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Reel Horror News Victim Spotlight: Death in the Garage
By Staff Reporter | May 1, 1987 | Bangor Daily Ledger
Bangor, ME — Early Friday morning, authorities discovered the body of Annie Lansing, 38, inside her closed garage. The prominent real estate agent and mother of two was found seated behind the wheel of her Mercedes-Benz with the engine still running, the air thick with exhaust fumes.
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| Annie Lansing's wild drive home |
The grim discovery was made by her husband, George Lansing, who returned home just after midnight. According to police, he found the garage door shut, the engine humming, and a faint light spilling from beneath the door. When he forced it open, he was met with a thick cloud of exhaust and the sight of his wife slumped over the steering wheel.
The official cause of death has been listed as carbon monoxide poisoning, but investigators admit that several details remain unclear. Lansing had been driving home late Thursday night after reportedly attending a business dinner in town, though police have yet to verify where, or with whom, she met that evening.
“There were signs she may have been in distress before she died,” said a department source. “The car showed evidence of impact — dents, scratches, even what appeared to be blood along the front bumper.”
Neighbors claimed to have heard strange noises outside Lansing’s home around midnight, describing what sounded like “a woman arguing” and “a car door slamming repeatedly.” One nearby resident, who asked not to be named, reported hearing something even more disturbing:
“I swear I heard a man yell, ‘Thanks for the ride, lady!’ right before the engine stopped,” the neighbor said. “Then everything went quiet.”
Others say Lansing had seemed distracted in recent weeks, mentioning an unnamed man she was “trying to avoid.”
“She wasn’t herself lately,” said a close friend. “She told me she’d done something terrible and didn’t know how to make it right.”
Investigators are now working to determine whether Lansing may have struck a pedestrian along Route 9 earlier that night. Witnesses reported seeing a vehicle matching her description pulled over near the wooded stretch where a hitchhiker had last been spotted days before.
“It’s too early to say what really happened,” said the sheriff’s office. “But the timeline raises serious questions.”
Authorities have not ruled out foul play.
Based on Creepshow 2: The Hitchhiker
Another Grisly Tale
Before her mysterious death, Lansing’s name had appeared in several local gossip columns. For another tragic case that began with laughter and ended in blood, read our earlier report on Shelly Finkelstein’s Fatal Prank, the story that shocked Higgins Haven.
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