In March of 1995, the life of 36-year-old Alice Rebecca Hanes, a Caucasian female, was tragically cut short. Her body was discovered near Interstate 81 in Kingsport, Tennessee, the victim of a brutal crime that would later be untangled as the work of a serial killer. Hanes, who was originally from Ohio, had a history of prostitution and her last known location was a truck stop in Salina, Kansas, where she made a phone call before hitchhiking to Tennessee.
The investigation into her death led authorities to Sean Patrick Goble, a 29-year-old long-haul truck driver. It was at a gas station that Goble kidnapped Hanes. His arrest in April 1995, which took place in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, outside of his trucking company, was a significant breakthrough in the case. A search of his truck uncovered Hanes's pocketbook, along with other incriminating items. During interrogation, Goble confessed to murdering Hanes, admitting that he had smothered her to death before discarding her body along the interstate.
Goble's confession revealed a horrifying pattern of violence, as he admitted to killing other women across several states. He targeted vulnerable women, often picking them up at gas stations and service areas along his trucking routes. For the murders of Alice Hanes and another victim in Tennessee, Goble pleaded guilty and received two consecutive life sentences. He also faced charges for murders in other states, ultimately ensuring that he would spend the remainder of his life in prison.
