But according to the documentary, investigators learned Reece was in prison in Oklahoma during the span of the Calder Field murders. .css-lec2h6{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:inherit;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;background-image:linear-gradient( to bottom, rgba(241, 220, 225, 1), rgba(241, 220, 225, 1));-webkit-background-position:0 100%;background-position:0 100%;background-repeat:repeat-x;-webkit-background-size:0 0;background-size:0 0;padding-top:0.05rem;padding-bottom:0.05rem;}.css-lec2h6:hover{color:#000000;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;-webkit-background-size:.625rem 3.125rem;background-size:.625rem 3.125rem;}The Washington Post reports that on October 10, 1983, 25-year-old bartender Heidi Villareal-Fye went missing in League City, outside of Houston, after leaving her parents' home to catch a ride to Houston to see her boyfriend. It is known as the "killing fields," and it is a lonely, spooky patch of land: In the stillness of the day you can hear the yips of small wild animals and the distant rumble of traffic along . Yet another body was found by two horseback riders while police discovered Laura Mills in the same location as well. But Grant said Stallings later recanted. [42], Michael Self died on December 21, 2000, still in custody. That same year, two bodies were found in a field along Calder Road in League City. 1. Both men were asked to indicate the whereabouts of Sikes' body in exchange for avoiding life sentences, but their directions failed to uncover it. .css-azif86{color:#000000;display:block;font-family:GTWalsheim,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;margin-bottom:0.3125rem;margin-top:0;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-azif86:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-azif86{font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.3;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-azif86{font-size:1rem;line-height:1.3;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-azif86{font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.3;}}Is "Daisy Jones & The Six" Based on a True Story? In 1997, the disappearance of one girl in particular captured the medias attention: 14-year-old dancer Laura Smither went out for a jog, trying to build up her stamina, and didnt come home for breakfast. From 1971 until 2006, over 30 women were found dead along an area of Interstate 45 that runs for 50 miles between Houston and Galveston. The majority of victims have been young girls and young women, aged between 12 and 25 years old. The population was 86,911 at the 2000 census. Here are things to know about the 'Texas Killing Fields': In 1984, a grisly film was released titled 'The Killing Fields' about a journalist trapped in Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge regime. [1] Was The Colonial Parkway Killer Pretending To Be Law Enforcement? Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Authorities have never been able to identify the woman. He said they went to a motel and did some drugs. 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. Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields is the latest true-crime documentary to land on Netflix, joining a host of content such as Unsolved Mysteries, Killer Sally and I Am Vanessa Guillen. [43], An investigation by the League City police and the FBI in the 1970s identified another local resident, Edward Harold Bell, a known exhibitionist, as a suspect. The Texas Killing Fields. Oh sure. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. 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. She is known only by an artist's rendering as Janet Doe. Despite his alleged confession, he hasn't been charged with murder, but in 2021, he remained a suspect in the murders of Donna Prudhomme and Audrey Cook, according to USA Today. [61][62], Janet Miller, mother of victim Laura Miller, said in an interview with the Dallas Morning News that she was angry at first about the film, stating "I was upset because no one notified me. View the links for more information on the Texas Killing Fields. As compiled by the shows executive producer, Joseph Schneier, here are the five biggest killing fields in Americathat we know of so far: Since the 1970s, more than 30 young women have disappeared or been found dead along Interstate-45 in Texas. Private. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. RELATED:Is A Serial Killer Responsible For The Colonial Parkway Murders Or Are The Vicious Roadside Slayings Unconnected? 'Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields' is the latest true-crime documentary to land on Netflix. At the time of the murder, Stallings was living and working in League City, and was near the homes of some of the girls who went missing and were later found dead. Reader discretion is advised. 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. It competed in the 68th Venice International Film Festival. "I mean even though she was in the condition she was in, I should have just let her play her own life out, you know she wanted to waste it and I should have just let her waste it," Stallings said. The main focus of the killing fields investigation centered on an area known as the Calder Road oil field in League City, Texas. Four bodies were found in the Calder fieldbetween 1984 and 1991. Smith was identified as the killer when an officer submitted Baker's dress for DNA analysis. "I know I had no right to take this young girl's life;she was just an innocent girl," Carroll read from one of the letters. The below map shows the more than 500 cases in our Highway Serial Killings Initiative database; the red dots mark where bodies or remains have been found along highways over the past 30 years. A man named Kevin Edison Smith was charged and sentenced to prison for murdering a 13-year-old girl named Krystal Jean Baker in 1990s. [56][57][58] He has been suspected of kidnapping and killing Laura Smither and confessed, in 2016, to Friendswood Police that he did kill her. Miller was last seen using the same pay phone that Fye was using months before. This is multiple serial killers," true crime author Kathryn . Her body was found hours after her death and was identified in 2014 after a Websleuths user suggested the match. Then the term 'Texas Killing Fields' was coined to describe the area, according to the Netflix documentary. The Texas Killing Fields is an extremely large area of land (approximately 25-acres) off of Interstate 45 in southern Texas, between the cities of Houston and Galveston. [47][48], Clyde Hedrick was named as a suspect in the 2022 documentary series Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields. Prudhomme had asked her sister, Dianne, to mail her birth certificate to her home in Clear Lake near the end of 1989. 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. Page of 2. And theyre on theyre own, said Ferrarone. The victim was later identified as Donna Prudhomme. These days, the field, now owned by a local church, is no longer as remote as it once was: It's across from a housing development and has a paved road. theYear=theYear+1900 King died from natural causes behind bars in October 2015,[54] while Zwarst died in prison in November of 2020. On the map, Forseth included several destinations known for being haunted in Texas the Texas Killing Fields, which are roughly 30 miles outside Houston; the Bakers Hotel at Mineral. Copyright 2008 - She had lived most of her life in Port Arthur, Texas, and was married with two sons. In the movie, Morgans character prays over the bodies. After investigating the death of a young woman, Texas City Detectives Mike Souder (Sam Worthington) and Brian Heigh (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) find time to inquire into the welfare of Ann . That ride took them south to League City and a field off Interstate 45 and Calder Road. The same day Miller was found, police discovered a third unidentified body that they named Jane Doe. Grant was one of the original detectives on the Janet Doe case. The parents should know what's going on." All four women were murdered in the same way. Three days later, her body was found strangled, raped, and with her hair cut off in a field across from Dickinson High School. 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. It's a stretch of interstate from Houston down to the Gulf of Mexico dubbed "Highway to Hell" where dozens of women have gone missing and bodies dumped. Page 1. The string of unsolved murders earned the route the nickname "highway to hell." Dickens removed the keys from Bell's vehicle and refused to return them. The decomposed body was found months later in 1991. One of the suspects was Abel himself, who said at the time that investigators wrongly targeted him as a suspect because of his connection to the property. Bell confessed to murdering eleven young women in and around Galveston in the 1970s, and there was an A&E miniseries made about it. The Texas Killing Fields murders were never solved, and neither were the many cases along Interstate 45. On the same day, the body of Laura Miller was discovered in Calder Field. It's not that simple, according to investigators at the League City Police Department. As more and more remains were discovered on Calder Road, locals began referring. In 2015, his DNA was matched to the killer of 19-year-old Tiffany Johnston, who was found murdered in Oklahoma in 1997. Who Were "The Texas Killing Fields" Victims? All That's Interesting is a Brooklyn-based digital publisher that seeks out stories that illuminate the past, present, and future. [53], In 1987, 30-year-old John Robert King phoned the El Paso police, claiming that on May 24, 1986, he, together with 33-year-old Gerald Peter Zwarst, attacked Shelley Sikes while she was in her car, after which the girl was raped and strangled. The young woman with Stallings would be the fourth in the Texas Killing Field. They were convicted of aggravated kidnap and were sentenced to life imprisonment in 1998. King and Zwarst were convicted of aggravated kidnapping, and received life imprisonment sentences in 1998. King and Zwarst were questioned about their involvement in other killings in the 1980s, but both denied having any involvement. During the search, there was another gruesome discovery, though: One more woman was found dead. While in prison, Reece provided a map of the burial sites and afterwards offered to fully help investigators in order to avoid the death penalty. Details related to these and other abductions and murders in the area which Goetschius has had experience with are further outlined in the CBS interview, a link for which is provided here. However, despite efforts by the League City, Texas police, along with the assistance of the FBI, very few of these murders have been solved, and those that have been solved were predicated on confessions given by prisoners, or confessions given under duress from the police. Most of the cases related to the 30 bodies recovered so far remain unsolved, but there are some striking similarities among the victims: Young girls with similar physical features and hairstyles, between the ages of 10-25. It was directed by Ami Canaan Mann and starred Sam Worthington and Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Where is Anthony Cook From "Murdaugh Murders" Now? Her body was found bound and partially nude in Turner's Bayou along with her friend, Maria. The Texas Killing Fields is a 25-acre patch of land in League City, Texas situated a mile from Interstate Highway 45 and approximately 26 miles southeast of Houston. Bell was able to name some of his victims: Despite his alleged confession, Bell was never charged with the murders and there was no physical evidence against him. Based on true events. When she's not busy watching the latest true crime docuseries, you can find her strolling through Sephora, thrifting the perfect dress, or jogging with her pup. [45][46], 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. The next day, her bike was found in the foyer of the church. Michael Land served as a study for Sam Worthingtons film character. One man, Edward Harold Bell, a convicted sex offender and murderer, claims to have killed Debbie and Maria (along with many of the other girls found in the fields), but he . The inconsistencies throw even more questions into the mix, and add to the mystery of the Texas Killing Fields. 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. Only one perpetrator has been apprehended since early 1970s. The place is described as "a perfect place for killing somebody and getting away with it". She is believed to have hitchhiked, but it is unclear how she ended up in Texas. The killings have been never been solved. Just off Interstate 45, along the Gulf Coast, the area was a desolate and uninteresting place. It also became apparent Stalling had lived in League City, near the home of many of the girls who had been murdered. Debbie Ackerman And Maria Johnson. Last seen near her apartment on Jacquelyn Street in Houston. The marsh land is 25 acres and was once an oil field. [3] Boyle said that the film was "so dark it would never get made". Texas Killing Fields (2011) Full Cast & Crew See agents for this cast & crew on IMDbPro Directed by Ami Canaan Mann Writing Credits ( WGA) Don Ferrarone . At about the same time, a detective tested Baker's dress for DNA. [2] It may be labeled a cold case, but that doesnt mean its sitting on a shelf and isnt being worked, said Special Agent Richard Rennison in the article from the FBI. The documentary focuses much of its attention on a suspect named Clyde Hendrick, a roofer who lived in League City at the time. day! Law enforcement officials who have investigated the Texas Killing Fieldswhich are primarily abandoned oil fieldsknow this all too well, and are in a constant race against time and nature. Do you have a story that I-Team should investigate? In 1998, he wrote several letters to the Harris County Attorney, in which he confessed to killing 11 girls in total. A year after Villareal-Fye's disappearance, 16-year-old Clear Creek High School student Laura Miller went missing. Debbie Catherine Ackerman 23 Jun 1956 - 16 Nov 1971 . The series was directed by Jessica Dimmock. They do have DNA and can make a match. It is believed that many of the murders are the work of multiple serial killers. Coverage of the latest true crime stories and famous cases explained, as well as the best TV shows, movies and podcasts in the genre. Last seen at Dobie High School while she was there for a driving test. places to stay, tourism, events, lodging, and we feature Texas Hill Country info The bane of police departments around the country, these so-called killing fields make it next to impossible for detectives to gather enough evidence to catch the murderers. This Sat night 5/9, Part 1 of 2 episodes covering the Texas Killing Fields/I45 Murders. "I ended up getting the seat belt and hit her in the head with the seat belt buckle, right, and then wrapped the seat belt around her neck and choked her out," Stallings said. As for the other women found dead along Interstate 45, only one case has ever been solved. "It's. But to this day, Stallings has not been charged in the murder of Janet Doe. 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. "The effect that this has had on people for the last 30 years is still there," said Miller. [41], Three years later, in 1976, Don Morris and his deputy, Tommy Deal, were arrested and convicted of various crimes, including torture and other misconduct against detainees. He even founded Texas EquuSearch, a search and rescue organization to help find missing people, according to local outlet Click2Houston. The area is quite far away from civilization as well. [60], 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. In 2010 Killeen's population shot to 127,921. For me its that little bit of comfort to step into it and give people some answers, he explained. Then, on Sept. 10, 1984, she asked her mother to drive her to a payphone to call her boyfriend. The Texas Killing Fields are part of a 50-mile stretch that runs along Interstate 45, between Houston and the Island city of Galveston, Texas, dubbed the "highway to hell.". Four women, Heidi Fye, Laura Mills, Audrey Lee Cook, and Donna Gonsoulin Prudhomme were found dead in that patch. [51], In April 2012, 16 years after Krystal Jean Baker's beaten, raped and strangled body was found, Kevin Edison Smith was arrested and convicted of murdering her. Stallings had picked up the young woman on Telephone Road near Interstate 610. Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. Its rattlesnake season in Texas. There have been several other arrests in relation to the Texas Killing Fields. Three years later, police chief Don Morris and his deputy, Tommy Deal, were arrested and convicted of numerous crimes, including torture and misconduct against detainees. Published Dec 8, 2022. Since the early 1970s, 30 bodies of murder victims have been found within the Killing Fields area. And if you ran, there wouldn't necessarily be anywhere to go. Her body was found bound and partially nude in Turner's Bayou along with her friend, Debbie. Previously, he was a reporter for Houston Community Newspapers covering the Bellaire and Memorial areas. It's where Stallings once worked as a ranch hand, and where three bodies had been discovered in the 1980s. Seventeen picks products that we think you'll love the most. The infamous killing fields first came into prominence in 1984 when a family dog took a human skull to a neighbor's house. Favored by serial killers, gangsters and savvy locals, some are home to bodies numbering in the triple digits. Are you praying for their souls? the CBS correspondent asked. If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. [6], The soundtrack was scored by Dickon Hinchliffe (formerly of Tindersticks) except for three tracks credited to The Americans. The Texas Killing Fields is easily one of the most discussed topics of the last decade due to the massive mystery around the area. You must select an email preference. Nowhis story is changing again. Texas EquuSearch founder Tim Miller announces documentary Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields on Netflix. ", Stallings: "Exactly, when I picked her up I knew what I was going to do.". Growing up in LC in the 80's & 90's, it was definitely a suburban area with many developed subdivisions and shopping areas. For multiple decades on a desolate stretch of road in Texas, a nightmare unfolded. Yes, there have been multiple arrests in the numerous murders that have been associated with the Texas Killing Fields. 10. engagedbbw 18 days ago. Souder, a homicide detective in a small Texan town, and his partner, transplanted New York City cop Detective Heigh, track a sadistic serial killer dumping his victims' mutilated bodies in a nearby marsh locals call 'The Killing Fields'. Discovered in a field in the 3000 block of Calder Road alongside Laura Miller, coroners estimate the woman was 22 to 30 years old and 5-foot-5 to 5-foot-8, and that she died six weeks to six months prior to being found. As compiled by the show's executive producer, Joseph Schneier, here are the five biggest killing fields in Americathat we know of so far: 5. The woman had a small caliber gunshot wound to the back. Watch: Man confesses to a Texas Killing Field murder. Photos of Kevin Edison Smith and William Lewis Reece. Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields will cover this topic in more detail. [3] Hill Country, and we welcome you to our family. They were mainly the bodies of girls or young women. In 1971, these two reportedly outdoorsy gals disappeared while hitchhiking, only to have their bodies discovered in the killing fields. Last seen accepting a ride near an island ice cream shop with Debbie Ackerman. Nevertheless, he remained a prime suspect in their murders until his death in April 2019. To say that he became a sort of guardian angel for locals would be an understatement. There have been 30 . He was sentenced to life in prison. Its important for the public to know that we have not given up. Thats something that Goetschius does in real life. The disturbing unsolved crimes are the focus of the new Netflix limited series "Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields. The last time she had been seen or heard from was in December 1985, according to the FBI. Like many of the victims in the Texas Killing Fields, Baker was last seen alive when she was walking to a store to call a friend. Here are the names of the other victims that have since been identified, as reported by CBS News: Abby is an editorial assistant at Seventeen, covering pop culture, beauty, life, and health. Unfortunately, the movie often seems to stray from such discipline. More than 30 young women and girls either disappeared or had been found murdered in that corridor, and the mysteries surrounding the cases have never been far from the minds of the Texas authorities that investigated the crimes, including Brian Goetschius and Michael Land, from Texas City. After this, Self regularly applied for an appeal, but was rejected every time. July 7, 2012 - CBS News The real-life mystery of Texas' killing fields Though Texas Killing Fields is a particular spot, the entire I-45 corridor saw multiple murders take place throughout the 50-mile stretch. In The Texas Killing Fields, the first victim discussed was Heidi Faye, a woman who disappeared from League City in 1983 and was found dead the following year.However, the first crime considered part of the Texas Killing Fields murders actually occurred much earlier. Despite his partner's warnings, he sets out to investigate the crimes. Police arealsostill working on trying to identify Janet Doe and are asking for help. Maybe a family can then know what happened to their daughter. Since the 1970s, 30 bodies have been found in and around the area, leading to the. There was also William Reece, who this year admitted he was responsible for the 1997 murders of Jessica Cain and Laura Smither. By Benjamin Hedda. Since the 1980s, an usually high number of young women have mysteriously disappeared in the small cities between Houston and Galveston, many of whom have turned up dead. Before they were known as the Texas Killing Fields, the 25 acres in League City, Texas were regarded as nothing more than an abandoned oil field where people dumped their trash. He was taken to the district prison, later aiding with locating the bodies. Per the FBI, Donna Gonsoulin Prudhomme was discovered in September of 1991, but at the time, she remained an unidentified "Janet Doe" until January 2019. Texas Killing Fields on Pluto TV | Thrillers | 1hr 45 min | In the Texas bayous, a local homicide detective . Its being worked actively at the FBI and actively at the League City Police Department.. No one ever saw her again. "I think he's trying to clear his conscience, because he knows he's not going to get out," Carrol said. According to a 1997 Houston Chronicle report, the medical examiner noted that Fye had broken ribs and might have been beaten to death. Since the early 1970s, 33 bodies of murder victims have been found along the I-45 area. Two years later, on Feb 3, 1986, children riding dirt bikes in Calder Field smelled an odor and located the body of an unidentified female, who was given the name Jane Doe. Stallings, 50, is serving more than two life sentences for unrelated crimes, including aggravated kidnapping for a 1998 escape attempt while in prison. Killeen Map Killeen is a city in Bell County, Texas, The United States. After his arrest, Zwarst told the police that he had hidden the body in one of the fields, where the other bodies were found. Texas Killing Fields (location) - Unionpedia, the concept map The FBI reported that she left her husband and took her children when he became abusive. Her body was found in a ditch two days later. Left her home in June 1982, possibly through her window. Between 1971 and 2006, 30 bodies have been found . According to reports, some time later, two boys on dirt bikes found another body. MISSING: 79-year-old man with dementia last seen in NW Harris County, Texas GOP officially censures Rep. Tony Gonzales, Houston forecast: Get ready for a picture perfect weekend, Damage reported throughout North Texas area during severe weather, Man confesses to a Texas Killing Field murder. Her skull was found in Clear Lake, and the rest of her remains were recovered in a marsh nearby, alongside those of Rhonda Johnson. Over the last three decades, more than 30 women have been. 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. Email them at iteam@khou.com. The monkier is chilling enough, but once you delve into the Texas Killing Fields' murderous history, it's easy to fall down a true-crime rabbit hole. The impending takeover of HISD by the TEA dates back to 2019, when Wheatley High School triggered a state law by failing to meet accountability standards for seven consecutive years. More than 30 young women and girls either disappeared or had been found murdered in that corridor, and the mysteries surrounding the cases have never been far from the minds of the Texas authorities that investigated the crimes, including Brian Goetschius and Michael Land, from Texas City. Both men have since died in prison, King in October 2015 and Zwarst in November 2020. Does that sound like somewhere you know? Though the swampland crime scenes are outside their jurisdiction, Detective Heigh is unable to turn his back on solving the gruesome murders. Over 30 victims mostly women or girls were found along the 1-45 corridor south of Houston between 1971 and 2016. As Schneier points out, one major element of a perfect killing field is a hot, damp climate, something that Texas has in spades. This remains the only solved case out of the possible 30 or more. (L to R) Atmosphere in Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields, Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. over 30 women were found dead along an area of Interstate 45. according to a 1999 Texas Monthly article. Heidi Fye and Laura Miller were the other two victims previously identified. Based on true events. Texas Hill Country. Several killings occur along Houston's I-45 corridor between Houston and Galveston, in and around an area known as "the Killing Fields".