NBC's 'Dateline: The Informant' deciphers the harrowing mysteries surrounding the disappearance of 18-year-old cashier Heidi Allen from her workplace in New Haven, New York, in April 1994. Each event is more mysterious than the other, and here's what we know so far.
Heidi Allen: What Was Her Death?
Heidi Allen, an 18-year-old girl, was born on September 14, 1975, at New Haven, Oswego County, New York. She worked for D&W Convenience stores near the intersection of state Route 104 and state Route 104B in a transitional kindergarten classroom. Lisa Buske recalled how happy her younger sister was and always had an infectious smile.
Lisa said, "Any of her friends would tell you how contagious she was." Heidi was always smiling, despite her absence from school. She continued, "She always put others first."
Lisa says she remembers 18-year-old Heidi as "athletic, very athletic." Heidi received the nickname "tower of power." She describes her sister more as a "best friend."
Lisa said, "Every day, no matter what she did, we sat at shopping malls, food courts, or watched television." "That was our day," she said of her younger sister, who was a determined person who chased what she wanted with all of her heart.
Heidi was reported missing by customers while she was working for another employee on April 3, 1994. According to the program, Heidi opened the store at 5:45 am, with Brett Law, who she had known for several years. She was then occupied with Lisa while clients poured in.
Lisa recounted how her aunt left a message on her answering machine, saying, "Heidi is missing." It remained unsolved after three decades, and she said, "This is real, she's really not here," and that "this isn't a mistake."
Is Heidi Allen still alive?
According to police records, the last registered sale on the store cash register was observed at 7:42 am. One of the concerned customers summoned a sheriff's officer at 8:12 am, and the officers located her maroon station wagon in the parking lot, while her handbag, jacket, and car keys were discovered behind the counter.
Richard Thibodeau said on the program that he voluntarily contacted the authorities after learning that Heidi was missing. After purchasing two packets of cigarettes from the store at about 7:30 am, the police suspected Richard and his brother, Gary Thibodeau, and placed them under surveillance. Witness testimony claims they saw a white van near the time of Heidi's disappearance.
Reuel Todd, the then-deputy deputy at the Oswego County Sheriff's Office, stated on the show that "they noticed somebody driving very erratically, wrestling or struggling with somebody in a van." They discovered that Gary was a professional wrestler who was reportedly seen at the scene. He was arrested and extradited to Massachusetts after learning that he was sleeping at home on April 3.
Richard was also acquitted in a separate prosecution in Heidi's death in 1995. However, Gary was convicted after two convicts claimed that he had confessed to them about killing Heidi as a part of a drug deal gone wrong. Lisa's was reportedly employed as a teen drug informant for the police.
Heidi's cousin, Melissa Adams, claimed that a gold bracelet she gifted her cousin as a graduation present in 2008 unexpectedly popped up in her mailbox, nearly 15 years after Heidi's disappearance. Heidi's boyfriend, Brett, also supported the claim, claiming that she may have worn it the day she was kidnapped. However, Heidi's aunt, Martha Sturtz, characterized Melissa as a "longtime attention seeker."
Heidi's sister, Lisa, claimed in an April 2019 interview that she believes "Heidi was kidnapped and murdered," and the family "did not know where she is." According to a missing person notice on the Oswego County Sheriff's Department's website, Heidi's case remains open. The police have also released a revised age chart of her, showing how she would look at age 46.
