Customers mourn owner of Collinsville nail salon, allegedly killed by son
Terrie Nguyen is being remembered as a kind and loving person who treated customers like family at the Collinsville nail salon that she had been operating since the 1990s.
Police found the 72-year-old dead in her O’Fallon home on Dec. 27. Her son, David Nguyen, is accused of killing her and trying to blow up the house to conceal her murder.
Customers at Magic Nails have taken to social media by the dozens, sharing stories of Terrie Nguyen’s generosity, warmth and friendly smile. She went by the nickname “Tracy“ at work.
“She would have done anything for anyone,” customer Tina Buck said in an interview. “If they needed something, Tracy would be there for them. ... She was an angel.”
Terrie Nguyen was a Vietnam native who immigrated to the United States in the 1980s, according to her nephew, Anthony Vo, who works at the salon. She lived in California before moving to the metro-east.
“She’s been (at Magic Nails) almost 30 years,” Vo said. “That’s why a lot of customers know her.”
Terrie Nguyen has another son, Solomon, who also works at the salon. He couldn’t be reached for comment.
Buck, 42, of Granite City, became a customer in 2001, when she was in college. Eight years later, she had grown so close to Terrie Nguyen and the other three Magic Nails employees, she invited them to her wedding.
In later years, Buck began taking her three daughters to the salon.
“(Terrie Nguyen) was like a mom to me,” Buck said. “She was always very caring, and she would check on me, like ‘How are you? How are the kids? How’s your husband?’”
Solomon Nguyen has two children, including an infant son whom his mother saw only once, on Christmas Day, at the hospital, according to Buck. Her body was found two days later.
David Nguyen, 38, was unemployed and unmarried, and he lived with his mother, Vo said. “She love him, and she take care of him.”
Terrie Nguyen’s arrangements are being handled by Lake View Funeral Home and Memorial Gardens in Fairview Heights.
The obituary describes Terrie Nguyen as a proud business owner known for her kindness, hard work, dedication, generosity, welcoming spirit and “rare gift for making everyone feel seen and valued.”
“Outside of her work life, Terrie was a devoted Buddhist,” the obituary states. “Her work with Buddhist was just as impactful as the impression she had at her own business. She loved her Buddhist family deeply, here in St. Louis, and also in Louisville, Kentucky.”
On Wednesday, St. Clair County state’s attorney’s office charged David Nguyen with one count of murder/intent to kill/injure and one count of concealment of a homicidal death.
The charging document alleges that, in regard to the first count, David Nguyen “stuck Terrie Nguyen about the face and placed plastic wrap over her nose and mouth.”
The document also describes allegations related to the second count of concealment.
“(David Nguyen), with knowledge that Terrie Nguyen had died by homicidal means, concealed the death of Terrie Nguyen by activating unlit gas burners on a stove to fill the house with gas and left a lit candle inside the house with the intent to cause an explosion,” it states.
O’Fallon Police Department announced Dec. 27 that officers had responded to a home in the 1300 block of Bossler Lane about 1:30 p.m. and found a woman dead and that a “person of interest” had been arrested.
St. Clair County Coroner Calvin Dye Sr. said the 72-year-old victim was pronounced dead at the scene and that his office would be conducting an autopsy.
“Her cause of death is undetermined,” O’Fallon police Lt. Patrick Feldhake said Wednesday. “We haven’t got the autopsy report back yet.”
Police went to Terrie Nguyen’s home to do a welfare check after family members were unable to reach her, according to a news release from the police department on Dec. 27. They determined her death to be “suspicious” and the result of violence.
“Early in the investigation, (David Nguyen) was identified as a person of interest,” the release stated.
“Efforts to locate him were immediately initiated. At approximately 4:30pm that same day, the Missouri State Highway Patrol located David traveling westbound on Interstate 70 near Concordia, Missouri. David attempted to flee from troopers but was taken into custody following a crash on I-70 at mile marker 51.
“David was transported to a local hospital for treatment, charged with felony fleeing, and subsequently released into the custody of the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Department.”
David Nguyen was driving a light gray Toyota Tacoma truck when he crashed, Feldhake said. He remains in custody in Lafayette County pending extradition to Illinois.
This story was originally published January 5, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
