The Murder of Lil Miss

The Murder of Lil Miss chronicles the murder of Lisa Marie Kimmell and the subsequent investigation and trial. The author is Lisa's mother, Sheila Kimmell. I found it to be an exceptionally well-written book that offered tremendous insight about how one person's death affected an entire family: 4.5 out of 5.

Regular visitors of my blog will not be surprised to hear that this case was profiled on Unsolved Mysteries. That's how I learned about it, and it's one of the cases that really stuck with me. I always wondered if it would be solved. It was solved, but it took 16 years to get there.

Lisa disappeared during a road trip. Her car had personalized license plates that read "Lil Miss," and people searched for Lisa and her car for a week. Lisa was found murdered eight days after she disappeared. The subsequent investigation was frustrating for family members and investigators. Leads didn't pan out, and politics plagued the investigation.

The breakthrough occurred when a DNA match was made and a suspect, Dale Wayne Eaton, was identified. Lisa's car was found buried on Eaton's property. Eaton was eventually found guilty and received a death sentence.

I liked getting a more complete story about what happened and what the family went through. No family should suffer like that, and this book showed the Kimmells to be strong and admirable people.