EARLY LIFE:
Hang Lee was born on October 9, 1975. Of Laotian descent, she and her family were refugees who’d moved to St. Paul, Minnesota, when she was a young girl. One of 14 children, she was fluent in both English and Hmong, which allowed her to translate for her parents, who spoke little English.
At the time of her disappearance, Hang was a senior at Highland Park High School and had dreams of attending the University of Minnesota for writing. She worked at the Wong Café at Rice Street and Wheelock Parkway to earn some spending money, and enjoyed listening to heavy metal music and reading in her spare time.
According to Hang’s family, there was a period in her life where she was hanging out with a bad crowd, but in the months before she went missing, she’d appeared to have found a better group of teenagers to befriend.
DISAPPEARANCE:
Hang Lee left her family’s North End apartment, in the 200 block of Biglow Lane, between 6:00 PM and 7:00 PM on either January 12 or 15, 1993 (sources vary). She got into a vehicle with her 18-year-old friend, Kia “Nikki” Lee, and several other passengers, but had made a troubling comment to her younger brother, Koua, prior to leaving: “If I don’t come back, come and look for me, because I don’t trust Nikki.”
His sister didn’t return home, so the next morning, Koua confronted Nikki in the cafeteria of Como Park High School, where she was eating breakfast. When he asked where Hang was, she reportedly said, “I don’t know where your sister is. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Hang’s parents reported her missing a few days later.
SEARCH:
Initially, the St. Paul Police Department treated Hang’s case as a runaway, meaning nothing happened in the investigation for six months. Her family didn’t believe this theory, however, as she’d left behind her college savings, a $100 paycheque, all of her clothing and her purse, which contained a lead ball and knife that she carried for protection.
It was only when the Lee family began putting up missing persons flyers that local police began taking the case seriously. While Nikki had initially told them her friend had left with a group of unidentified “White friends”, she later changed her story to say that Hang had actually gone for an interview with her own employer, Mark Steven Wallace.
Wallace owned a painting and carpentry business at Iroquois and Stillwater avenues, above which he lived, and he’d asked Nikki if any of her friends were looking for work. While she found the request odd, as there wasn’t enough work for another employee, she’d recommended Hang, who’d been looking for a higher-paying job.
On the night she went missing, Hang and Nikki got into Wallace’s white pickup truck, before he moved them into a tan or silver 1988 Chevrolet Cavalier. After dropping Nikki off at an East Side gas station, he drove away with Hang, having told the former he was going to take her friend home. Wallace later told investigators that he’d dropped Hang off near the Wong Café.
When asked why she’d lied immediately following her friend’s disappearance, Nikki said she’d believed Hang had run away and wanted to protect her. She added that Wallace had told her to not tell anyone what had really happened that night.
With this new story, Wallace became the prime suspect in Hang’s disappearance, and the suspicion surrounding him only increased when investigators learnt he’d been convicted in 1987 of two violent rapes. What’s more, he’d lured one of his victims with the promise of a job interview. This was enough for police to draw up search warrants for his home, office and truck, but nothing incriminating was found.
It wasn’t long before Wallace hired an attorney, who told him to stop talking to authorities. Nikki also hired her own lawyer and stopped cooperating with the investigation.
Years later, investigators received a tip from a neighbour who’d been suspicious of a garage Wallace had built at the residence he’d inherited from his late mother. The detached structure had been hastily erected in 2004, and when Wallace lost the home in 2009, cadaver dogs were brought in to investigate it. Two of the animals indicated at the floor near the garage wall, but they lost interest when holes were drilled into the ground.
The house was searched again in October 2021, after a tip was called in claiming Hang had been buried in an old fire pit on the property, but no evidence was uncovered.
Wallace was arrested and charged with kidnapping, stalking and possession of methamphetamine in relation to a different case in 2016. According to reports, he’d held a 20-year-old woman hostage at a hotel in Woodbury, Minnesota, during which he verbally and physically abused her. He’d also threatened her life, allegedly telling her that he’d killed a woman in St. Paul.
In 2020, Wallace was committed to the Minnesota Sex Offender Program and sent to a facility in Moose Lake. He’ll be held there until he’s rehabilitated, with many viewing this as a life sentence.
DETAILS:
Hang Lee went missing from St. Paul, Ramsey County, Minnesota, on either January 12 or 15, 1993. She was 17 years old, and was last seen wearing a black t-shirt with “Skid Row” written on the back; a lightweight black leather jacket; black jeans or slacks; sneakers; and several pieces of jewellery, including two silver bracelets.
At the time of her disappearance, Hang stood at 5’0″ and weighed 90 pounds. She had black hair with dyed red bangs and brown eyes.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) has released an age-progression image of what Hang may have looked like at 45 years old.
CASE CONTACT INFORMATION:
Hang Lee’s case is currently classified as Endangered Missing, with foul play suspected. Her DNA is available for comparison, should her remains her located.
Anyone with information regarding the case is asked to contact the St. Paul Police Department at either (651) 291-1111 or (651) 266-5612. Tips can also be called into the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office at (651) 266-9670 or Crime Stoppers at (651) 452-7463.
Image Credit: International Missing Persons Wiki
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