What happened to Michelle Busha? Details explored following The Friday the 13th Murders episode 6

The Friday the 13th Murders turns to the case of Michelle Yvette Busha in episode 7, a name attached to a long quest for answers. The 18-year-old from Bay City, Texas, was found dead near Blue Earth, Minnesota, in late May 1980. For decades, she was a Jane Doe.

The heart of the story is identification. Her remains were unnamed for 35 years. That changed in 2015 after an exhumation and DNA testing matched family samples, closing a gap that had weighed on relatives and investigators.

According to CBS News, former Minnesota state trooper Robert Leroy Nelson confessed years earlier to killing an unidentified hitchhiker, but the victim’s name remained unknown until the DNA hit was confirmed.

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Case outline in The Friday the 13th Murders

Busha had set out on the road after turning 18. Family members heard from her by phone as she moved through the South and Midwest. The calls reportedly stopped in spring 1980. Later that month, a farmer discovered a body in a ravine off Interstate 90 near Blue Earth. The victim had been strangled and left without identification. She became known locally as Blue Earth Jane Doe.

A farmer discovered an unidentified body near Blue Earth in May 1980 (Image via Unsplash)

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The patrol stop and confession are linked in The Friday the 13th Murders

Investigators already had a suspect by the late 1980s. Former Minnesota State Trooper Robert Leroy Nelson admitted he picked up a hitchhiker while on duty and described sexual assault, handcuffs, and a fatal strangulation. He said he did not know her name.

According to CBS News, Nelson pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in 1989 while he was serving time in Texas for an unrelated sexual assault. The Minnesota sentence ran with the Texas term, and he remains incarcerated. CBS News reported that the core facts of his statement matched details kept from the public, which increased its credibility.

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Identification through DNA, as covered in The Friday the 13th Murders

Even with a confession, the victim’s name stayed unknown. That changed after an exhumation in 2014 produced new samples. A DNA profile matched relatives in a national database, confirming the remains as Michelle Yvette Busha in March 2015.

Reuters reported that Minnesota officials announced the match and prepared to return her remains to her family in Texas. The distinction mattered: investigators already knew who killed her; DNA finally answered who she was.

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Community push and the episode’s focus in The Friday the 13th Murders

Episode 6 also highlights a years-long local push to keep the case alive. Deborah Anderson, a Blue Earth resident, spent more than a decade pressing for an exhumation, organizing outreach, and sharing reconstructions to spark leads.

Reveal reported that her campaign helped move the process forward and that she worked with officials once the path to testing opened. The episode places her efforts alongside the official steps, showing how public interest can sustain attention on an unidentified victim.

The Friday the 13th Murders closes the loop for viewers by laying out the full arc. A teen who reportedly hitchhiked through Minnesota. A patrol car stop that turned deadly. A confession that names the offender but not the victim. And, after 35 years, a lab result that brought Michelle Busha back to her family by name.

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About The Friday the 13th Murders

The series presents cold cases with methodical storytelling. Interviews, archival records, and police files shape each episode.

The Friday the 13th Murders (Image via HBO)

The Friday the 13th Murders season 1 streams on HBO Max, HBO Max Amazon Channel, Discovery+ Amazon Channel, Philo, Investigation Discovery, and Discovery+. It can be viewed for free with Investigation Discovery ads and Spectrum On Demand. Episodes are also available to buy on Amazon Video and Fandango At Home.

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Edited by Preethika Vijayakumar