Podcast Summary: The Deck – "Lois West (Aces of Hearts, Virginia)"

Host: Ashley Flowers
Guest: Jake Rice, Retired Investigator, James City County Police Department
Date: February 25, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode of The Deck, Ashley Flowers dives into the cold case of Lois West, the 24-year-old designated as the "Ace of Hearts" from Virginia. Nearly 40 years after Lois was found dead in an abandoned Williamsburg house, the case remains unsolved. Ashley teams up with retired investigator Jake Rice to unpack the details, discuss leads, examine the physical evidence, trace Lois’ final days, and make a public appeal for information—hoping someone, somewhere, can help bring closure.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Discovery of Lois West’s Body

• Setting: Abandoned house on Richmond Road, Williamsburg, Virginia, August 15, 1986. ([00:34])
  • The house was vacant and under renovation by its owners.
  • A contractor, Peter Smith, discovered Lois’s body face-down in a bathtub filled with dark, muddy water. ([03:13])
  • Police found the doors mostly locked but one was not fully shut, likely how entry was gained. ([04:42])

Victim Identification and Autopsy Findings

• Identifying Lois: No ID or personal effects were found; clues included an Army class ring and "L. West" inscribed on her shirt. ([05:09])
  • Police matched fingerprints with records from a prior arrest for breaking and entering, confirming her as Lois West. ([06:22])
• Autopsy: Lois’s body showed contusions consistent with forced drowning but no blunt force trauma or defensive wounds. ([06:59])
  • Toxicology showed only prescription anti-anxiety and antihistamine at low levels; no drugs or alcohol. ([08:19])
  • "She still could have fought back," theorizes Rice, but drowning can render a victim unable to effectively resist. ([08:52])

Crime Scene and Potential Motives

• Circumstances: Lois was fully clothed but her jeans were unzipped and partially pulled down, suggesting the possibility of a sexual component. ([09:30])
  • A sexual assault kit found two foreign pubic hairs; no other conclusive evidence. ([10:18])
  • The origin of these hairs remains uncertain—could be innocuous or significant.

Lois’ Background and Final Days

• Personal History: Lived with her parents and young son. Suffered from mental health issues, was in and out of Eastern State Hospital. ([11:10]-[11:54])
• Family Perspective: Lois’ mother described her as a wanderer who often hitchhiked and could "be a friend with anyone." ([12:33])
• Known Relationships: Dated John (fellow patient at Eastern State) and had a fraught relationship with a man named Mike, involving mutual allegations and threats. ([13:42]–[16:37])

Last Known Movements and Witness Sightings

• Timeline After Release:
  • August 13: Lois visits Eastern State to see John; they argue and are separated by staff. Lois calls her mom saying, "There’s two guys that are following me around. Won’t kill me." ([15:03])
  • After being escorted off the property, she is seen at various points (bus station, gas station, motel) across Williamsburg throughout the evening, appearing distressed and attempting to protect herself from rain with a trash bag. ([22:56])
  • Final sighting: An Eastern State employee saw Lois walking down Richmond Road with two unidentified Black men—cannot provide a clear description, only their race. ([23:50])

Notable Quote:

Ashley Flowers ([13:42]): "Her mother said that when she came there, she did have some bruising on her arms and shoulder area and said that that was from her boyfriend."
Investigator Rice ([12:33]): "She was just one of those free-willed people who didn’t want to be just at one place… she liked to hitchhike… it was also known as a very dangerous thing to do."

Investigation, Suspects, and Evidence

• John and Mike: Both questioned and submitted to polygraphs; alibis and results clear them as suspects. ([18:46], [19:28])
• Other Leads:
  • Investigators canvassed local workers for the two men last seen with Lois but could not find a match. ([24:43]–[25:23])
  • A mysterious brown hat with two feathers, never seen before by her mother, might belong to someone connected but remains untraced. ([25:46])
• Physical Evidence: Items from the scene and CSI kits have been retested with new technology (2011 attempt inconclusive), and further testing is underway.
  • "Physical evidence does not lie. Witnesses can change their story. Physical evidence will not lie…" – Investigator Rice ([27:10])

Continuing the Search for Answers

• Advances in forensic tech and changes in witness willingness to talk offer hope.
  • "Even if you can get it to where it’s searching that database doesn’t mean that it’s going to hit right now. But it could hit in a week, a month, a year, or 10 years." – Investigator Rice ([27:10])
  • "One thing that helps you in cold cases is…when time goes by, people have a change in life that might have them talk now when they wouldn’t have talked 40 years ago." ([27:43])
• Rice is persistent: "Whether a victim has someone that is in their corner fighting for them, they at least have me fighting. If I have the file…I believe solving this case is still doable, whether it’s me or it’s someone after me." ([28:55])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Lois’s Last Call to Her Mother:

  "There’s two guys that are following me around. Won’t kill me." – (recalling Lois’s words, [15:03])

• On Cold Cases:

  "Physical evidence will not lie, and it doesn’t change. It’s either there or it’s not there, and it says one thing or the other." – Investigator Jake Rice ([27:25])

• On Justice and Persistence:

  "Whether a victim has someone that is in their corner fighting for them, they at least have me fighting. If I have the file. I believe solving this case is still doable, whether it’s me or it’s someone after me." – Investigator Rice ([28:55])

Important Timestamps

• [00:34] Introduction of Lois West’s case
• [03:13] Discovery of Lois’s body
• [06:22] Lois identified via fingerprints
• [06:59] Autopsy findings revealed
• [09:30] Jeans pulled down, investigation into sexual motive
• [10:18] Forensic evidence discussed
• [11:10] Lois’s background—family and mental health
• [13:42] Lois’s last days and relationships
• [15:03] Lois's chilling call to her mother
• [18:46] John’s alibi and polygraph
• [19:28] Mike’s alibi and polygraph
• [23:50] Lois last seen with two unidentified men
• [25:46] The mysterious brown hat introduced
• [27:10] Forensic technology advances and ongoing efforts
• [28:55] Appeal to the public and closing remarks from Rice

Call to Action

Anyone with information about Lois West’s murder, the brown feathered hat, or the unknown men last seen with her is urged to contact:

• James City County Police Department: 757-253-1800
• Hampton Roads Crime Line: 1-888-562-5887

The Deck continues to spotlight cold cases, urging listeners to help break decades-old mysteries and deliver long-awaited justice. As Rice reminds listeners, “Physical evidence does not lie,” but maybe a listener holds the one detail that brings resolution to Lois West’s family.