Star Stowe, who rose to popularity and dated a member of the famous rock band KISS, was discovered strangled to death outside a drugstore in Florida when she was in her early 40s. Her killing was related to a string of murders, with officials speculating that it may have been the work of a serial murderer. The case has yet to be solved.
In a future episode titled The Girl With the Star Tattoo, The Playboy Murders on ID will re-examine the case of Stowe, a former Playboy model designated Playmate, in the February 1977 edition of the magazine. According to the episode synopsis:
“When Star Stowe is named Playmate of the Month, she sweeps the globe by storm, but all the magazine has to offer seduces Star into a world of abuse and addiction, sending her down a fatal road.”
The film The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo will shed new light on the case. The next episode will show on Monday, February 20, 2023, at 10 p.m. EST.
Star Stowe: Five quick facts about the former Playboy Playmate’s life and death
1) Star Stowe was born in Little Rock, Arkansas as Ellen Louise Stowe.
Star was born Ellen Louise Stowe Milago on March 19, 1956, in Little Rock, Arkansas, and grew up in and around Arkansas, Louisiana, and Nevada. She traveled to Los Angeles as a youngster in the 1970s to pursue her goal of becoming a professional dancer. Stella Tetenbaum, a former Playboy Mansion Hostess, described herself as having a “small-town girl aura” when she first arrived.
2) In February 1977, Stowe dated KISS vocalist Gene Simmons and was designated Playmate.
Star Stowe was 18 years old when she visited Las Vegas and met Gene Simmons at the Hotel Sahara in 1975. Simmons was a member of the well-known heavy metal band KISS. Not long after, the two began dating and went on to become a well-known Hollywood couple.
Stowe was selected Playmate of the Month in February 1977, and she was featured in the issue’s centerfold while wearing just a G-string and posed with a Rickenbacker guitar. The issue in which she was billed as the “original rockstar chick” was built on a rock and roll theme and depicted her connection with Simmons. She was at the pinnacle of her career at the time, filming films and living in the Playboy house.
3) After her breakup with Simmons, she married and had a kid.
Star Stowe began using cocaine, which her then-boyfriend Gene Simmons disapproved of. Moreover, there were tight rules about s*x and narcotics at the Playboy home. As she tried to manage her love and professional life, the pair split up. Because Playboy “placed a stain on her reputation,” she finally departed and struggled to find work in Los Angeles. Stowe married Peter Maligo and had a son, Michael Maligo, in the early 1980s, according to accounts. The marriage, however, did not survive long. In 1986, she and her son relocated to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
4) As a s*x worker in Florida, Star Stowe struggled to make ends meet.
Stowe traveled to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with her kid in 1986 to pursue her ambition of becoming an exotic dancer. But, owing to the long hours she worked in her demanding profession, she moved her 6-year-old daughter to live with her parents in Little Rock, Arkansas. She subsequently became addicted to drugs and started working as a s*x worker to support herself.
5) In March 1997, Stowe was discovered strangled behind a drugstore.
Star Stowe was last seen alive on March 15, 1997, getting into a client’s car. The next day, she was discovered face-down and strangled behind a Coral Springs Eckerd pharmacy. Despite a paucity of clues, her case was quickly connected to Sandra Kay Walters, another s*x worker who was discovered strangled to death. A series of similar killings followed, with female victims discovered dead in and around the neighborhood. Her case struck a snag and remains unresolved to this day. Police suspect it was the work of a serial murderer.
