Ricky Lee Jones, an 18-year-old male from Pasadena, Texas, disappeared in the spring of 1990. He was a runaway teenager who had been picked up as a hitchhiker by Robert Ben Rhoades, a truck driver later known as the "Truck Stop Killer". Rhoades murdered Jones shortly after picking him up, and his body remained undiscovered until March 1991, when it was found in Lamar County, Mississippi.
Ricky Lee Jones was identified in July 2008.
Robert Ben Rhoades was arrested in April 1990 in Arizona, where he was found torturing a woman in the sleeper compartment of his truck. Evidence collected from his Houston apartment linked him to the murders of Ricky Lee Jones and Regina Kay Walters, a 14-year-old runaway who was also traveling with Jones. Rhoades was convicted of first-degree murder in 1994 and sentenced to life without parole.
The case of Ricky Lee Jones is a tragic example of the dangers faced by runaway teenagers and the heinous crimes committed by serial killers like Robert Ben Rhoades. The investigation into Jones' death highlighted the importance of forensic science and the perseverance of law enforcement in solving cold cases.
