Nebraska teen’s dance-date murder solved after decades

In 1969, 17-year-old Mary Kay Heese disappeared after asking a cousin to attend a Sadie Hawkins dance in Wahoo, Nebraska; her body was found nearby, and the case remained unsolved for decades until a 2015 reinvestigation. Investigators focused on Joseph Ambroz and Wayne Greaser, with Ambroz—who knew Heese—ultimately arrested in 2025 and pleading no contest to conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, receiving two years in prison; Greaser had died by suicide in 1977. The renewed probe highlighted how Mary Kay’s wish to fit in and her trust in someone she knew contributed to the tragedy.