The Cornhusker State may be a beautiful, wonderful place, but fans of true crime know that it has seen its share of crimes and sinister characters over the years. Evil crimes have left their mark on Nebraska, just as they have in other regions of the country. One particularly horrific crime even involved a beloved local recreation area. Have you ever heard of the Harry Strunk lake murders? This is one of history’s most grisly Nebraska crime stories, and the lake itself actually became an unfortunate character in the tale.

The Harry Strunk Lake murders took place on September 23, 1973. However, like most stories, the occurrences that led to this horrific crime actually began quite a bit earlier.
By Ammodramus (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
The story begins in the late 1960s, when Kay Hein and her husband met another couple, Harold and Ena Nokes. The friendship began innocently enough. The two couples grew close socially and started enjoying outings together, going out for dinner and visiting one another's homes. A few years into the friendship, Kay and Harold began an affair that Ena would eventually become involved in, too.
Like most affairs do, this one started to turn sour. That's when Kay's parents, Edwin and Wilma Hoyt of Culbertson, got involved.
Tim Vrtiska/Flickr
Allegedly, Harold Nokes had been harrassing and blackmailing their daughter after she attempted to break off the affair. Harold and Ena Nokes drove to the Hoyts' rural Culbertson home, picked up the couple, and brought them back to the Nokes house. Their stated intention was to simply talk things through and sort the conflict out amicably. However, the two couples began heatedly arguing in the basement. The fight ended with Harold Nokes shooting both Edwin and Wilma in the face twice.

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Murder may not ever be really "normal," but this would have been a somewhat typical homicide crime, if not for the horrific events that would transpire next.
Jessica Massing/Google Reviews
Nokes didn't believe that he would be able to physically drag the couple's bodies upstairs to dispose of them. He had a chronic shoulder injury that made heavy lifting difficult. He and his wife decided to dismember the corpses right there in their basement.
After chopping up the bodies, the couple brought them to nearby Medicine Creek State Recreation Area. There, the remains were dumped into the cold waters of Harry Strunk Lake.
Vike Francis/Google Reviews
The dismembered body parts didn't stay submerged for very long, however. Not long after, the remains started washing ashore, much to the horror of park visitors. Forensic science may have not quite been what it is now, but even so, the murderers were still caught. The police were aided by a combination of small slip-ups, police tips, and a 17-day audio surveillance of the Nokes family home.
Though both Harold and Ena Nokes were convicted of the crime, their punishments could not have been more different.
Prison Insight/Flickr
Harold received two consecutive life sentences in the Nebraska State Penitentiary (pictured) for the grisly murders and subsequent dismemberment and disposal of the bodies. His wife Ena served a mere two years for her taking part in the disposal of the bodies. She was released in 1976. Harold Nokes died in prison in February 2017 of natural causes. Ena Nokes remained a lifelong resident of Nebraska. She never remarried, and passed away at the age of 91 in 2021.

Although many believed that Kay Hein was the catalyst for the murders, and perhaps even participated in some way, she was never charged with a crime. She has never commented publicly on the case.

The discovery of the body parts was only one small moment in the history of the absolutely beautiful Harold Strunk Lake and shouldn’t dissuade visitors from going out to experience the lake and surrounding area. However, one can’t help but wonder if the souls of Edwin and Wilma Hoyt found peace after their bodies were unceremoniously dropped into the water here.

A book and screenplay have been written about the crime. Read “In Cold Storage; Sex and Murder on the Plains” by James W. Hewitt for a fascinating, thorough account of the case. You may never look at this lake the same way again.

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Lisa Sammons | June 21, 2023

What are some more of the most famous murder cases in Nebraska?

While we have a significantly lower crime rate than many states, there have been murders in Nebraska, just like everywhere else. Here are a few of the most tragic well-known cases:

  • The 1980s cult murders in Rulo led by Michael Ryan made national news and drew the little town of Rulo into the headlines.
  • John Joubert killed three boys in Nebraska and Maine during the 1980s. He was executed in the Nebraska State Penitentiary in 1996.
  • Charles Starkweather was another resident of the infamous Nebraska State Penitentiary. He murdered 11 people in a short span of time between 1957-1958, all within the states of Nebraska and Wyoming.

 

What are some of the most beautiful lakes in Nebraska?

Harry Stunk Lake is a gorgeous lake whose beauty shouldn't be overshadowed by these terrible crimes. Here are a few of the other prettiest lakes in Nebraska:

  • Calamus Reservoir in Burwell
  • Lake Maloney in North Platte
  • Lake Wanahoo near Wahoo

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Medicine Creek State Recreation Area, 40611 Rd 728, Cambridge, NE 69022, USA