When Hang Lee vanished in 1993 after leaving her home in Saint Paul, Minnesota, she left a message for her brother, Koua, which he was only able to piece together piece by piece. However, despite the efforts of Hang’s family members as well as the authorities in searching the surrounding locations, there was still no sign of the missing adolescent. The documentary titled “MISSING: Hang Lee” by Crime Junkie examines the unexplained disappearance of Hang Lee and follows the investigation that ensued in an effort to discover the truth about what happened to him. Let’s investigate the circumstances around the tragedy and see if we can find out whether or not Hang Lee has been located, shall we?
What really took place with Hang Lee?
Saint Paul, Minnesota was home for Hang Lee and her family when she was a senior at Highland Park High School. Hang was 17 years old at the time. Hang held a lot of hopes and dreams for the future, especially for herself and her brother Koua Lee, and she was very close to the people she loved. In addition, she was counting down the days until she could finish high school and enter the real world. Hang was adored by everyone despite his reputation as a metalhead who, in his spare time, worked at a neighbourhood cafe for some extra cash.
Hang made a startling revelation to her workplace on the evening of the 12th of January, 1993 when she informed them over the phone that the following day, she would be attending a job interview. In addition, while Hang was out with her friend Nikki on the same night, she reportedly ran into her brother Koua and told him, “If I don’t come home, come and look for me because I don’t trust Nikki.” Despite the fact that this was an odd request to make, Koua did not give it much thought and went to sleep. On the other hand, he realised that his sister had not come home the following morning, and he instantly made the decision to confront Nikki about it.
Strangely, Nikki asserted that she was unaware of the disappearance and was unable to provide any information regarding the location of Hang at the time. The anxious and concerned members of Hang’s family notified the authorities that she had gone missing and stated their concerns. The fact that Hang had previously run away from home was referenced in some of the files that were found after her disappearance. In addition, when Nikki was questioned by the police, she revealed that when she dropped Hang off, she was with a few “white friends.” This led the investigators to assume that the 17-year-old may have run away with the white companions. As a result, it was stated that the investigation into the case was put on hold for a period of six months because the police did not consider it to include a missing person.
Despite this, Hang’s family was intent on uncovering the truth about the situation. As soon as they started distributing fliers all throughout the city, the officials began taking the matter seriously and hauled Nikki in for more questioning. After that, she proceeded to tell them that she and her companion had met Mark Steven Wallace, the person who had offered the interview, on the evening of the night that Hang had vanished. In addition, Nikki asserted that Mark had brought her to her destination before continuing on his way with Hang in his car. Mark, however, denied any role in the incident when he was being questioned about it, and he stated that he had no idea where the missing adolescent was.
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Is there still no sign of Hang Lee?
Even though it is still considered an open investigation by the authorities, Hang Lee has not been located despite the fact that it has been over a year since his disappearance. In addition, Hang’s family has come to terms with the fact that she is no longer among them and has held a ceremony to let her spirit go. When the police began their investigation into Mark Steven Wallace, they discovered that he had been convicted of two separate instances of rape in the past. As a result, they concentrated their investigation on him, going so far as to search his truck, office, and house, but to no success. Mark insisted over and over again that he was innocent of the crime, despite the fact that there was no proof linking him to the murder.
After that, there was no development in the case until 2009, when the neighbour of Mark’s mother stated that he was shocked to find a garage completed very quickly on her property in 2004. At that point, the investigation resumed. Nothing was discovered as a result of the investigation, despite the fact that the police obtained search warrants for the garage and even used sniffer dogs to check the space. In 2017, Mark was taken into custody for a crime that was unrelated to the others. At roughly the same time, Hang’s family finally came to terms with the fact that their teenage daughter had left this world, and they organised a ritual to release her spirit.
The pursuit of information was something that Hang’s brother would not give up on. On the other hand, detectives in 2019 learned that Mark was serving time in jail for a crime unconnected to the one they were looking into and was getting close to being released. The prosecution, on the other hand, was not in the mood to release him and requested the judge to send him to the Minnesota Sex Offender Program in Moose Lake. In the end, after hearing testimony from both the prosecution and law enforcement officers, Mark was sent to the Moose Lake Facility, which is where he has been and where he continues to be held to this very day.
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