found

The search for Dawn and Crissy ended around ten days later as investigators found their remains dumped in a remote area.

The teens had crushed skulls and died of blunt force trauma. Their bodies were heavily decomposed, so they were identified through dental records.

Dawn Donaldson and Crissy Campbell. (CBS News Sacramento)

Dawn and Crissy's bodies were dumped in a secluded area that not a lot of people would have been aware of.

As a result, officials believed that whoever was responsible for the crime was a local.

So, an extensive investigation followed to try and find the people involved.

Samuel Strange becomes a suspect

Authorities discovered that Dawn and Crissy were last seen by a friend who dropped them off at Samuel Strange’s house.

As a friend of Dawn's family, Samuel was questioned by the police.

Samuel told officials that while the girls did visit his house, they only stayed for 20 minutes before leaving to go into town.

However, a search of Samuel’s property led to traces of blood being found in his car and below his porch - blood which was connected to Dawn and Crissy.

The evidence mounted against Samuel Strange. (Grass Valley Police Department)

A trash bag recovered from the crime scene turned out to have Dawn and Crissy’s blood on it while also having Samuel's fingerprints.

An axe was also located in a pond on Samuel's property, something officials believed to be the murder weapon.

January 2020: Samuel walks free

Samuel was ultimately found guilty of one count each of first-degree and second-degree murder for Dawn and Crissy’s killings, however he was released from Valley State Prison in Chowchilla, California, on supervised parole in January 2020.

Crissy’s family has, over time, come to the conclusion that Samuel was a witness to the murders and got rid of the bodies.

In fact, at his parole hearing, Crissy's family admitted they were willing to give him a second chance.

Questions linger

"I didn't want to say yes, free him – but now I've come to the realization and I wholeheartedly believe it," sister Wendy Campbell said according to a transcript from the court hearing.

"I think Crissy would agree with us," she added. "I don't think she would want him to be here forever."

Samuel even previously passed a lie detector, adding to speculation from some that he may be innocent when it comes to the actual killings.

He has long maintained it was two others who who did the crime, but has taken responsibility for his part.

You can learn more about the harrowing story on the Small Town Murder podcast (episode 481), available on Audible with a free trial.