Wayne Nathan Nance (October 18, 1955 – September 4, 1986), known as The Missoula Mauler, was an American serial killer in the state of Montana.

Nance lived in a motor home outside of Milltown, Montana, which is east of Missoula and was described by teachers and classmates as an academically gifted yet eccentric individual who was also a juvenile delinquent.

Friends claimed that during his adolescence, Nance frequently boasted of worshipping the devil, and had even used a hot coat hanger to brand himself with Satanic symbols.

[7] Nance is believed to have raped and murdered a 39-year-old woman named Donna Lorraine Pounds on April 11, 1974, in West Riverside, Montana.

Pounds, who worked part-time at a Christian bookstore, had arrived home at 3:30 p.m., and is believed to have encountered Nance in the master bedroom.

Nance was wearing latex gloves, one of which was found at the scene and carried with him a black gym bag, from which he produced a white clothesline, which was used to tie Pounds to her bed.

[3] Nance then raped her before forcing her downstairs into the basement, where, at point-blank range, he shot her five times in the back of her head.

Donna's husband, Harvey, arrived home at 6 p.m. and discovered that Pounds had been held captive in her basement, tied to a chair, and shot.

Three eyewitnesses claimed they saw Nance, an acquaintance of the victim's teenage son, in the area about the time of Pounds' death that afternoon.

One witness claimed they saw him in the garden of the Pounds residence and another said they saw him leaving the house with a black gym bag and heading in the direction of the Tamarack Trailer Park, where Nance lived with his parents.

[2][5] Nance served in the United States Navy from 1974 to 1977, and investigators later suspected he might have committed more crimes while traveling for his military service.

[3] On November 29, 1977, Nance received a general military discharge on the grounds of misconduct after he was found with stolen items, LSD, marijuana and illegal butterfly knives.

After his discharge from military service, Nance visited Seattle, Washington, in July 1978, where 15-year-old runaway Devonna Nelson went missing.

On February 27, 1980, her badly decomposed body was discovered by the crew of a slow-moving freight train on a road bank close to the Interstate 90 in the city of Missoula resting against a chain-link fence.

The body of Marcella Cheri "Marci" Bachmann, 16, was found in an advanced state of decomposition on December 24, 1984, by a wildlife photographer.

[13][5] When police conducted a search of Nance's home after his death, they found a series of photo-booth pictures of him and Bachmann.

[4][20][21][22][23] After genetic genealogy research was conducted after a successful DNA extraction, it was learned that Lucas originated from Spokane, Washington, having disappeared from Sandpoint, Idaho during the summer of 1983.

Two hours later, Nance returned, robbing the family of an elk statue, a stag handled hunting knife and a silver dollar collection before attempting to set fire to the home.

[7] During Nance's adulthood, he worked as a mover for the Conlin's Furniture department store, where he was described by his employers and co-workers as an "average guy."

However, several female customers had complained about harassing phone calls they had begun to receive after getting a delivery from the store and had singled out Nance as being the caller.