If you’re a fan of true crime, you’ve probably seen the 2022 Netflix docuseries entitled Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields. This limited series crime documentary details the grisly murders (many of which remain unsolved murders) that took place over a three-decade period near Interstate 45 in the town of League City. Horrifying, yet undeniably gripping, the story has been featured on numerous TV shows and podcasts – and once you learn the details, it’s easy to understand why.
Please note: The photos in the gallery below are for illustrative purposes only; they do not depict the actual location of the Texas Killing Fields.
Interstate 45 is often ranked among the most dangerous highways in Texas because it has a fairly high amount of fatal accidents.
Wikimedia Commons/Dhanix at English Wikipedia - Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons The real reason the road is so deadly, however, has nothing to do with poor drivers and everything to do with one of the most horrifying unsolved true crime cases in U.S. history: the story of the Texas Killing Fields.
What has been dubbed the “Texas Killing Fields” is a 25-acre patch of land approximately one mile from I-45 in League City, a mid-size city located in Galveston County between Houston and Galveston.
Wikimedia Commons/formulanone Between the early 1970s and as recently as 2016, the bodies of 33 murder victims have been discovered in the area.
Today, I-45 is a very busy thoroughfare - but in the 1970s, that was not the case…at least along the stretch that passes through League City, particularly in the Calder Road area.
Facebook/City of League City Government Empty fields lined the road on either side and extended far as the eye could see. It was, by all accounts, the “perfect” place to commit murder and get away with it.
Most of the victims of these gruesome field murders were young women and girls between the ages of 12-25, including Rhonda Johnson and Sharon Shaw, who are pictured below.
Wikimedia Commons/Unknown; publicly-dispersed photos - Houston Chronicle The murders are believed to have been the work of several people rather than a single serial killer. Suspects include(d) Michael Lloyd Self, Edward Harold Bell, Mark Stallings, Clyde Hedrick, and Robert Abel.
The League City Police Department and FBI have worked diligently to solve the murders.
Wikimedia Commons/Jim Evans Despite their best efforts, however, very few have been solved and remain in cold case status.
Law enforcement has made several convictions in association with the Texas Killing Fields murders.
Facebook/City of League City Government Kevin Edison Smith was convicted for the murders of Krystal Jean Baker, William Lewis Reece was found guilty of killing Sandra Sapaugh, Jessica Cain, Kelli Cox, and Laura Smither, and Clyde Hedrick served eight years for the death of Ellen Beason. John Robert King and Gerald Peter Zwarst were sentenced to life in prison for the aggravated kidnapping of Shelley Sikes. Michael Lloyd Self was convicted for murdering Sharon Shaw; however, it is now believed he was innocent.
Some good has come from all the tragedy - Tim Miller founded Texas EquuSearch in 2000 in honor of his daughter, Laura Miller, who was abducted in 1984. Her remains, along with those of three other young girls, were discovered two years later.
Flickr/Nicholas Erwin Texas EquuSearch has provided assistance to law enforcement in missing persons cases all over the U.S.
Have you heard the true story of the Texas Killing Fields? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.
Wikimedia Commons/Dhanix at English Wikipedia - Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons
The real reason the road is so deadly, however, has nothing to do with poor drivers and everything to do with one of the most horrifying unsolved true crime cases in U.S. history: the story of the Texas Killing Fields.
Wikimedia Commons/formulanone
Between the early 1970s and as recently as 2016, the bodies of 33 murder victims have been discovered in the area.
Facebook/City of League City Government
Empty fields lined the road on either side and extended far as the eye could see. It was, by all accounts, the “perfect” place to commit murder and get away with it.
Wikimedia Commons/Unknown; publicly-dispersed photos - Houston Chronicle
The murders are believed to have been the work of several people rather than a single serial killer. Suspects include(d) Michael Lloyd Self, Edward Harold Bell, Mark Stallings, Clyde Hedrick, and Robert Abel.
Wikimedia Commons/Jim Evans
Despite their best efforts, however, very few have been solved and remain in cold case status.
Kevin Edison Smith was convicted for the murders of Krystal Jean Baker, William Lewis Reece was found guilty of killing Sandra Sapaugh, Jessica Cain, Kelli Cox, and Laura Smither, and Clyde Hedrick served eight years for the death of Ellen Beason. John Robert King and Gerald Peter Zwarst were sentenced to life in prison for the aggravated kidnapping of Shelley Sikes. Michael Lloyd Self was convicted for murdering Sharon Shaw; however, it is now believed he was innocent.
Flickr/Nicholas Erwin
Texas EquuSearch has provided assistance to law enforcement in missing persons cases all over the U.S.
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Address: League City, TX, USA
