The Baugh family would sincerely like to thank everyone on Kauai who offered any assistance in the tragic case of Nancy Baugh and Paul Featherman. No one should ever have to endure the trauma that my sister Nancy experienced during her final days on Kauai.
At 1 o’clock in the morning on June 2, 1979, two weeks after her 20th birthday, a period of life that should be the beginning of the best times of your life, my sister witnessed her boyfriend of three years being shot in the face with a 12-gauge shotgun. The blast tore a large portion of his face off as he fell to the floor and died instantly.
She was then wrapped in a blanket and forcibly abducted from her home on Weke Road in Hanalei. While outside her home, she was thrashing, kicking and screaming for help at the top of her lungs. No help ever came. No phone calls to the police, no report of a gunshot or screams for help. No police or anyone else came out that night to offer any assistance, and the people (seven reported by the police) who saw and heard her pleas for help were the last ones to ever see or hear anything from Nancy Baugh.
No one has ever come forward in almost 35 years with any evidence or new information about who was responsible or what happened to my sister. My family and the Featherman family may never get any more answers about these murders, but I know someone has evidence or knowledge of what transpired on that tragic day. They may go to the grave with that, and unfortunately, there will never be complete closure for our families.
On Feb. 7, 2014, Nancy’s remains were cremated at the Borthwick Dignity Mortuary and sent back to her home town of Beach Haven, N.J., a beautiful 18-mile long island with pristine white sand beaches. Sometime this August, my family and friends will sail out on the local bay waters and spread half of Nancy’s ashes out into the waters where her father, brother and other friends have been cast. At that moment, she will finally be free of the tragic end to her life and let the wind and tides take her on a much more pleasant journey. At that moment, my family will experience as much closure as possible in a situation like this one.
Out of respect for all of the citizens of Hawaii, here is a brief account of my family’s history with the Hawaiian islands. My uncle, Sam Baugh, served in the Marines during World War II in Hawaii and was there during the 1946 tsunami. His sons, Sam and Ernie Baugh, and my brother, George Baugh, were all competition surfers in Beach Haven, N.J., and competed in and won many events all along the East Coast of the United States in the 1960s.
They came to Hawaii in the late ‘60s to live, surf and enjoy Hawaii to the fullest. My brother, Robin Baugh lived and surfed on Maui in 1970. My half-sister, Linda Baugh, lived on Maui in the ‘60s and ‘70s, and Oahu in the ‘70s and ‘80s. My uncle, Dale Baugh, lived and stayed on Maui and Oahu in the 1970s, ‘80s, and ‘90s. He also visited Molokai for a while. His daughter and her husband, Marilyn and Hap Schreimreif, lived and owned property on Maui from 1970 until 2013 (more than 40 years). They adopted a Hawaiian boy, Kaola, who is now 25, working and doing great.
My father and mother have been to Oahu, Maui and Kauai way too many times and for too long to list. I lived on Oahu for three months in 1970-1971. Most of my family, including Nancy, my brother George and I surfed Makaha, the North Shore and everywhere in between. My family, including Nancy and some close family friends, saw Santana play before 100,000 people in Diamond Head crater on New Year’s Day 1971. My sister Nancy lived and stayed on Oahu, Maui, worked and lived on Kauai from 1977-1979. I’m sure you understand what I am trying to say — all of my family loved and loves the Hawaiian Islands. I have not returned to Hawaii after Nancy’s tragedy because all of my memories of Hawaii are great ones and I do not wish them to ever change.
So that being said, I would like to thank, on behalf of my entire family, all of the people who live in the state of Hawaii for giving my family too many memories and fantastic times to let one terrible tragedy tarnish everything.
My family would especially like to thank John Burgess and the prosecutor’s office; the Kauai Police Department, including Bryson Ponce, Joe Adric and all the officers involved in the original investigation; the state of Hawaii government; JPAC and all the persons involved with handling Nancy’s remains; The Borthwick Dignity Mortuary; and Tricia and Lisa, who were so caring and wonderful in so many ways — I give them my highest praise and recommendation. I can only say, on a scale of one to 10, they deserve a 12.
Thanks also to KHON and Tammy Mori for a perfectly on point report on Nancy’s story. Last, and right at the top, thank you to The Garden Island newspaper for excellent reporting and being there from day one through year 35, always giving my mother and I 100 percent, keeping us informed and vice-versa and accurately reporting with caring and understanding. Your entire staff did a fantastic job keeping us connected, 5,000 miles away, under very difficult circumstances.
We have hundreds of friends who visit Hawaii regularly every year to experience the uniqueness and wonder of the beautiful Hawaiian Islands.
Aloha, the family of Nancy Baugh.
• Steve Baugh is a New Jersey resident.
