Ruth Ann Boyd Maynard, a 24-year-old Caucasian woman, was last seen on January 9, 1971, at the Shadow's Night Club in north Odessa, Texas. She was the eldest daughter of Norma Harris and Dr. Joe T. Boyd, who had moved to Odessa in the mid-1950s, where her father established a chiropractic practice. Ruth attended local schools, including Cameron Elementary, Bowie Junior High School, and Odessa High School, but she dropped out before her senior year in the summer of 1964.
She later married Jack W. Maynard, an Odessa police officer, who was serving in the Army at the time of her death. Ruth worked as a checker at Cook's Discount Center in Odessa.
Her remains were discovered on February 17, 1971, in a pasture in North Ector County, Texas. Investigators later identified Johnny Meadows as the perpetrator. Meadows was implicated in the deaths of five other women, though he was only tried for one murder. He was ultimately sentenced to life in prison. Ruth Ann Boyd Maynard was laid to rest in an unmarked grave at Rose Hill Cemetery in Odessa.
