Twenty-year-old Hazel Drew from East Poestenkill, New York, was well-loved by the community that knew her and noted for her beauty and kind nature.  On July 11, 1908, after years of living in nearby Troy as a domestic servant for the wealthy, Hazel’s body was discovered floating in a pond over 10 miles away in the town of Sand Lake.  Despite an intense investigation, the unusual circumstances surrounding Hazel’s death left locals wondering not just who her murderer was but if she was leading a double life. More than 100 years later, Hazel Drew’s unsolved murder has again garnered national attention with the revelation that she was the inspiration for Laura Palmer, whose murder is the central focus of the cult TV crime series Twin Peaks.

Written and researched by Lauren Daryani

Narrated by Dan Kelton

Music and editing by Baba Beats.

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SOURCES

https://www.thesun.co.uk/living/3564270/the-mystery-of-hazel-drew-the-real-unsolved-murder-behind-the-original-twin-peaks-series/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4336146/The-real-life-murder-Sand-Lake-NY-inspired-Twin-Peaks.html

Brad Dukes book - Oral History

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