Lisa Gaudenzi, US Army

Army Officer Training School (OTS) candidate Lisa Gaudenzi, 31, disappeared from her Caroline County residence in Ruther Glen, Virginia on January 26, 1995. Lisa was a married, mother of two children, and was supposed to report for duty in Fort Lee, Virginia but never showed up. Her husband Lawrence Gaudenzi said the last time he saw Lisa was when he dropped her off at the bus station. The military police looked into the absence but after no solid leads, deemed Lisa absent without leave (AWOL); she was eventually dishonorably discharged. After an extensive investigation, spanned over 15 years, Lawrence Gaudenzi was charged with Lisa’s murder on May 16, 2008, despite Lisa’s body never being found.

For no apparent reason, during the middle of his trial, Lawrence Gaudenzi pleaded guilty to second degree in May 2009 and was sentenced to 25 years in prison. Prosecutor’s theorized that Lawrence overheard Lisa tell a friend that she was getting a divorce from Lawrence after OTS. Lisa was tiring of Lawrence’s violence and control issues; she was ready to move on. After about a year in prison, Lawrence Gaudenzi finally led investigators to where he hid Lisa’s body in Spotsylvania County 15 years prior. Virginia State Police found the last of Lisa’s remains on June 9, 2010 and delivered them to her family. Lisa’s AWOL and Army discharge status were upgraded and she was buried with full military honors.

Related Links:
Website: Finding Lisa
Foul Play Suspected in U.S. Army Soldier’s Disappearance
Gaudenzi Arrested for Murder
Man charged in wife’s 1995 Caroline County death
Murder trial set for man charged in missing-person case
‘Cold Case’ Murder Trial Begins
After 14 Years, Murder Trial Starts In Case Of Missing Woman
Lawrence Gaudenzi pleads guilty, gets 25 years in prison
Angry family blasts killer
Husband confesses to hiding wife’s body in drum of acid
Police led to remains of Va. woman
15 years later: Gaudenzi remains found in Spotsy
VSP Brings Closure to 1995 Homicide Case
After 15 years, father finds peace in knowing truth about his murdered daughter
“No-body” Murder Trials in the United States
Lancaster murder trial begins in Spotsylvania County
Day 2 of Lancaster murder trial
Caroline prosecutor wins no-body murder conviction
Happily Never After | Vanishing Bride (Investigation Discovery)
The Perfect Suspect | GI Gone (Investigation Discovery)

A mother of two vanishes the day before she reports for Officer Training School. Her husband claims she ran off with another lover, but her family suspects something much worse. It takes 14 years for the truth to emerge…from the least likely of sources. -The Perfect Suspect