The murder of Lisa Mack has never been solved
IRON MOUNTAIN -- May 15, 1999 was a special day for then 21-year-old Melissa Opsahl who was driving to Illinois to meet her new niece. On her way out of town, Opsahl drove past Mayme's Bar in Iron Mountain where her Aunt Lisa Mack had been bartending the night before.
"We saw the light on at the bar, and we just figured she must have forgotten to shut the light off," said Opsahl.
Thinking nothing of it, she drove to Illinois where Opsahl’s sister told her what happened.
“She couldn’t really get it out, and she just kept on saying, 'Lisa’s dead, Lisa’s dead, Lisa’s dead,'” Opsahl said. “Finally, when we were able to get it out of her, we found out that she had been killed.”
Mack had been found murdered in Mayme's Bar earlier that day. A person of interest was identified by law enforcement authorities, but no arrests were ever made.
It's now been 12 long, frustrating years since the murder, but the Iron Mountain Police Department insists this is still an active investigation.
"There are some missing pieces to the puzzle, but if we get those, we might be able to get enough to secure a warrant and charge somebody with this homicide," said Iron Mountain Police Chief Pete Flaminio.
"We talked to the local officials, and they have done what they can do,” Opsahl said. “Now we just decided we're going to take it where we want to take it and see what comes up from it."
Opsahl and her sister started a Facebook page in March titled "Justice for Lisa Mack". Within 48 hours of creating the page, they had 1,000 fans.
Today, the page has more than 2,300 fans worldwide, sharing stories and offering suggestions to help Lisa Mack's family find answers.
But the Facebook page is about more than just getting answers. It's also about keeping Lisa's memory alive.
Lisa's daughter Ashley was 13 when her mom was killed. She created a scrapbook in her mom's memory of photos, news clips, and stories that she plans on passing down to her own daughter some day.
"Your mom is a big part of your life,” said Ashley. “My daughter is a big part of my life, and I know my mom would have just ate her up...the more pictures we can get, the more information we can get, it's just more information I can pass onto my daughter."
Anyone with information about the murder is asked to contact the Iron Mountain Police Department at (906) 774-1234.
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