Suvechha Sarkar
In the quiet town of Wahoo, Nebraska, a tragedy unfolded on March 26, 1969, leaving the community completely shocked. Mary Kay Heese was a 17-year-old girl with a promising life ahead of her. However, her life came to an abrupt end under mysterious and heartbreaking circumstances. Decades later, her case came under the spotlight on CBS’ ’48 Hours: The Girl From Wahoo.’ The episode delves deeper into the events surrounding her untimely death and how the truth came to light more than 50 years later. It also features in-depth interviews of the law enforcement officials who worked diligently to find her killer.
Mary Kay Heese’s Remains Were Found in a Ditch After She Went Missing
Mary Kay Heese arrived as a ray of sunshine in the lives of her parents, Julius Heese and Dorothy M. Miller Heese, on December 9, 1951. She grew up in a household in North Bend, Nebraska, surrounded by the immense love and support of her parents. Mary also maintained a very special bond with her beloved brother, David. Her loved ones often described her as shy and reserved. By March 1969, Mary was a junior at Wahoo High School and a proud member of the school Pep Club. Some reports suggest that Mary was also quite passionate about track. On March 25, 1969, Mary reportedly attended school before heading to the Wigwam Cafe in Wahoo, Nebraska. As per official records, she was then seen by some individuals as she headed home around 5 pm.
When Mary didn’t reach home even at 7 pm, her parents grew concerned and reported her missing. As officials began searching for her, a local farmer reportedly informed them shortly after midnight on March 26, 1969, that he had spotted a few schoolbooks along a country road just 4 miles outside Wahoo. Around 1 am, when the authorities searched the area, they sadly discovered her remains in a ditch off the country road. Reports state that Mary’s purse and shoes were also found at the scene, and she was fully clothed. Upon further inspection, detectives found her footprints in the ground, indicating that she might have tried to escape during the attack.
According to official reports, the autopsy determined Mary’s cause of death to be multiple stab wounds from a sharp instrument. Her manner of death was reportedly determined to be homicide. The case remained a mystery for a long time until officials came across a breakthrough more than five decades later. Around 2024, Mary’s remains were exhumed and re-examined during a second autopsy. It reportedly revealed two distinct stab wounds on each of her necks, which were deemed to be fatal. As per some forensic experts, the wounds were similar to the type of technique used by someone who is trained to stab cattle in the neck. Moreover, DNA testing further uncovered more than one DNA profile on Mary’s clothing items, including a woman’s.
Investigators Arrested the Killer After 55 Years of Mary Kay Heese’s Death
In the initial parts of the murder investigation, authorities spoke with several individuals who last spotted Mary around 5 pm on March 25, 1969. According to official reports, they soon focused on a suspect named Joseph Ambroz. Police records state that Joseph was interrogated on April 1, 1969, during which he claimed that he and one of his friends had gone to pick up a woman from her house. In his statements, he claimed that when they didn’t get to meet the woman, they allegedly went to pick up Joseph’s girlfriend from Mead, Nebraska. Investigative reports state that he told the officials that he was with his girlfriend from around 8:45 pm to 9:30 pm. Court records suggest that Joseph admitted to having blood on his car, which he claimed belonged to an animal. It is essential to note that during that time, Joseph was a worker at a meatpacking plant.
Furthermore, police records state that Joseph reportedly also admitted to keeping a knife inside his vehicle. However, he was let go due to a lack of concrete evidence against him. With no further leads, the case eventually became cold. According to reports, the case was reopened in 1999, and Joseph was again questioned. During that time, he reportedly changed his accounts of the day but again admitted to having possession of a knife in his car, as per records. Once again, due to no significant breakthrough, the case was administratively closed. It was reinvestigated around 2021, during which Joseph allegedly changed his statement again and failed to provide investigators with a valid alibi. Reports state that Joseph took polygraph tests during his interrogation in 1969, 1999, and 2021.
Although Joseph showed no signs of deception for the first two times, it was reportedly not the case for the third time. Additionally, the nature of Mary’s stab wounds determined during the second autopsy matched the expertise that Joseph possessed at the time of the murder. According to court records, investigators provided Joseph’s ex-wife with immunity, who claimed that she knew Joseph was responsible for Mary’s death. In her statements, she alleged that another person, who passed away in the 1970s, had told her that the person was present with Joseph during the time of the murder. On November 18, 2024, Joseph was arrested at his home in Ponca City, Oklahoma, at the age of 77, and extradited to Nebraska in that same month. In July 2025, he pleaded no contest to conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and was sentenced to two years in prison in August. The short sentence resulted from statutory limitations under the law that existed in 1969.
