The Texas Killing Fields is a 25-acre patch of land in League City, Texas[1] situated a mile from Interstate Highway 45 and approximately 26 miles southeast of Houston. She was last seen in December 1985. The area around the fields has developed considerably since the 1980s and 1990s. For the family, it meant some closure to their pain. Yes, there have been multiple arrests in the numerous murders that have been associated with the Texas Killing Fields. Several killings occur along Houston's I-45 corridor between Houston and Galveston, in and around an area known as "the Killing Fields". [62][63], In May 1997, William Lewis Reece was arrested for the kidnapping and attempted murder of 19-year-old Sandra Sapaugh from Webster. But the years went by without word from Donna. On September 10, 1984, 16-year-old Laura Miller disappeared a short distance from her home in Texas. At about the same time, a detective tested Baker's dress for DNA. The 25-acre patch of land in League City along Interstate Highway 45, is known as The Texas Killing Fields. Previously known only as Jane Doe and Janet Doe, in 2019, two women were identified as Audrey Lee Cook and Donna Prudhomme via DNA testing, according to theWashington Post. Technology is helping law enforcement to identify the victims found in the Texas Killing Fields, but the names of perpetrators are even more difficult to pin down. The Texas Killing Fields is a stretch of abandoned land just off the interstate road the I-45 between Houston and Galveston in Texas. [71] Hedrick had been found civilly liable for Laura Miller's death but was not criminally charged. Later that year, Debbie Ackerman and Maria Johnson, who spent time in the same places as Shaw and Johnson, also disappeared. Janet Doe, meanwhile, was identified as Donna Gonsoulin Prudhomme, according to the FBI. Her cause of death was initially ruled as "undermined.". It matched a sample taken from Smith at an earlier arrest. They were all young women, left naked against a tree with their arms folded, according to a 1999 Texas Monthly article. In 1991, passersby discovered a fourth body, known at that time as Janet Doe. In the following months, he retracted his confession, claiming that he had been tortured into confessing, with the interrogators suffocating with a plastic bag, burning him with cigarette butts and a radiator, as well as being assaulted by the police chief, Don Morris. [2] Updated: 12:03 PM CST February 16, 2016. But as months passed, it was clear Laura was not coming home. According to theGuardian, Tim Miller, the father of victim Laura Miller, was so convinced that Abel was his daughter's killer that he stalked Abel and even reportedly held a gun to the engineer's head in an effort to get him to confess. In June 2022, he was extradited to Texas where he was found guilty of the murders of Smither, Cain, and Cox. The monkier is chilling enough, but once you delve into the Texas Killing Fields murderous history, its easy to fall down a true-crime rabbit hole. Nevertheless, he remained a prime suspect in their murders until his death in April 2019. [2] He referred to them as the "eleven who went to heaven" and provided names for four of his reported victims, as well as details like hair color and the years he committed the crimes. No Thanks It is believed that many of the murders are the work of multiple serial killers. Donna kept in touch with her family, and Gonsoulin-Hastings thought her sister seemed happy. Shed gone to a nearby store to use a payphone and never returned. King died from natural causes behind bars in October 2015,[76] while Zwarst died in prison in November of 2020. Detective Pam Stall (Jessica Chastain) is a police investigator from the neighboring jurisdiction and Mike's ex-wife. I just kept saying, But she loved her kids. . Nevertheless, on September 18, 1974, Self was convicted of killing Shaw and received a life imprisonment term, despite the fact that his confessions showed great discrepancies concerning the victims' clothing, the date of the murders, the locations of the bodies, how they were killed, and various other details. Abel, whom Miller described as a "strange character," maintained his innocence, and no evidence directly connecting him with the murders was ever uncovered. That September, Laura's mother drove her to a payphone so Laura could make a call to her boyfriend. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Texas Killing Fields (also known as The Fields) is a 2011 American crime film directed by Ami Canaan Mann and starring Sam Worthington, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Jessica Chastain and Chlo Grace Moretz. While in real life there have been several itinerant serial killers involved over the years, the film focuses on specific local Texas City suspects. Did The Colonial Parkway Victims Know The Killer? A man named Kevin Edison Smith was sentenced to life in prison in 2012 for murdering a 13-year-old girl named Krystal Jean Baker in 1996, according to The Houston Chronicle. It may have been a relief for locals to see him convicted and sentenced to life in prison, but the relief would be shortlived. After two decades on the run from U.S. police for the murder of former Marine Larry Dickens, Edward Harold Bell was extradited from Panama to the states to face trial in 1993. Almost two decades later, in 2015, Reece's DNA was found to match 19-year-old Tiffany Johnson, who had been murdered in Oklahoma in 1997. Located near Galveston, the Texas Killing Fields is a 25-acre stretch of land only a mile from Interstate 45. On Monday, members of the House Judiciary Committee met in New York for a hearing on violent crime in the city. Watch Texas Killing Fields: As Good As Gone, Watch Texas Killing Fields: God's Too Busy For Me, Watch Texas Killing Fields: Selling Tickets. Bordering the Calder oil field and League City, thelocation is relatively remote and was even more so back in the 1970s. [73] In 2011, Hedrick's ex-wife approached authorities and said that Hedrick had frequently made incriminating remarks regarding Beason's death. The body that had been found in the Killing Fields in 1991, previously known as Janet Doe, was Donnas. HOUSTON A Texas prisoner has admitted he killed one of the young women whose body was dumped in the so-called "Killing Fields" of League City. More importantly, the work of identifying victims and apprehending the killers continues to this day. Today, it has a paved access road and a housing development has even sprung up nearby, increasing the number of potential witnesses to any crimes committed here. A Netflix true-crime documentary focuses on Miller's father as he tries to find his daughter's killer, after her remains were discovered in 1986. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Some suspect that, because some of the remains were arranged in a similar manner beneath trees, the same killer had taken the women's lives. In 1993, he was arrested in Panama and extradited back to the United States, where he was subsequently convicted of Dickens' murder and received a 70-year sentence. It competed in the 68th Venice International Film Festival. over 30 women were found dead along an area of Interstate 45. according to a 1999 Texas Monthly article. Cow deaths: 18,000 cows killed in explosion, fire at Texas dairy farm may be largest cattle killing ever. The FBI and local police are seeking clues in the unsolved murders of four women whose bodies were discovered in a remote wooded field in a small Texas town between Houston and Galveston. There have been several other arrests in relation to the Texas Killing Fields. WebThe Texas Killing Fields is a 25-acre patch of land in League City, Texas [1] situated a mile from Interstate Highway 45 and approximately 26 miles southeast of Houston. The fire in Castro Countyspread quickly through holding pens where the cows were trapped. Four women were ultimately found dead in a rural area of Texas that has become known as the Texas Killing Fields. Details as simple as where the women worked or the names of friends who havent been interviewed could be key to solving these murders. There has been little evidence to go on, and nothing to connect the four victims. Then, on Sept. 10, 1984, she asked her mother to drive her to a payphone to call her boyfriend. He told police he carried out the rape and murder with the help of Gerald Peter Zwarst. He now runs Texas EquuSearch, a Texas-based non-profit that searches for missing people. In September 1984, Laura Miller was a 16-year-old who had recently moved to League City, Texas. Police have considered the possibility of transients, known serial killers like Henry Lee Lucas, unrelated crimes of opportunity, and more, but ultimately believe the four women were murdered by the same person, according to Texas Monthly. Beason's body was found in July 1984 on a dirt road in Galveston County, Texas. He died before Donnas remains were identified. In the mid-1970s, he acquired a plot of land in Dickinson and lived near the place where two more victims, Brooks Bracewell and Georgia Geer, were last seen alive. [8], Texas Killing Fields received mixed to negative reviews from critics. Debbie Ackerman And Maria Johnson. McCarthy used his speech in NYC to slam President Joe Biden for doing "nothing" to address the nation's financial crisis. WebCrime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields TV Mini Series 2022 TV-MA 2h 29m IMDb RATING 6.6 /10 3.4K YOUR RATING Rate POPULARITY 4,250 852 Play trailer 1:41 2 Videos 26 Photos Documentary Crime History An overgrown field and a stretch of highway connect a series of grisly murders spanning several decades as grieving families search for Debbie Ackerman And Maria Johnson. [80], Screenwriter and Federal Agent Donald Ferrarone said he drew information from an interview with a kidnapping victim, Michelle Ann E. and the family of one of the murder victims. As a detective, he assisted in the investigation. Hedrick[72] had a previous criminal record that included charges of trespassing, theft, abuse of a corpse, attempted arson, possession of marijuana, driving while intoxicated and sexual assault. They were unable to identify this victim, and she became known as a Jane Doe. Theres not a trace, and he said you have two choicesyou can believe shes no longer with us or that she started a new, good life, Gonsoulin-Hastings said. Black Teenager Shot in Kansas City, Missouri. Far south in Texas, near the bay city of Galveston and with the Gulf of Mexico just beyond, is a stretch of land that's gained a fearsome reputation. The 25-acre patch of land in League City along Interstate Highway 45, is known as The Texas Killing Fields. 2. By what name was Texas Killing Fields (2011) officially released in India in English? During the search for Miller, police made a gruesome discoverya third body. Miller recalls being contacted by a mother whose teenage daughter had gone missing. As for Rennison, these are the only cold cases hes worked that remain unsolved. Morris was sentenced to 55 years, while Deal to 30. Baker's killer was finally identified when clothing recovered from the crime scene was tested for DNA evidence. Given the frequency of the killings and the similarities of some of the crime scenes, it's thought that the Texas Killing Fields have been used by one or multiple serial killers. See production, box office & company info, Jeff Foxworthy & Larry the Cable Guy: We've Been Thinking, Ebert Presents: At the Movies: Episode #2.14. For me, I just cant get into the justice part of it, because for me, its about healing our family, she said. Since the early 1970s, 33 bodies of murder victims have been found along the I-45 area. Speaking afterwards, Tim Miller told the KPRC 2 News: "I filed the wrongful death suit to let Clyde Hedrick know that, 'Clyde, I'm still here, I am still here, and I'm not going to quit until the day I die. 18,000 cows enough to cover 26 football fields killed in devastating Texas dairy farm fire. [83] It was rated as the top docuseries on Netflix, with 23,880,000 total hours viewed,[84][85] and received positive reviews.[86]. Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations. She said she'd walk herself the short way back home. For cases that had seemingly stalled out decades ago, it was a hugely significant development and one that proved the power of DNA analysis. However, Kevin Petroff, Galveston County's assistant district attorney, tells filmmakers in The Texas Killing Fields that Hedrick made a jailhouse confession to raping and killing Laura Miller and murdering Heidi Fye. ", "FamilyTreeDNA Helps Identify Two Victims from the 'Texas Killing Fields', "Houston-based DNA company helps identify 'Killing Fields' victims", "Texas 'Killing Fields' victim from Memphis, police say", "Man convicted in 'Killing Fields' murder of Texas City teen", "DNA linking man to teen's '96 death gives her family answers", "Krystal Baker murder case featured on TV series Tuesday night", "Man convicted in Texas City girl's 1996 slaying", "Krystal Jean Baker Act Aids Law Enforcement in More Quickly Connecting Missing Links in Unsolved Cases", "The disappearance of 12-year-old Friendswood girl Laura Smither", "The killing fields: Disappearance of Texas girl still haunts reporter", "William Lewis Reece sentenced to life in prison for murders of Laura Smither, Jessica Cain and Kelli Ann Cox", "Remembering Jessica Cain, 20 years after her disappearance", "Parents of slain girl face Reece in courtroom", "Man seen at Jessica Cain body search site linked to young girls' disappearances", "Body found in SE Houston field confirmed to be Jessica Cain", "Remains confirmed to be those of Jessica Cain, who vanished in 1997", "Family awaiting news about missing woman", "Dickinson family hoping for break in Halloween cold case murder", "Elderly Inmate Claims to Have Committed Nearly a Dozen Murders", "Texas killer's death leaves unanswered questions in girls' slayings", "Experts: William Reece fits 'serial killer' profile", "Cases against accused killer William Reece at a standstill", "Convicted kidnapper reveals location of Kelli Ann Cox's remains", "Confessed killer details murder of Texas Killing Fields victim", "League City police determine identities of 2 women found in 'Texas Killing Fields', "Clyde Hedrick: Man convicted in decades-old murder case in Galveston County released from prison", "Galveston Co. man released from prison for 1984 killing due to old mandatory release law", "Man convicted in one of 'I-45 Killings' cases dies in prison", "Kidnapper convicted in Texas City teen's 1986 disappearance denied parole again", "The Killing Fields 48 Hours CBS News", "Detectives hope 'Killing Fields' film help solve 60 murders", "Victims' kin skeptical on film on Galveston Co. killings", "Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields - Netflix viewers express anger at police after watching series", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Texas_Killing_Fields&oldid=1150259697, CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 17 April 2023, at 04:11. He confessed after hours of interrogation, but later retracted his confession, alleging he had been tortured into admitting to the murders by the police chief. Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields shared the deadly history linked to the Great Houston area, but there are many things the show left out. Hedrick also has been charged with enticing a child, aggravated kidnapping, sexual assault, criminal trespassing, terroristic threat, attempted arson, theft, possession of marijuana and driving while intoxicated. Weve got some plans.. Updated: 12:03 PM CST February 16, 2016. People just simply forget. TheGuardianreports thatthe Millers searched for Laura themselves, even checking local hospitals. Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields is streaming on Netflix now. At the time, since her cause of death could not be ascertained, in 1996, Hedrick was convicted of abusing her corpse and was sentenced to a year in jail. [3] Boyle said that the film was "so dark it would never get made". More remains, of women both known and unidentified, would be discovered in the same fields. Anything anyone in the public knows, no matter how small they think it is, we really want them to come forward, because it may be very significant to us, Rennison said. Speech, Jim Jordan's Crime Hearing Takes Surprising Turns, China's 'Artificial Sun' Smashes Nuclear Fusion Record, Putin Issues Ominous Warning About How Russian Navy Could be Deployed, Who Is Ralph Yarl? He posted bail several weeks later and in order to avoid conviction and further incarceration, he fled Texas and escaped from the United States, evading police for more than two decades. One particular part of the highway, off Calder Road in League City, has gotten its own disturbing moniker: It's become known as the "Texas Killing Fields. He had been arrested at least 12 times on charges of showing his genitals to children, but each time avoided imprisonment. As he gets closer to retirement age, Rennison hopes to bring closure to these cases as well, both for the victims families and the community. 18,000 cows enough to cover 26 football fields killed in devastating Texas dairy farm fire. Since the early 1970s, 33 bodies of murder victims have been found along the I-45 area. A year later, 16-year-old Laura Miller disappeared, just after shed moved with her family to League City. The site has also increased in notoriety and today has the attention of law enforcement, people interested in true crime cases, and those who visit a memorial in the fields dedicated to some of the victims. Claire Wilson is reported as saying, "Colette was dead, but we could bury her." However, it wasn't until 2020 that the mystery was solved and the victim was revealed to be Julie Gwenn Davis, as per, Deliver Us: Three Decades of Murder and Redemption in the Infamous I-45/Texas Killing Fields. [59] Michael Self died on December 21, 2000, still in custody. Twitter Between 1984 and 1991, the bodies of four young women turned up in the Texas Killing Sadly, who murdered Julie still remains unsolved. Theft Leads to Foster Care Agencys Closure. Coverage of the latest true crime stories and famous cases explained, as well as the best TV shows, movies and podcasts in the genre. The nearby highway, which can quickly bring people here from far afield and that provides a quick exit, adds yet another layer of difficulty to solving the crimes committed here. Smith was identified as the killer when an officer submitted Baker's dress for DNA analysis. In 1987, John Robert King, 30, contacted the El Paso police, where he confessed to killing 19-year-old Shelley Sikes while she was in her car. After their phone call, Laura Miller had intended to walk home but she never returned. In that rural field off Calder Road, four people were found dead from 1983 to 1991. The next victim was a 16-year-old named Laura Miller. Despite this, Self's attempts at an appeal failed. McCarthy used his speech in NYC to slam President Joe Biden for doing "nothing" to address the nation's financial crisis. In that rural field off Calder Road, four people were found dead from 1983 to 1991. Worked as a mechanic for a golf cart company in Houston, Harrison Equipment Company in Houston, and Balloon Affair in Houston. WebCrime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields TV Mini Series 2022 TV-MA 2h 29m IMDb RATING 6.6 /10 3.4K YOUR RATING Rate POPULARITY 4,250 852 Play trailer 1:41 2 Videos 26 Photos Documentary Crime History An overgrown field and a stretch of highway connect a series of grisly murders spanning several decades as grieving families search for But with each passing year, the case gets tougher to crack. Its important for the public to know that we have not given up. Maybe a family can then know what happened to their daughter. But high school became challenging to her after she began to have debilitating seizures. When familiar local girl Anne goes missing, the detectives find themselves racing against time to catch the killer and save the young girl's life. The families of other victims found in the Texas Killing Fields would not even have that small comfort. All four deaths had one thing in common, they were discovered alongside the interstate corridor connecting Houston and the beach town of Galveston, known as The Texas Killing Fields. Smith was linked to the murder years later through DNA evidence. Baker, who was a great-niece of Norma Jean Baker (also known by her stage name, Marilyn Monroe), had argued with her grandmother and stormed out of the house, according to theHouston Chronicle. In the 1970s as much as today, the waterfront was a popular draw in the hot Texas summer. WebKevin Edison Smith is the only other killer who has been caught and given a murder conviction in the Texas Killing Fields, for strangling 13-year-old Krystal Jean Baker in 1996. In that rural field off Calder Road, four people were found dead from 1983 to 1991. More than a year later, her body was found in the same patch of land near Calder Road in League City (known as The Texas Killing Fields) as 23-year-old Heidi Fye, who had vanished in 1983. Texas fire officials were investigating. Jane Doe was finally named as Audrey Lee Cook, a 30-year-old mechanic who worked in various parts of Texas and had last been seen alive in December 1985. Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields is the latest true-crime documentary series to land on Netflix, exploring the unsolved murders of four young women whose remains were found in and around the same location in Texas. State and dairy officials were planning how to dispose of the 18,000 carcasses. In July 2022, Tim Miller, the father of Laura Miller, won a wrongful death lawsuit against Hedrick for $24 million in liability and damages that he filed in 2014. This meant that, for much of the history of the murders here, investigations were muddled and dispersed amongst 11 different departments. Laura's father, Tim, now runs a nonprofit, Texas EquuSearch, which works to locate missing people in the United States and beyond. In 2015, his DNA was matched to the killer of 19-year-old Tiffany Johnston, who was found murdered in Oklahoma in 1997. In September 1974, he was convicted of killing Shaw and was sentenced to life in prison, despite questions over the credibility of his confession. Despite the fact that his testimony shows great consistency with details, he has not been charged with any murders, but remains a suspect in the murders of Donna Prudhomme and Audrey Cook, as well as two unrelated murders in Fort Bend County.[68][69]. Earlier this year, Gonsoulin-Hastings received an unexpected phone callher sisters remains had been identified. Since 1970, up to 30 young women have gone missing along a stretch of Interstate 45 between Houston and Galveston known as the Texas Killing Fields and police believe some of them could be the victims of a single unknown serial killer. Twitter Between 1984 and 1991, the bodies of four young women turned up in the Texas Killing In January 2019, Rennison received a call that breathed new life into this cold casethe identification of Jane Doe and Janet Doe. King and Zwarst were convicted of aggravated kidnapping, and received life imprisonment sentences in 1998. Some remains were quickly identified, while others languished for decades without a name to link them to a past and a family that was surely looking for them. He is a free man, believed to be living in a local halfway house in Houston after being released from prison, just eight years into his 20-year sentence. That letter included details that line up eerily well with the facts of some cases. [44], In 2013, Mark Roland Stallings, a convicted kidnapper serving a life term, confessed to killing a girl in 1991 and later dumping her body in the fields, later identified as Donna Prudhomme. reveals stunning new details in 41-year-old cold case - WFIN Local News", "Missing baby found alive more than 40 years after parents found killed in woods", "Her parents were murdered in the '80s. Even when he was on his deathbed, her sister Josie Poarch told Texas Monthly, he brought the family together and made us promise that we would never give up the search for her killer.. Si vous ne souhaitez pas que nos partenaires et nousmmes utilisions des cookies et vos donnes personnelles pour ces motifs supplmentaires, cliquez sur Refuser tout. William Lewis Reece has been convicted of committing murders in the Texas Killing Fields area, but Tim Miller suspects that Clyde Hedrick took his daughter's life. WebThe Texas Killing Fields is a 25-acre patch of land in League City, Texas [1] situated a mile from Interstate Highway 45 and approximately 26 miles southeast of Houston. Its important for the public to know that we have not given up. [2] Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. It later came out that Self's confession was obtained through coercion. It's Not the Role of Government to Protect Us From Apps, Don't Put Tiktok Out of Business Based on Hypotheticals, Biden Admin Uses Trump's Own Words to Blast McCarthy's Wall St. According to theTrue Crime Edition, Wilson had just returned from band camp and was waiting for her mother, Claire, to pick her up. From his prison cell, he claimed that he killed 11 girls linked to the Texas Killing Fields. I was afraid she was never going to be located, he said.