Account
Jun 07, 2023
Jul 08, 2023
Lena
Keegan
92
88
62 inches
125 lbs
White / Caucasian
Female
In the fall of 2019, a sense of quiet concern began to grow in Woodstock, Virginia, for 88-year-old Lena Frances Keegan. A resident of North Lee Street, she was a familiar face in the community. The last time anyone is known to have had contact with her was in October of that year. However, it wouldn't be until nearly two years later, in August 2021, that family members would officially report her missing, sparking a complex and disturbing investigation. In the intervening time, rumors circulated that she had relocated to Virginia Beach, but investigators found no evidence to substantiate these claims. Instead, a far more sinister narrative began to unfold, centered around the actions of her own daughter. The investigation into Lena's disappearance soon uncovered a pattern of financial exploitation. Authorities discovered that her daughter, Elizabeth Keegan, began accessing her mother's finances around the time she was last heard from. Over the next couple of years, Elizabeth systematically embezzled a significant amount of money from her mother's accounts, including her federal pension and Social Security benefits. The total amount unlawfully obtained exceeded $180,000. As the financial crimes came to light, Elizabeth also attempted to sell her mother's property by forging a power of attorney. These financial misdeeds led to federal charges of identity theft and fraud, to which Elizabeth pleaded guilty in 2024. The an investigation also involved searches of Lena's home and other properties connected to her daughter, with FBI agents and Shenandoah County Sheriff's deputies utilizing cadaver-sniffing dogs in their efforts. The case took a definitive, though heartbreaking, turn in May 2026. Facing a murder charge, Elizabeth Keegan accepted a plea agreement in Shenandoah County Circuit Court. She confessed to finding her mother deceased in her home in October 2019. In a shocking admission, she detailed how she wrapped her mother's body in a tarp, placed it in a trash receptacle, and then moved it to the roadside for collection. This confession led investigators to believe that Lena Keegan's remains were ultimately transported to the Shenandoah County Landfill. In exchange for her confession, the first-degree murder charge was amended to concealment of a dead body. Elizabeth also pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted obtaining money by false pretenses. The overview of the case is a somber one; while the legal proceedings against her daughter have concluded, Lena Keegan is presumed deceased, her body never recovered. The investigation confirmed a tragic tale of deception and financial exploitation following her death, and because her remains have not been found, her case will remain active in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs).
Oct 09, 2019
Woodstock
Virginia
Shenandoah County
22664
No
125926
Woodstock Police Department
Woodstock
Virginia
Shenandoah County
22664
Travis Pence
Investigator
134 North Muhlenberg Street, Virginia
5404592141
Local
Law Enforcement
2021-3634
2021-08-03
Woodstock Police Department
3044
White
Brown
Brown
No
06/21/2026
