Twin Peaks is beloved by fans for its surreal atmosphere and gripping central mystery. Although the events of the show are entirely fictitious, series creators Mark Frost and David Lynch took plenty of inspiration from a case that gripped the nation more than 80 years before the program hit the air. Frost and his family routinely spent their summers in the idyllic upstate New York town of Sand Lake. During their visits, Frost’s grandmother used to regale him with sensational details about an infamous cold case that has long haunted the peaceful community. Years later, the details surrounding 20-year-old Hazel Drew’s untimely death informed the central mystery in the beloved series.
As fans likely remember, the setup for Twin Peaks sees beautiful young Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee) struck down before her time and eventually discovered lifeless near a lakeshore. Many of the details regarding Laura’s onscreen life and death closely parallel Hazel’s unsolved murder.
Hazel Drew’s Death Shattered an Idyllic Community
According to reports, Hazel Drew was well liked by many and spent her days working as a governess. The young woman disappeared from her home base in upstate New York July 7, 1908. Days later, her body was discovered floating in Teal’s Pond. Though the district attorney initially tried to rule Hazel’s death a suicide, an autopsy revealed that she died of blunt force trauma to the head.
Drew’s untimely passing gripped the nation and dominated the headlines thereafter. Tabloid newspapers reported on a number of unsubstantiated claims, including that Hazel was a sex worker and that she was with child at the time of her passing. The vast majority of those rumors proved entirely false, but that likely did little to offset the damage done by rampant misinformation.
As authorities attempted to get to the bottom of Hazel’s murder, a series of details came to light. Law enforcement eventually deduced that, unbeknownst to most, Hazel had a very active dating life. Authorities ultimately recovered a series of postcards, letters, and photos that seem to suggest she was romantically linked to several different gentlemen. Rather than using full names, Hazel identified her suitors only by their initials.
Although Hazel’s death officially remains unsolved, the police investigated plenty of potential suspects, including a farmhand, a neighbor, a dentist, a train conductor, and Hazel’s uncle William. Additionally the true crime book Murder At Teal’s Pond by David Bushman and Mark T. Givens offers a speculative explanation. The tome posits that William Cushing, an embalmer native to Sand Lake and Fred Schatzle, an influential Republican and friend of Cushing could be to blame.
The authors suggest that Hazel’s death transpired in a hasty attempt to cover up a sexual assault. The co-writers further believe that the suspected perpetrators may have ultimately evaded consequences because of their significant influence in the community. With that said, their assessment is merely a hypothesis and has not been proven in a court of law.
Numerous Parallels Exist Between Hazel Drew and Laura Palmer
As you can likely tell from the evidence, multiple parallels exist between Hazel Drew’s 1908 murder and Laura Palmer’s death on Twin Peaks. For starters, both the location of Hazel’s body and her manner of death are closely mirrored in Twin Peaks. As fans recall, Laura’s body was found in a body of water (Black Lake) after she succumbed to injuries inflicted by a blunt object. Hazel, was also discovered near a body of water, dead from blunt force trauma.
We also see pieces of the frantic speculation and judgmental sentiments directed toward Hazel’s so-called double life mirrored in Twin Peaks. However, Frost and Lynch take a nuanced and progressive approach, giving the character depth and dimension, and steering clear of judging her behavior. They, instead, endeavor to provide context for her actions by illustrating a tragic history of abuse. Sadly, Hazel didn’t receive any such consideration when she had her good name dragged through the mud by the tabloids.
Frost and Lynch also take inspiration from Hazel’s penchant for initials and secret relationships. As fans of Twin Peaks likely remember, Laura keeps a diary where she uses initials, rather than names, when referencing her various suitors. Finally, Lynch and Frost also incorporate plenty of red herrings into the series, much like the real-life case by which the program is inspired. Authorities questioned a multitude of colorful suspects in Hazel’s death, but sadly they never drew any definitive conclusions.
Via Twin Peaks Lynch and Frost deliver a compelling mystery that eventually provides closure. It’s a shame that Hazel’s murder still remains unsolved. With so many years passed, it’s unlikely that the case will ever be closed. All-in-all, there are multiple parallels between the real-life murder of Hazel Drew and the onscreen death of Laura Palmer. If you want to learn more about the tragic ordeal that inspired Twin Peaks, you may want to pick up a copy of Murder At Teal’s Pond.
Do you have any theories regarding this cold case? If so, let us know in the comments section below.
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