I-45 Killer

Serial Killer

The Infamous I-45 Killer and the Texas Killing Fields

Overview

The term "I-45 Killer" refers to the unsolved murders of over 30 young women and girls along the Interstate 45 corridor between Houston and Galveston, Texas, since the early 1970s. This area, particularly a 25-acre patch in League City, has been notoriously dubbed the "Texas Killing Fields" due to the high number of bodies discovered there.

Notable Victims

• Colette Anise Wilson, 13 – Disappeared on June 17, 1971, from Alvin, Texas. Her body was found on November 26, 1971, near the Addicks Reservoir.
• Brenda Kaye Jones, 14 – Last seen on July 1, 1971, in Galveston, Texas. Her body was found on July 2, 1971, in Galveston Bay.
• Rhonda Renee Johnson, 14, and Sharon Lynn Shaw, 13 – Disappeared on August 4, 1971, in Galveston. Their bodies were discovered in Clear Lake on January 3, 1972.
• Gloria Ann Gonzales, 19 – Last seen on October 28, 1971, in Houston. Her remains were found near Addicks Reservoir on November 23, 1971.
• Allison Anne Craven, 12 – Reported missing on November 9, 1971, in Houston. Partial remains were found three months later in a nearby field.
• Debbie Catherine Ackerman and Maria Talbot Johnson, both 15 – Last seen on November 15, 1971, hitchhiking to Houston. Their bodies were found in Turner's Bayou on November 17, 1971.
• Kimberly Raye Pitchford, 16 – Last seen on January 3, 1973, at Dobie High School in Houston. Her body was found in a ditch in Angleton, Texas, on January 5, 1973.
• Brooks Bracewell, 12, and Georgia Caroline Geer, 14 – Last seen on September 6, 1974, at a convenience store off I-45. Their remains were found in a culvert in Alvin, Texas, in 1976.
• Heidi Villarreal-Fye, 23 – Last seen in League City in October 1983. Her remains were found in April 1984 in the "Killing Fields" area.
• Laura Miller, 16 – Disappeared on September 10, 1984, from League City. Her body was discovered in February 1986 near where Fye's remains were found.
• Audrey Lee Cook, 30 – Last heard from in late December 1985. Her remains were found in the "Killing Fields" area in February 1986. Identified in 2019 using genetic genealogy.
• Donna Prudhomme, 34 – Last seen in July 1991 in Nassau Bay, Texas. Her body was found in September 1991 in the "Killing Fields" area. Identified in 2019 using genetic genealogy.
• Krystal Jean Baker, 13 – Last seen on March 5, 1996, in Texas City. Her body was found two hours later; she had been raped and strangled.
• Jessica Lee Cain, 17 – Disappeared on August 17, 1997, after dining with friends in Clear Lake, Texas. Her remains were found in 2016 after William Lewis Reece confessed and led investigators to her body.
• Kelli Ann Cox, 20 – Last seen on July 15, 1997, in Denton, Texas. Her remains were discovered in 2016 after Reece's confession.
• Laura Smither, 12 – Went missing on April 3, 1997, in Friendswood, Texas. Her body was found 17 days later in a retention pond in Pasadena, Texas.

Investigations and Suspects

Despite extensive investigations, many of these cases remain unsolved. The vast and desolate nature of the area, combined with jurisdictional challenges among local law enforcement agencies, has made it difficult to apprehend the perpetrators. Over the years, several individuals have been considered suspects:

• Edward Harold Bell – A convicted murderer and sex offender who confessed to killing multiple girls in the 1970s. However, his confessions have been met with skepticism due to lack of evidence.
• Clyde Edwin Hedrick – Convicted in 2014 for the 1984 manslaughter of Ellen Beason. He has been a suspect in other "Killing Fields" cases but has not been charged.
• William Lewis Reece – Convicted in 1998 for kidnapping and attempted murder. In 2015, his DNA linked him to a 1997 murder in Oklahoma, leading to his confession to multiple murders in Texas, including those of Jessica Cain and Kelli Cox. He was sentenced to death in 2021 ...Read More

Confirmed Victims: (28)

Brenda Jones Age: (14), Date of Death: July 1, 1971

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Texas Killing Fields - Wikipedia

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