On a warm Saturday in June of 1983, 15-year-old Jeff Lopez and his 16-year-old friend, Erik Fuller, set out for a camping trip. The two boys, both from the small town of Kingsford Heights, Indiana, chose a spot in the nearby Kingsbury Fish and Wildlife Park, a sprawling expanse of marshland and woods in LaPorte County. It was a place for adventure, a perfect weekend escape for two teenage friends.
They set up their camp, looking forward to the simple joys of being outdoors, unaware that their lives were about to intersect with a predator.
That afternoon, a man on a motorcycle pulled up to their campsite. He introduced himself as Frank Davis and quickly struck up a friendly conversation. He was charismatic, sharing marijuana with the boys and even letting them take turns riding his motorcycle. At one point, one of the teens got the bike stuck in the mud, but Davis was not angered, simply smiling and helping them pull it free. To Jeff and Erik, he likely seemed like a cool, friendly stranger. As evening approached, Davis said his goodbyes and rode off, leaving the boys to their campfire.
But Davis didn't go far. Instead, he concealed himself in the woods, watching the campsite and waiting. Hours later, under the cover of darkness, he returned. Around 3 a.m., Davis crept into the boys' tent and woke Jeff, threatening him with a knife to keep him quiet. He led Jeff away from the campsite and into the woods. There, he bound the boy with wire and brutally assaulted him. To eliminate his witness, Davis then used an axe from the boys' own campsite—an axe that belonged to Jeff’s father—to end the young man's life.
Leaving Jeff's body in the woods, Davis returned to the campsite with a fabricated story. He woke Erik, telling him that Jeff had been hurt while riding the motorcycle and needed help. Erik, concerned for his friend, quickly followed Davis, only to be led into a terrifying ambush. Davis subjected Erik to a similar assault before beating him over the head with a rock and leaving him for dead. The boys' parents reported them missing on Sunday evening when they failed to return home.
The search began, and a grim discovery was made just two days before the attack on Jeff and Erik. The body of another teenager, 14-year-old Darrin Reed, was found about two miles from the campsite. He had been sexually assaulted and strangled. On Monday, the search for the missing campers yielded a breakthrough when utility workers found Erik Fuller, severely injured but alive, crawling from some bushes. He was rushed to the hospital and was able to provide authorities with the name and a description of his attacker: Frank Davis. The following day, Tuesday, June 21, searchers found Jeff Lopez’s body.
The information from Erik led to the swift arrest of Frank R. Davis. In custody, Davis not only confessed to the murder of Jeff Lopez and the attempted murder of Erik Fuller, but also to the murder of Darrin Reed. He was a serial killer who had been preying on young boys. His reign of terror, which included at least three murders and two attempted murders, was finally over. Davis had a prior criminal record and had been paroled from prison not long before his deadly spree in 1983.
In January 1984, to avoid a trial, Frank R. Davis pleaded guilty to two counts of murder for the deaths of Jeff Lopez and Darrin Reed, and two counts of attempted murder for his surviving victims. He was initially sentenced to death for the murders and given two 50-year sentences for the attempted murders. Though he initially stated he would not appeal, his death sentences were eventually commuted in 1996. He was resentenced to a total of 220 years in prison. Frank R. Davis died behind bars on January 22, 2008, ensuring he could never harm another child.
