When it comes to scary places, we’re pretty sure it doesn’t get worse than Camp Scott in Oklahoma. Haunting doesn’t even begin to describe the story behind this old girl scout campground – the grounds were once the scene of the horrific and infamous Girl Scout Murders of 1977. Most Oklahomans remember the tragedy that struck this camp, but very few know the strange facts about these unsolved murders and the story behind this bloodstained camp. Is Camp Scott haunted? Maybe – see for yourself if you dare.

Camp Scott was in its 49th year of operation in June of 1977 when hundreds of Girl Scouts arrived at the camp for what was supposed to be just like any other week of summer camp ... fun, laughter, learning, and memories to last a lifetime.
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But unfortunately, things didn't go as planned for this group of campers.
Leading up to June 13th, strange and disturbing events took place at the camp.
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For starters, an anonymous note was left in the tent of a camp counselor telling them someone was going to murder three campers in tent #1. Then, items started mysteriously disappearing out of tents. And on the night before the murders, two mysterious men were seen lurking around the campground. Seems like enough to cause alarm, right? Nope: it was all dismissed as typical camp pranks.
On the night of June 12, 1977, a thunderstorm hit the area that sent campers to huddle inside their tents.
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Tent #8 housed three girls - ages 8, 9, and 10 - in an isolated location in the camp. A fourth camper was scheduled to arrive the next day and join the three girls in tent #8. However, the three girls were all brutally murdered and sexually assaulted in the middle of the night, one was even dragged out of the tent to a nearby trail.
The camp was permanently closed after the murders and was subject to months and months of investigation.
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Much debate exists about who committed the murder, but most suspect Gene Leroy Hart was to blame. Hart was acquitted for these crimes but was convicted of other crimes, including rape, kidnapping, and burglary, and was known to have been in the area at the time of the girl scouts' deaths.

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Why else was Gene Leroy Hart the main suspect?
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Hart had escaped from prison and was hiding out in Mayes County on his mother's property near Camp Scott for nearly four years. One of the biggest pieces of evidence against Hart was the fact that items found in a nearby cave were the same items stolen from the camp the night of the murders. Hart was seen by witnesses hiding in this exact same cave. He remained at large for nearly 10 months after the murders and died 60 days after his acquittal.
It was discovered that Gene Leroy Hart had been under the counsel of a Native American medicine man during his time of hiding. Hart earned himself the nickname, "The Sandman" for his alleged skills in shape-shifting. A shapeshifter is one who has the ability to change their physical appearance at will - and so it was believed Hart was able to pull off crimes and stay hidden from authorities for as long as he did. During the investigation, detectives reported many strange events that occurred.
Facebook/The Society of Historical Curiosities
It was discovered that Gene Leroy Hart had been under the counsel of a Native American medicine man during his time of hiding. Hart earned himself the nickname, "The Sandman" for his alleged skills in shape-shifting. A shapeshifter is one who has the ability to change their physical appearance at will - and so it was believed Hart was able to pull off crimes and stay hidden from authorities for as long as he did.
Before Hart was captured, detectives reported seeing a black dog in the woods that would frequently follow them places, and then mysteriously disappear.
Jennifer/Flickr
Many people believe Hart was the dog. Several people who have visited the property in recent years still report seeing a mysterious dog roaming the property...and yes, it is black.
Camp Scott was sold by the Girl Scouts in the 1980s and is now located on private property.
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Many buildings still remain dilapidated and overtaken by nature. This haunted place is still as eerie and creepy as it was nearly 40 years ago.

Interesting update as of 2023: The case of the Oklahoma Girl Scout Murders has been closed! Check out this interesting news story on why (and who):

Do you think it’s possible that the spirit of Gene Leroy Hart is still haunting the grounds of this camp in the body of the mysterious dog? For another haunted location in Oklahoma, check out the Haunted Parallel Forest In Oklahoma. And for more ways to discover haunted (and regular) Oklahoma, Airbnb Experiences is the page for you.

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More to Explore

Girl Scout Murders

Tori Jane | August 20, 2022

When were the girl scout camp murders in Oklahoma?  

The “Girl Scout Murders” was an appalling crime that occurred at Camp Scott in Mayes County on June 13th, 1977.

  • It is one of Oklahoma’s darkest cold cases, and to this day, there are only theories as to who could have committed such a horrific act – especially against children.
  • The three victims were all between the ages of eight and ten years old, and they were sexually assaulted before being brutally killed.
  • Earlier in the day, a camp counselor had noticed a hand-written note in an empty donut box in her mysteriously ransacked tent; the note said We are on a mission to kill three girls in Tent One. The note was thought to be a prank and ignored until it was too late.  

 

Is Camp Scott Haunted?  

Well, if you ask the locals, they’ll certainly tell you it is.

  • Following the brutal assaults and murders of the three girls in 1977, the camp was never reopened, but brave explorers still check the grounds out to this day.
  • It’s located on private property, though it is occasionally accessed by urban explorers looking to see a ghost or two.
  • It’s reported that sometimes, strange lights are seen in the woods where the camp is located, and folks have reported the screaming of young girls coming from “nowhere”, too.
  • It’s a creepy place, haunted or not – we think it might be one of the most haunted places in Oklahoma!  

 

Where are some of the most haunted places in Oklahoma?  

Oklahoma is no stranger to haunted places, though – there are lots of supposedly haunted places in Oklahoma, many of which you can still visit today.

  • In Weatherford, Oklahoma, you won’t want to visit the bridge at night; it’s said to be plagued by the ghosts of a woman named Mrs. James and her murdered child.
  • Deep in the Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge is an eerie place called the Parallel Forest, which is said to be haunted by everything from spooks to demons.
  • In Catoosa, there’s the old Timber Ridge Cemetery.
  • In Oklahoma City, the Skirvin Hotel is thought to be one of the most haunted places there is.  

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