Meet Hazel Drew

Hazel Irene Drew was last seen alive on July 7, 1908 walking up Taborton Road in the village of Sand Lake near Troy, New York.  Well dressed and in good spirits, she would die that night and her body would be found floating in Farmer Teal’s mill pond about a week later. 

Her death became an international sensation reported around the world, burning up the headlines during that hot summer month…only to fade when the local authorities failed to find her killer.  

Ninety years later, Hazel became the inspiration for screenwriter Mark Frost and director David Lynch’s groundbreaking TV series, Twin Peaks. 

Hazel Drew was the real Laura Palmer. 

After three years of obsessive research I am now able to tell the story of her life….and death…and build a case against her killer.  

Hazel was more than just a governess who ran afoul of some bad luck, she was a witness to the high stakes intrigue of Gilded Age New York. 

The story will be told: 


BOOK OUT – June 10, 2025