Beth Marie Bramlett, a 17-year-old girl from Axtell, Texas, tragically lost her life on August 8, 1982. She was walking home from an end-of-summer party at Trading House Lake in Waco when she was picked up by Talmadge Wayne Wood's daughter, Teresa, whose car ran out of gas. Bramlett told Teresa she would find another ride and continued her walk home.
As she walked, she flagged down Wood for a ride, who had a history of stalking her and making unwanted advances.
Bramlett's body was found three miles outside of Axtell, near some railroad tracks, by a fisherman the next day. She had been shot three times and beaten. Wood returned home around 4:30 a.m. that night, covered in blood. Investigators later learned that Wood had asked his daughter to dispose of two guns, sold his car two weeks after the murder, and had someone close to him get rid of his bloodied clothes.
The case went unsolved for 35 years until the McLennan County Sheriff's Office's cold case unit identified Wood as the killer. Wood had died in 2014 at the age of 74. The investigation revealed that Wood had a history of domestic abuse and had previously attempted to murder another woman and her son. Despite his death, the case was officially closed, bringing some closure to Bramlett's family and the community of Axtell.
The tragic death of Beth Marie Bramlett remains a haunting memory for the residents of Axtell, who had never experienced such a crime before. The community continues to remember her and the impact her loss had on their small town.
