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. During interrogations he confessed to their murders. Yes, there have been multiple arrests in the numerous murders that have been associated with the Texas Killing Fields. Yet, while Reece turned out to indeed be a serial killer, he allegedly wasnt the serial killer responsible for the Texas Killing Fields. But who were the suspects? Here are 7 of the most disturbing, bewildering unsolved mysteries in Texas: 1) The murder of Amber Hagerman Dee Ashley/Flickr Perhaps one of the most well-known, frustrating cases ever in Texas, the murder of Amber Hagerman gained worldwide attention and even prompted officials to create Amber alerts for missing persons. Hedrick lived in the area during the time of the murders and was known by many people to have a charming personality. He was given a life sentence for each of the three offences. The Killing Fields. However, there is not enough evidence currently to confirm this theory. Additionally, the FBI revealed back in 2019 that there are no known witnesses for the four murders at Calder Road Field. She had been beaten, raped and strangled. 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. An overgrown field and a stretch of highway connect a series of grisly murders spanning several decades as grieving families search for answers. Also, he was sentenced to 60 years for putting Sandras life in danger. The site is the subject of numerous true crime documentaries, articles, and podcast episodes, as well as the2011 thriller"Texas Killing Fields," starring Sam Worthington and Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Gerald Peter Zwarst and John Robert King: According to TVAcute, King admitted to killing Shelley Sikes, then 19 years old, when she was in her car in 1987. Hedrick evidently stayed on his best behavior while locked up, and was released in October 2021 at the age of 68. Read More: Robert Abel: Was He the Texas Fields Killer? How Is He Related To Pope? However, there was insufficient proof to bring charges against either party. The most recent true-crime documentary on. Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields only dropped on Netflix earlier this week and yet it's already jumped straight into the top 10. He would dance in competitions and often win, too; he would go to bars and work in the construction industry. Or so she thought. Kevin Edison Smith: 16 years after Krystal Jean Bakers murder, Smith was apprehended in 2012. But, theTrue Crime Edition reports, by the end of 1971, several young women had been killed in the area. She was the first girl to be murdered and found dead in the Texas Killing Fields. The police finally admitted that Colette was likely abducted, but seemed to bungle the search, throwing away potential evidence and squandering vital time. "A 19-year-old girl in Texas has been sentenced . He died on December 21, 2000, and 16 years later, a number of police officials admitted their belief that Self had been wrongly convicted, according to Fox News. Sandra Sapaugh was experiencing car trouble when someone pulled up beside her to help. texas killing fields crime scene photos. Police were unable to determine the cause of death due to the decomposition of her body. William Lewis Reece is the only suspect to be convicted of more than one murder linked to the Texas Killing Fields In May 1997, he was arrested for the kidnapping and attempted murder of. He ended up driving his golf cart onto railroad tracks, where he was hit by the train and subsequently killed. 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. Crime Scene: The Vanishing at Cecil Hotel. He received a life in a prison sentence. A retired NASA engineer named Robert Abel was suspected of being one such killer, but few seem to agree on whether Abel was responsible for any of the Texas Killing Field murders. According to the three-part original series, he was actually a good-looking man back in the day and could dance really well, which is just one of the reasons he considered himself a ladies man.. The manner of death was also notably identical to all the women found in the Killing Field. A recent Netflix docuseries reveals an interview with Abel taken in 1999 that gives evident insights into the crime. In fact, they were led there directly by one of his potential victims. So who is ultimately responsible for the 33 bodies discovered in the Texas Killing Fields? Colette went missing on June 17th . Women are still blamed for offenses committed against them; it is always why was she out at night? instead of why are women not safe at night? People are too busy victim blaming instead of working on the root cause of crimes. Paramedics treated seven people for smoke inhalationfour of whom were taken to hospitalafter a major house fire in Riverside South Tuesday night . Along with these two suspects, there was another suspect named William Reece, who was a sex offender in Oklahoma. Federal Treasury . In fear of getting convicted falsely, he dumped her body; however, years later, it was found out that Ellens skull was fractured. Later that year, Debbie Ackerman and Maria Johnson, who spent time in the same places as Shaw and Johnson, also disappeared. Although the detectives were not able to tie Hedrick to all of those murders, they were able to charge him with Ellen Raes murder and he was convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison. . The three-episode limited series gives us an insight into the lives of the suspects in the infamous Texas killings. In the series, we see how women disappear out of nowhere and are found dead months later. The area got its name after the bodies of four young women were found . According to Newsweek, he was convicted for the murder of 13-year-old Krystal Jean Baker . Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields Victims: Were There Any Survivors Of Calder Road Killings? TheGuardianreports thatthe Millers searched for Laura themselves, even checking local hospitals. 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. The most recent suspect, who is covered in the documentary is Clyde Edwin Hedrick. Netflix is now streaming a three-part docuseries on the murders, titled Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields. The release date After my story was published, Abel moved to some family property in another part of the state, trying to get a new start. From his prison cell, he claimed that he killed 11 girls linked to the Texas Killing Fields. He then stated he didnt want to get in trouble, so he dumped her body elsewhere and fled the scene. Wendy Davis Returns to the Texas Capitol and a Whole New Political Landscape. At the time of Hedricks release, Miller said, None of us are quitting. In the Netflix series the Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields the women who are focused on are Heide Villareal Fye, Laura Miller, Audrey Lee Cook, and Donna Prudhomme. Not long after, Colette's skeletal remains were uncovered nearby. 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. Beasons girlfriends who were with her that night reported that they had stopped at the Texas Moon Club, where Beason immediately hit it off with a young man. Today, the . When 29-year-old Ellen Rae Beasons body showed up abandoned in 1984, police soon were led to the last person to see her alive, Clyde Hedrick. Additionally, he claimed that Zwarst assisted him in raping and killing her. Related: Texas Killing Fields True Story: What The Documentary Leaves Out. Dimmock went onto clarify she believes these killers operated in different decades, "Each decade has its own [serial killer] - you know, its not like three different [killers] operating over 30 years. Since the early 1970s, the remains of 30 people have been recovered from the Texas Killing Fields, mainly women and girls, according to Bustle. A forensic artist also created a portrait based on her remains, and her DNA was added to databases. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Tarushi is an English Literature graduate, who is currently doing master's in mass communication from Mumbai. Per the Houston Press, her remains were discovered by a local man on a remote road in 1990. It was linked to Robert E. Lee High School in nearby Houston, with the year 1975 inscribed on the ring. There have been several other arrests in relation to the Texas Killing Fields. Updated: 12:03 PM CST February 16, 2016. This is multiple serial killers," true crime author Kathryn . Bring on the Shiplap? In2005, he stopped his golf cart on the railroad tracks and waited for a train to slam into him. Colette Wilson (Born November 4th, 1957) was a young girl who lived in Texas. King and Zwarst were questioned about their involvement in other killings in the 1980s, but both denied having any involvement. Spiky TV's senior news writer is Stephan Gibbs. He maintained his innocence in a letter from prison. The first key suspect was a convict who, in 2001, falsely confessed to the murders at the Calder Road oil field while in custody. Another person. Additionally, Clyde Hedrick had also confessed in jail to murdering at least five other women, but these claims could not be substantiated. After his release, Hedrick moved into a local halfway house, where he still currently resides (via KPRC2). According to law enforcement officials, the killings began in the early seventies and lasted through the late nineties. Reece admitted to killing Kelli Cox, 20, and Jessica Cain, 17. The League City teen probably ran away, police initially told her father, Tim. Although Abel was eventually supposedly cleared of involvement with the murders, and Millers father apologized to him, the stigma of murderer never quite left Abel. Where is Clyde Hedrick Now? A new Netflix docuseries revisits the string of murders near League City. She called her mother from a pay phone at the convenience store and then was never heard from again. Over the years, various suspects have come and gone. Netflixs The Law According to Lidia Pot Was Lidia Pot a Real Person? It was no mystery that Clyde Hedrick was not a good guy, but was he a serial murderer? If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can call the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or visit hotline.rainn.org. 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 . EN RU CN DE ES. 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