Missing Person Kristi O'Pry

Friday July 13th, 2007 Update

Eric confessed to police that he killed Kristi on 7/19/96



Missing Person Kristi O'Pry


Kristi Gwen O'Pry was last seen by family members in Shreveport, Louisiana on Friday, July 19th, 1996. She needed a ride to run some errands and because she did not own a car she asked her boyfriend's friend Eric to give her a ride. After Eric brought Kristi to run her errands they went by her sister's home to visit. They visited with Kristi's sister Paige from 7 to 8pm. Kristi and Eric left together that night and Kristi has never been seen or heard from again by family members. Eric told The Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office that he dropped Kristi off at South Park Mall on Jewella Avenue in Shreveport at 8:30 that night. Detectives in charge of the case have investigated many leads but have been unable to confirm her whereabouts after she left her sister's house in south Shreveport in a white, early-model Chevrolet fleetside pickup truck with Eric Dale Mickelson. Authorities suspect foul play and family members fear the worst. Kristi's mysterious disappearance has caused her family unrelenting pain and sadness. "Kristi would never leave town without telling anyone" says her sister, Paige. "I know her too well to think she could leave her little girl."

Missing Person Kristi O'Pry

Charles S. Martin, Jr. Memorial



Angel Fountain

Kristi was a kind and loving girl who is missed more than any set of words could express. She was a ray of sunshine to everyone who had the privilege of knowing her and is thought of constantly by her young daughter and the rest of her family and friends. Kristi can never be replaced.

Suspect Eric Dale Mickelson .. 1998 Inquisitor Article

Remembering Kristi by Paige O'Pry .. Poem by Amy O'Pry



Sequence of Events


  • Fri. July 19th, 1996 -- Kristi leaves her sister's house on Meriwether Road at about 8pm with Eric Dale Mickelson in his truck.

  • Sat. July 20th, 1996 -- According to Kristi's boyfriend Jerry "Todd" Dean, Eric called him at home about 10 or 11am claiming he dropped Kristi off at South Park Mall the night before. Eric asks Todd to tell Kristi that she better not ever use him for a ride again.

  • Tue. July 23rd, 1996 -- Kristi's boyfriend "Todd" calls Kristi's mother and reports that Kristi never came home Friday night. Kristi's family begins contacting Kristi's friends and acquaintances to see if they can find anyone who's seen Kristi since Friday night.

  • Wed. July 24th,1996 -- Kristi's mother alerts the police concerning Kristi's disappearance. Many more phone calls are made to try and locate her.

  • Fri. July 26th, 1996 -- A search of Kristi's home reveals that none of her personal belongings are missing. "This is a girl who really cared about her appearance ... she wouldn't have left on her own without all her stuff." says her sister Paige. (Kristi's toothbrush and make up were found in the bathroom) Her purse and keys could not be located anywhere inside her home. Family members begin posting flyers in Shreveport, East Texas and the surrounding area reporting that Kristi is missing.

  • August 1996-- South Park Mall Security Guards that were at the mall entrance on horseback stated that they did not recall seeing anyone fitting Kristi's description being dropped off between 8 and 9pm the night Kristi vanished. Private Investigator and retired Shreveport Police Officer Ken Hudson of Kenro Investigations offers his services free of charge. He advised the family to obtain Kristi's dental records so they could be added to NCIC. A few days later William "Bill" Meeks of M & M Investigations also offered to donate his services to assist in the search for Kristi. Reporter Meredith White with Channel 6 (NBC) in Shreveport does the first "family" interview. Kristi's mother and sister Paige were interviewed. The Times, a newspaper in Shreveport has done several stories on Kristi's disappearance asking for anyone with information to come forward. The Thrifty Nickel newspaper in Shreveport also donated space in their paper. They ran a series of display ads for several weeks.

  • September 1996-- Eric Mickelson, the man last seen with Kristi is refusing to cooperate with authorities and has refused to take a polygraph test. He claims that he doesn't believe in them. Eric Mickelson told the detectives that before he dropped Kristi off at South Park Mall he stopped at the Circle K store at the corner of Walker Road and Mackey Lane across from Southwood High School so that Kristi could make a telephone call. Eric claims he didn't actually see Kristi make a phone call because he had his head under the dashboard repairing his stereo speaker wires. Detectives got the records of all the telephone calls made to and from the pay phones located there but did not find any calls that could be linked to Kristi. Kristi's mother went to visit Eric Mickelson asking him for help in locating her daughter, he told her that he did not know where Kristi was. Someone has begun to "destroy" and/or take down Kristi's missing posters around Shreveport. Rumors of what became of Kristi are a hot topic all over town. The Most Wanted, a weekly newspaper in the Shreveport - Bossier City area devoted to locating fugitives and missing persons is running a series of display ads reporting Kristi's disappearance. The friendship between "Todd" Dean and Eric Mickelson continues.

  • October 1996-- Detective Roy Tabor with The Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office takes over the case and he begins his investigation. The original detective on the case left the Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office to work for another law enforcement agency. This change in detectives was much needed because the original detective did not believe anything had happened to Kristi. He kept saying "Oh she'll problably show up in a couple of weeks".

  • November 1996-- Detective Roy Tabor continues to interview many people concerning Kristi's whereabouts. Several hundred more missing posters are distributed all over North Louisiana and North East Texas.

  • December 7th,1996-- The Times runs an article saying that the male acquaintance that was last seen with Kristi is not cooperating with authorities and has refused a polygraph. This was made public for the first time today.

  • March 10th,1997-- The Geraldo Rivera Show profiles Kristi's case.

  • May 8th,1997-- Today is Kristi's 27th Birthday.

  • May 28th,1997-- Front page article in The Times today. Reporter Larry Burton interviews Kristi's sister Paige and Bill Meeks with M & M Investigations. A photograph of Paige holding Kristi's child is also printed on the front page.

  • July 19th,1997-- Kristi has been missing for one year today.

  • December 27th,1997--Detective Roy Tabor brought in cadaver dogs to search an area in South Caddo Parish.

  • Tuesday January 10th,1998-- Two of Kristi's sisters fly to New York City to be guests on the Geraldo Rivera Show. The show about missing persons was taped the following day, January 11.

  • Tuesday February 3rd,1998-- The Geraldo Rivera Show aired the story taped on Jan.11. Reporter Larry Burton with The Times did an article telling the citizens of the Shreveport area that Kristi's case would be on the Geraldo Rivera Show today.

  • Friday May 1st,1998-- This web site went online.

  • Friday May 8th,1998-- Kristi's 28th Birthday. Reporter Meredith White who now works for Channel 12 (CBS) in Shreveport interviewed two of Kristi's sisters about how the World Wide Web can assist families and law enforcement agencies with unsolved cases. They discussed how Kristi's new web site is helping spread the word of her disappearance. Everyone involved in the investigation feels like this web site will be an asset to the case. Kristi's sisters made it very clear, they want justice, not revenge.

  • Sunday July 19th,1998-- Kristi has now been missing for two years. Family members are desperate to know what became of Kristi. They are asking local residents to assist in the search for the Missing Shreveport Mother. We hope that someone will come forward with helpful information, because it's the right thing to do. Kristi's disappearance has been a nightmare for her family and they pray that someone will come forward with the information they need to solve Kristi's disappearance. Please pray for Kristi and her young daughter who is very confused and hurt by her mother's disappearance.

  • Monday September 7th,1998-- The Geraldo Rivera Show taped back in January of 1998 was rebroadcast today. It's widely believed that Kristi was murdered but Kristi's family and friends pray that's not the case and have refused to give up.

  • Wednesday November 11th,1998-- A talented reporter from The Inquisitor
    wrote an interesting article concerning Kristi's disappearance.

  • Friday January 1st, 1999-- The investigation into Kristi's disappearance continues on a daily basis. Assistance is still being sought from individuals who can provide helpful information concerning Kristi's whereabouts.

  • Tuesday February 16th, 1999-- Cosmopolitan Magazine published an article in the March 99 issue concerning "Missing Women", Kristi's name was included in the article.

  • Saturday May 8th, 1999-- Kristi's 29th Birthday.

  • Friday May 5th, 2000-- Kristi's Family once again requests that anyone who may have helpful information concerning Kristi's fate and or location to please contact the Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office. Contact numbers and an email address are listed below.

  • Sunday May 8th, 2000-- Kristi's 30th Birthday.

  • Wednesday July 19th, 2000-- Kristi vanished four years ago today.

  • Tuesday May 8th, 2001-- Kristi's 31st Birthday.

  • Thursday July 19th, 2001-- Kristi vanished five years ago today.

  • Saturday December 15th, 2001-- Kristi's Family and Friends are living through another Holiday Season with no knowledge of Kristi's location. It's difficult to put up a Christmas Tree, buy gifts and cook a big dinner because despite it all, there's still that empty chair at the table.

  • Wednesday May 8th, 2002-- Kristi's 32nd Birthday.

  • Wednesday May 29th, 2002-- Even after all this time, we still have faith we'll find Kristi one day. John Walsh of America's Most Wanted told us he's solved 20 year old crimes in the past and encouraged us not to ever give up.

  • Friday July 19th, 2002-- Kristi vanished six years ago today.

  • May 8th, 2003-- Kristi's 33rd Birthday. An empty, sad day for her family.

  • Saturday July 19th, 2003-- Kristi vanished seven years ago today. It's hard to believe that this much time has passed with no resolution. Her little girl is growing up before our eyes still wondering what became of her mother. Those responsible for Kristi's diappearance have caused far more damage than they will ever realize.

  • January 26th, 2004-- William "Bill" Meeks, age 49, Private Investigator and Family Friend passed away unexpectedly today. Bill had a strong personal interest in finding justice for Kristi and spent countless hours over the years searching for her. Bill was a member of the Louisiana Private Investigators Association. He owned and operated M & M Investigations in Shreveport for sixteen years. He always assisted his clients with the utmost attention. Bill also served on the committee for Domestic Violence for Caddo and Bossier Parishes and was an advocate for abused women and children. His heart was made of gold and he was constantly there to help others. We hope he now knows the truth about what became of Kristi since he put so much effort into the case while he was here with us. God Bless You Bill, Thank You For Everything.

  • Friday April 23rd, 2004-- Dateline NBC did an investigative report on the disappearance of 18 year old Kelly Dae Wilson who vanished from Gilmer, Texas in 1992. The story was aired on Friday April 23rd, 2004. (Kelly's picture is shown below, Gilmer Texas is not far from Shreveport) At the end of the show Stone Phillips mentioned that strangely enough other women in the area found murdered or who had gone missing also have names that start with the letter "K". He was talking about Murder Victim Kayla Mayberry (1994) and Missing Person Kristi O'Pry (1996) from Shreveport, LA. There's also Kimberly Norwood who's missing from Northeast Texas.

  • May 8th, 2004-- Kristi's 34th Birthday. Still missing you more than ever Boo.

  • Mother's Day May 8th, 2005-- Kristi's 35th Birthday.

  • Tuesday July 19th, 2005-- Kristi has been missing nine years today.

  • May 8th, 2006-- Kristi's 36th Birthday.

  • May 8th, 2007-- Kristi's 37th Birthday.

  • July 12th, 2007-- Eric Mickelson was arrested for the murder of 86 yr-old War Veteran Charles Martin.

  • Friday July 13th, 2007-- While in Shreveport Police custody Eric Mickelson confesses to murdering Kristi. The Caddo Parish Sheriff's Department begins excavating the area where Eric claims to have abandoned Kristi's remains. Mickelson Mentions Six Slayings total to Police. Caddo sheriff�s deputies are searching a creek and boggy area on Jefferson-Paige Road near the American Rose Center for evidence. Deputies dug at times with shovels and sent in a trained dog to search the area. Parish workers later joined, using a track hoe to dig out chunks of concrete and mud and put it in a dump truck. The sludge will be sifted through at another location. The sheriff's office did not report locating tangible evidence. Sheriff Steve Prator said that no one else is suspected in the O'Pry case. Prator's office is contacting other agencies because of what he said is the "serial nature" of the O'Pry and Martin slayings.

  • Saturday July 21th, 2007-- About 10 Caddo sheriff's recruits are set to join the search today for the remains of Kristi O'Pry. The recruits will help deputies and medical personnel comb an area near a creek off Jefferson-Paige Road near Greenwood. Investigators divided the area with strings Wednesday to form a grid. The grid makes identifying the location of any evidence more accurate and manageable. Deputies have been searching the area since July 13.

  • Wednesday August 8th, 2007-- The Pond on Mickelson's Woolworth Rd property was drained and searched. Information provided by Mickelson was corroborated by evidence recovered from the pond. Mickelson told detectives he strangled Kristi with his bare hands, then disposed of her body in a pond on his Woolworth Rd property. Mickelson said he moved her remains to several other locations some time later. Caddo Parish investigators conducted a detailed search of the Jefferson Paige Rd area Mickelson led them to looking for remains, but nothing was ever found at that location, 11 years had passed.

  • Thursday August 23rd, 2007-- Investigator Kay Ward with The Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office charged Eric Dale Mickelson with second-degree murder in the death of Kristi O'Pry. Mickelson was already in the Caddo Correctional Center on a first-degree murder charge in connection with the July death of 86 year old Charlie Martin. Detectives say after Mickelson was arrested, he confessed to killing O'Pry. He was the last person seen with Kristi before she disappeared in July of 1996.

Please Report Information To:

The Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office 318-929-9987

Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office Fax 318-929-7977

Mailing Address: Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office
5906 North Market Street, Shreveport, LA 71107





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Award

This page is dedicated to the memory of Kristi Gwen O'Pry and all those stolen from the world by violent crime. No longer do we hear their laughter or see their smiles. Nothing can fill the emptiness that is left in us with their parting. Who will do the great things that they might have done? They can not be replaced. They can only be remembered.

Suspect Eric Dale Mickelson | 1998 Inquisitor Article

Remembering Kristi by Paige O'Pry | Poem by Amy O'Pry