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. These were mainly the bodies of girls or young women. Though the swampland crime scenes are outside their jurisdiction, Detective Heigh is unable to turn his back on solving the gruesome murders. The next day, her bike was found in the foyer of the church. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. Opening theatrically Oct. 7, "Texas" looks likely to go to the ancillary killing fields quickly. One of Netflix's latest true-crime docuseries,Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields, tells the story of the unsolved murders of four Texas women that occurred in the 1980s and 1990s in League City. Both men were asked to indicate the whereabouts of Sikes' body in exchange for avoiding life sentences, but their directions failed to uncover it. Seventeen days later, her body was found in a retention pond in, Last seen at the Bennigan's restaurant near, After mapping a route between League City and, After leaving her Algoa, Texas home during the evening hours of the day, she was last seen riding her bike near the Algoa Baptist Church. Heidi Fye and Laura Miller were the other two victims previously identified. Last seen walking near the Green Caye Subdivision on Halloween night. "Janet Doe" was 34 at the time and was identified as Donna Prudhomme. He said they went to a motel and did some drugs. [6], The soundtrack was scored by Dickon Hinchliffe (formerly of Tindersticks) except for three tracks credited to The Americans. [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. Since the early 1970s, 33 bodies of murder victims have been found along the I-45 area. The documentary focuses much of its attention on a suspect named Clyde Hendrick, a roofer who lived in League City at the time. I-Team: "You knew from the moment you picked her up? According to law enforcement officials, the qualifications are simple: a mix of hot, humid climate and hungry wildlife to ensure the quick destruction of evidence, and a location remote enough to prevent unwitting visitors from stumbling across a body, but not impossible for the perpetrator to reach in the dead of night. In 2010 Killeen's population shot to 127,921. The decomposed body was found months later in 1991. "The Texas Killing Fields is a 25-acre patch of land situated a mile from Interstate Highway 45. document.write(theYear) The FBI reported that she left her husband and took her children when he became abusive. Since the 1970s, a 50-mile desolate area has often been referred to as the Highway of Hell between Houston and Galveston. 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. Her remains were found in the 3000 block of Calder Road after a dog brought her skull to a nearby house. Though the show focuses on the murders of Heidi Villareal Fye, Laura Miller, Audrey Lee Cook, and Donna Prudhomme whose bodies were all found in a specific spot known as Calder Road, there have been over 30 bodies found in the area, and numerous disappearances over the years. Last seen at her job as a night clerk at the Casa Del Mar Condominiums at approximately 6 a.m. Some shared similar physical features, such as similar hairstyles. Since the early 1970s, 30 bodies of murder victims have been found within the Killing Fields area. Please logout and login again. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Since the early 1970s, mass numbers of bodies have been discovered in the region, resulting in the area being grimly nicknamed by locals as "The Killing Fields.". Since the early 1970s, 30 bodies of murder victims have been found within the Killing Fields area. As for the other three victims, Stallings denies every killing them and League City Police said they continue to build a case on another suspect in those murders. The filmmakers hired officers Goetschius and Land as consultants while making the movie. In 2009, Smith had been arrested on a drug charge in Louisiana. After a long search, they were able to find the rest of Fye's body in the field. The film focuses on the lead police detectives, Capt. Over 30 victims mostly women or girls were found along the 1-45 corridor south of Houston between 1971 and 2016. The population was 86,911 at the 2000 census. Behind prison walls, behind thick glass of a. ", "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", "The Texas killing fields and the highway of death", "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", "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", "The Killing Fields 48 Hours CBS News", "Man convicted in one of 'I-45 Killings' cases dies in prison", "Kidnapper convicted in Texas City teen's 1986 disappearance denied parole again", "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", "Detectives hope 'Killing Fields' film help solve 60 murders", "Victims' kin skeptical on film on Galveston Co. killings", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Texas_Killing_Fields&oldid=1142230120, Last seen on her way to visit her aunt. 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. In 1978, Bell, while masturbating on the street in front of a group of teenage girls, he was confronted by 26-year-old former Marine Larry Dickens, while his mother called the police. However, it is an abandoned oil field, the old League City Oil Field, which is the infamous killing field where the four women were killed and disposed off in the same manner. This remote tract of land became a dumping ground for killers. Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields is streaming on Netflix now, Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. In May 1997, he was arrested for the kidnapping and attempted murder of 19-year-old Sandra Sepo and received a 60-year sentence. Roadway Killers Are Still Active In United States Today. She said she'd walk herself the short way back home. It is a 25 acre abandoned lot. We also run the premiere real-estate site in the hill country at HillCountryRealestate.com. Grant was one of the original detectives on the Janet Doe case. A film adaptation of the deadly events that occurred along the I-45 highway was released on September 9, 2011, with the title Texas Killing Fields. Sort By. Members of the community have left a memorial site for each of the four victims, though, to acknowledge the horrors that happened there and honor the women whose lives were cut too short, according to the FBI. When no one cares . RELATED:Is A Serial Killer Responsible For The Colonial Parkway Murders Or Are The Vicious Roadside Slayings Unconnected? Her body was found bound and partially nude in Turner's Bayou along with her friend, Maria. [5][6][7] Filming began on May 3, 2010,[5] in Louisiana, United States. Maybe a family can then know what happened to their daughter. The DNA matched Smith, who had been arrested for a minor drug offense in 2010. Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Texas Killing Fields (2011) - Financial Information", "Venezia 68: International competition of feature films", "Sam Worthington Confirmed as Lead of The Fields, Formerly Called The Texas Killing Fields | /Film", "Danny Boyle Probably Not Entering The 'Texas Killing Fields' Or 'Ponte Tower', "Box office / business for Texas Killing Fields (2011)", "Texas Killing Fields (2011): Filming Locations", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Texas_Killing_Fields_(film)&oldid=1138529267, Wikipedia articles with plot summary needing attention from January 2016, All Wikipedia articles with plot summary needing attention, Rotten Tomatoes template using name parameter, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 10 February 2023, at 04:56. He remained a prime suspect until his death in April 2019. He had been arrested at least 12 times on charges of showing his genitals to children, but each time avoided imprisonment. Does that sound like somewhere you know? Her body was found two days later, near Lynette's off the side of a dirt road near Cleveland, Texas. [10], Roger Ebert of The Chicago Sun Times gave the film two out of four stars and said, "Texas Killing Fields begins along the lines of a police procedural and might have been perfectly absorbing if it had played by the rules: strict logic, attention to detail, reference to technical police work. Then in 2011 the population shot up to 140,021. Hendrick was convicted of abusing the corpse of a woman named Ellen Beason, who went missing in July 1984 after visiting the same bar in League City where Fye worked. 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. The first victim was a 23-year-old League City bartender named Heidi Fye. Fye's father spent the rest of his life searching for answers, ultimately dying before he could ever get one. Coroners estimate that that female victim was 24 to 34 years old, 5 feet to 5-foot-3 and weighed 100 to 130 pounds. As more and more remains were discovered on Calder Road, locals began referring. Who Died in the Boat Accident on Murdaugh Murders? The film is loosely based on the murders while depicting a fictional portrayal of the struggle that local police faced while attempting to solve the murders. A 50-mile stretch of road that has been nicknamed the Highway of Hell due to the high frequency of traffic accidents, it is also a desolate, remote area, and one that has become a legendary dumping ground for bodiesin part because of the pop-culture rendering of the so-called Texas killing fields in the 2011 movie starring Jessica Chastain. 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 . It makes a body deteriorate so much faster.. Brian Goetschius and Mike Land, who dedicated their careers to solving the mysteries of I-45. She is believed to have hitchhiked, but it is unclear how she ended up in Texas. There have been several other arrests in relation to the Texas Killing Fields. now = new Date The series was released on November 29 but the grisly story of the 'Texas Killing Fields' has been told in books, a 2011 film, and numerous Houston Chronicle reports on the series of murders dating back to the time they began. tv In 1997, 12yo Laura went missing. Jim Carroll is an ex-con who exchanged letters with Stallings for more than two years. "Texas has convicted people for less than this," Carroll said. One of Netflix's latest true-crime docuseries, Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields, tells the story of the unsolved murders of four Texas women that occurred in the 1980s and 1990s in. 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. We have sent you an . In 2019, the League City Police Department was finally able to identify the two women found dead in Calder Field. Nowhis story is changing again. Last seen with Brooks Bracewell at the U-Totem convenience store off of FM 517 and I-45. 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. Several killings occur along Houston's I-45 corridor between Houston and Galveston, in and around an area known as "the Killing Fields". [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. In 2015, his DNA was matched to the killer of 19-year-old Tiffany Johnston, who was found murdered in Oklahoma in 1997. Although it took years for justice to be served, in April of 2012, Kevin Edison Smith was convicted of her murder. After leaving her grandmother's house during a fight they were having, Krystal was last seen using a phone at a local convenience store to ask her friend if she could stay with her. On the same day, the body of Laura Miller was discovered in Calder Field. Following their arrests, Zwarst told police where he had hidden Sikes's body, but unfortunately Sikes' body has never been found. 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. Bell confessed to murdering eleven young women in and around Galveston in the 1970s, and there was an A&E miniseries made about it. We are your resource for Hill Country travel, things to do, places to eat, 26 memorials. 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. There have been 30 . 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. 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. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! A year after Villareal-Fye's disappearance, 16-year-old Clear Creek High School student Laura Miller went missing. Reader discretion is advised. Three days later, her body was found strangled, raped, and with her hair cut off in a field across from Dickinson High School. 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. 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. The other lead role is played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan, which was inspired by Brian Goetschius. They include Jessica Cain, of Tiki Island, and Laura Smither of Friendswood, who were both murdered in 1997. "Some of the things he told you does not corroborate some of the things he told me all those years ago," Grant said. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. "I'd walk out there right now and point straight at where she was," Stallings said. Last seen leaving her job as a waitress at Gaido's beach-front restaurant in Galveston. over 30 women were found dead along an area of Interstate 45. according to a 1999 Texas Monthly article. 2. Her remains were found 60ft away from where police had found Heide Villarreal-Fye the year before. It was chilling detail such as this, together with the haunting faces of the victims, which inspired him to pen the screenplay for the movie Texas Killing Fields, compelling Sam Worthington to take the lead role. Michael Land served as a study for Sam Worthingtons film character. 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'. During the interview, Stallings pointed out the location of Janet Doe's bodyon a map he had drawn for Carroll. Texas Killing Fields (location) - Unionpedia, the concept map After using technology to reconstruct her face, showing it on the news, and having the FBI collect DNA per ABC 13 the remains were determined to be Cook. Previously, he was a reporter for Houston Community Newspapers covering the Bellaire and Memorial areas. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for TEXAS KILLING FIELDS (Blu-ray, 2011) NEW at the best online prices at eBay! The fact that any of this occurred is unsettling, to say the least. What makes an area the perfect place to dispose of a body? The main focus of the killing fields investigation centered on an area known as the Calder Road oil field in League City, Texas. But according to the documentary, investigators learned Reece was in prison in Oklahoma during the span of the Calder Field murders. Since the 1970s, 30 bodies have been found in and around the area, leading to the. After this, Self regularly applied for an appeal, but was rejected every time. Her body was found hours after her death and was identified in 2014 after a Websleuths user suggested the match. ", In that rural field off Calder Road, four people were found dead from 1983 to 1991. 10. engagedbbw 18 days ago. She had an aptitude for music, but then she started having seizures, which impacted life as she knew it. This Sat night 5/9, Part 1 of 2 episodes covering the Texas Killing Fields/I45 Murders. What to know about the Texas Killing Fields and Netflix's new docu-series on the League City murders, Timeline: How battle between Houston ISD, TEA has reached the point of a looming takeover. [52] A jury deliberated for about 30 minutes and found Smith guilty. Last seen walking with Rhonda Johnson along Seawall Boulevard in Galveston. Texas EquuSearch founder Tim Miller announces documentary Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields on Netflix. Years later, in 1991, a fourth body was found in the field and became known as Janet Doe, according to the FBI. In Texas City, Texas, detective Mike Souder (Sam Worthington) and his partner, Brian Heigh . 1-Texas Killing Fields. (League City Police) "We're definitely talking about multiple killers. Its being worked actively at the FBI and actively at the League City Police Department.. At the time of death, Cook was 30 years old and working as a mechanic living in Houston, Channelview, and Heights, Texas. (written by) (as Donald F. Ferrarone) Cast (in credits order) complete, awaiting verification Produced by Music by Dickon Hinchliffe Cinematography by Stuart Dryburgh . The Texas Killing Fields is term that's been used to describe 33 murders that have taken place along the I-45 corrdior since the 1970s, many of them still unsolved. They were mainly the bodies of girls or young women. Dozens of other bodies of women and young girls were found in the area, although not at the same site, from the late 1970s to the late 1990s. [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. Netflix released the third installment of the popular docuseries Crime Scene on November 29, and like the first season, The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel, these crimes have never been solved. She had been shot in the back, according to the Chronicle. [47][48], Clyde Hedrick was named as a suspect in the 2022 documentary series Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields. Texas Killing Fields on Pluto TV | Thrillers | 1hr 45 min | In the Texas bayous, a local homicide detective . The same day Miller was found, police discovered a third unidentified body that they named Jane Doe. Cemetery Visibility: Public. It's not that simple, according to investigators at the League City Police Department. In the movie, Morgans character prays over the bodies. He was taken to the district prison, later aiding with locating the bodies. [3] Boyle said that the film was "so dark it would never get made". The parents should know what's going on." 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. Several weeks later, a body was discovered by a father and son out for a walk: When law enforcement insisted that it was just an animal carcass, it was left to the father to point out that, Animals dont wear socks.. Despite the fact that his testimony shows great consistency with details, he hasn't been charged with any murders yet, but remains a suspect in the murders of Donna Prudhomme and Audrey Cook, as well as two unrelated murders in Fort Bend County. 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. Texas Hill Country. Her body was found in 1991. Your login session has expired. Morris was sentenced to 55 years, while Deal to 30. Between the early 1970s and mid-2000s decades many girls have been found murdered there. (L to R) Atmosphere in Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields, Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. Our The Texas Killing Fields is an area bordering the Calder Oil Field, which is a 25-acre patch of land situated a mile from Interstate Highway 45.. Riverdale Has Dropped Its Final Season Trailer. We are born and bred in The Since 1971, dozens of murder victims have been found in a 25-acre area near Interstate 45, between Galveston and Houston. Furthermore, many young girls have disappeared from this area; the girls' bodies, if deceased . She had lived most of her life in Port Arthur, Texas, and was married with two sons. [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. Released in 2011, Texas Killing Fields went on to critical acclaim, but the mystery of what actually took place in those fields remains etched into the minds and memories of investigators. The Texas Killing Fields is easily one of the most discussed topics of the last decade due to the massive mystery around the area. Over the next three decades, over 30 women turned up dead along the corridor. 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. "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 marsh land is 25 acres and was once an oil field. 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. He even founded Texas EquuSearch, a search and rescue organization to help find missing people, according to local outlet Click2Houston. As for the other women found dead along Interstate 45, only one case has ever been solved. They were convicted of aggravated kidnap and were sentenced to life imprisonment in 1998. Stallings had picked up the young woman on Telephone Road near Interstate 610. Who Were "The Texas Killing Fields" Victims? But it wasn't the first time Stallings admitted to killing Janet Doe. The disturbing unsolved crimes are the focus of the new Netflix limited series "Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields. [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. 21 Breathtaking Images Of The Golden Gate Bridge, Five Fascinating People Who Inspired Your Favorite Fictional Characters, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. Then, on Sept. 10, 1984, she asked her mother to drive her to a payphone to call her boyfriend. day! Laura's father, Tim Miller, is still set on finding justice for his daughter as well. Her body was ultimately discovered under an interstate bridge. Joe Berlinger's next installment in the Crime Scene docuseries examines the eerie connections between the still-unsolved murders of three young women. [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. Since the 1970s, over 30 young women and girls have disappeared or been found murdered in the 50-mile desolate area between Houston and Galveston - a stretch of land that some call a highway of. In 1971, these two reportedly outdoorsy gals disappeared while hitchhiking, only to have their bodies discovered in the killing fields. The four Calder. They were mainly the bodies of girls or young women. While in real life there have been several itinerant serial killers involved over the years, the film focuses on specific local Texas City suspects. [2] ALSO STREAMING: Netflix true crime documentaries also focus on Vanessa Guilln case. "It's. She had a pretty tough life, but she loved her children so much, and, you know, we all just do the best we can with what we have, sister Dianne Gonsoulin-Hastings told the FBI. [citation needed], The fields have been described as "a perfect place [for] killing somebody and getting away with it".