There is a stretch of I-45 South between Houston and Galveston where police have found the bodies of more than 30 young women and children since the 1970s. The Texas Killing Fields in League City, Texas, is a plot of ground where the bodies of four unsolved murder victims of women were discovered. In July 2022, Tim Miller won a wrongful death lawsuit against Hedrick for $24 million in liability and damages that he filed in 2014. In 1999, Texas Monthly reported that a police detective in a sworn affidavit painted Abel as a "serial sexual offender," who displays the violent behavior seen in serial killers. Patricia Sharpe writes a regular restaurant column, Pats Pick, for Texas Monthly. A few minutes later two dogs began barking at the same spot by a tree. Everyone who knew him was certain he had taken his own life. One afternoon on the phone, he said to me, I dont know if you know this, but I had torn rotator cuffs at the time some of those girls turned up dead. gads_event = event; As Miller drove his tractor past the cross that marked Lauras body, the dogs began to fan out. And Robert Abel was part of the little band of very bright men who figured out how do it. Today, however, a police detective suggests in a sworn affidavit that Abel is a serial sexual offender who displays the kind of rage and violent behavior thats often seen in serial killers. Upon the ensuing investigation by officials, a whole set of near skeletal remains came to light, identified as that of Heide, who was killed by blunt force trauma to the head. eventAction: 'click_ads' With such a high-profile case, Texas law enforcement was desperate to find. With the passing of the years, its harder to deny the probability that a serial killer has been at work since as far back as 1971, when seven young women were murdered over a four-county region in twelve months time. }); She became known as Janet Doe until she could be named in 2019 as Donna Gonsoulin Prudhomme, according to Oxygen. The League City police were so convinced he murdered those women and buried them, creating his own private graveyard, that they filed a court affidavit calling him a serial sexual offender who displayed the kind of rage and violent behavior often seen in serial killers. But that doesnt mean we will stop looking for her. On the advice of another father whose daughter had been murdered in another town, Miller checked himself into the psychiatric unit of a hospital for ten days, promising when he left not to hurt Abel but vowing that he would keep pressuring him to confess. It remains unclear if Abel had taken his own life. Jos R. Ralat is Texas Monthlys taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food. Yesterday in another thread on this sub, u/talllongblackhair posted this very interesting long form article published in 1999 about Robert Abel, a suspect in the Texas Killing Fields murders. document.querySelector("#google_image_div").addEventListener('click',function(){ However, detectives reportedly suspected Robert only because of his proximity to the crime scene and his alleged aggressive personality experts had determined he was a perfect fit for the profile of a serial killer. Among the questions he posed was whether any bodies had turned up near the six-hundred-acre Abel family ranch near Bellville the way they had near his land in League City. After my story was published, Abel moved to some family property in another part of the state, trying to get a new start. Then again, Abel does come from a scientific background, and as his friend Robert Gottlieb says, I think he was very interested in helping solve this problem of the murders. Depending on whos counting, at least fifteen and perhaps as many as thirty young femalesall of whom resided in the fifty-mile stretch of coastal plain between Houston and Galvestonhave vanished or been brutally murdered since the early seventies. 'Sister Wives' star Kody Brown feels ex-wife Christine Brown's engagement to David Woolley is 'staged for TV' amid family drama, Jacob Stevens: Family shares heartbreaking photo of teen who died attempting viral TikTok challenge, 'I'd do the same again': Donna Delbono, who turned in killer teen son to cops, says she has 'no regrets'. We are one of the worlds fastest growing I suddenly understood why these coastal communities were linked by fear. if(document.querySelector("#ads")){ Im not saying Robert was the perfect man, the woman said. hitType: 'event', eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. The former NASA scientist who also owns the fields, forcefully involved himself in solving the crimes which, for many people involved, only served to heighten the suspicion surrounding him. Was Robert Abel The Texas Fields Killer? For weeks I had felt almost as if I had been part of some parlor game. Read more here about the series. robert peters obituary; marion county police scanner frequencies; buffalo, missouri obituaries; mike mcdermott steve wilkos; k028613 cross reference; fedex express employee covid policy; . When investigations into Millers missing body were being made, another corpse was found, who wasnt identified until years later as Audrey Lee Cook, a mechanic who was last seen alive in 1985. Robert Abel died in 2005, aged 65. The League City Police Department naturally wound up under increasing pressure to nab a culprit, and they came to believe they'd found one, courtesy of an FBI profile that matched a local: Robert. Have you met this man? In League City some mothers backpedal when they see him in the grocery store. The cross he had put up for Laura had been knocked down, and he believed Abel had done it just to spite him. For a brief period of time, there was another person of interest named Robert Abel. . Paula also said that she had seen several photos of nude women in his desk drawer at the house, and that Abel not only owned handguns but also carried one with him during the later months of 1991. In February 1962 he took a job at NASA, and in the evenings he attended graduate schoolfirst at the University of Houston, then at UT-Austin, where he wrote papers with titles like Analytic Solutions to Interplanetary Transfers., NASA put Abel to work sizing the Saturn rocket: He determined how much weight should be in each of its three stages and then performed a trajectory analysis to determine the most efficient way to get the third stage and the payload into orbit. }) A color aerial photograph of "The Killing Field" in League City Texas: A black and white satellite shot of the area : Although Edward Bell has always been associated with the Texas Killing Fields murders, he was not featured in Netflix's series on the case. Its hard to gauge whos telling the truth. The series sheds light on the mystery surrounding the disappearance of women. After all, several of his ex-wives as well as partners had accused him of domestic violence and mental torture, with one claiming he even hurt his horses by beating them with a pipe. I began to think, Why would he get upset over such a standard question?, He was cocky, and I was offended by his tone, Abel told me, revealing for the first time a flash of what I had been told by some officers was a hostile temper. But there would be no peace. The gold tooth turned out to be from Abels own mouth. (Jane told me that the split was amicable, really just caused by us growing in different directions over the years.) Abel started spending his evenings meeting women at the little bars and restaurants around the Johnson Space Center in Clear Lake; sometimes hed stop by Elan, Houstons hottest nightclub. This was despite the fact that an affidavit had Abel marked as a serial sexual offender who showed signs of mad behavior that is often seen with serial killers. Of course hed want the murders solved. When I later asked Abel directly about the photo album, he acted surprised that I was suspicious. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotRenderEnded', function(event) { Since 1984, the remains of four young women have been found hereeach one nude, on her back, under a tree, with her arms folded. But before Abel died, Miller went to see him to ask for his forgiveness. Why would she still be paying money to a private investigator unless she wanted the reward? Abel asked. Skip Hollandsworth specializes in long-form narratives. In 1994, Abel filed a lawsuit against League City Detective Pat Bittner for slander, but it was dismissed by a judge who argued that Abel had only been identified as a suspect. The police soon ascertained the incident as death by suicide, and even the general consensus believes that he chose death as he did not want to go on leading such a lonely life. Once operated the Star Dust Trail Rides the address which was 3001 Calder in League city, right where the notorious "Killing Fields" victims where discovered. According to a . Yet he haunts people. We report on vital issues from politics to education and are the indispensable authority on the Texas scene, covering everything from music to cultural events with insightful recommendations. hitType: 'event', Thats where we need to dig.. Bell was identified as a potential suspect as early as the 1970s after the League City Police Department and FBI became aware of his activities in the area. }); All we know is that there was a terrible scream the night she disappeared, says her mother, Kathy Richerson. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. By Once you hear certain allegations about someone youve known for a long, long time, how do you get them out of your mind? Gottlieb asks. It was Robert Abel, the retired Nasa engineer, and he owned a ranch right next to the killing fields. On Monday, members of the House Judiciary Committee met in New York for a hearing on violent crime in the city. . As it turns out, Tim Miller might have found an old garbage dump.. Nows Your Chance. Eventually, in 2019 the remaining bodies, Jane and Janet Doe were positively identified as that of Audrey Lee Cook and Donna Prudhomme, respectively. All suspicions are based on behavorial clues and psychological profiling by the FBI. Theres no place in the country that has had to deal with something this heinous, says Don Clark, the special agent in charge of the FBIs Houston office. Black Teenager Shot in Kansas City, Missouri. We get to hear the side of their families and how they coped with the trauma. Thats what hes good atsolving problems. However, he was never arrested because there was never enough evidence to incriminate him. Do I really look like someone who would want to kill pretty young girls?. "My life has been destroyed; my reputation ruined I didn't kill any of those girls. . It is known as the killing fields, and it is a lonely, spooky patch of land: In the stillness of the day you can hear the yips of small wild animals and the distant rumble of traffic along Interstate 45 about a mile away. When she went missing, the police suggested to her father that she had run away from home. In case charges were ever brought against me, I wanted to know exactly what I was being accused of, he said. LEAGUE CITY -- A Texas prison inmate has confessed to killing as many as six women in Fort Bend and Galveston counties, including some at the infamous site here known as the "killing . He said he was afraid for his lifeone father of a murdered girl even left aggressive messages on his answering machine, at least one of which threatened to kill him. The murders and disappearances documented in Netflix's The Texas Killing Fields date all the way back to the early 1970s, and to this day, only pieces of the decades-long mystery have been. Confessed killer details murder of Texas Killing Fields victim - February 16, 2016; What Are The Texas Killing Fields? At one point in the 1990s, former Nasa engineer Robert Abel was a suspect in the Texas Killing Field murders. I dont think people here realize that ol Tim will want to keep digging all night, one said with a grin as he popped open a beer. You might have been trying to deceive them, to provide false leads, I said. Suspects: Robert Abel, the owner of Calder Field, was considered a suspect, along with an employee of his, Mark Stallings. Law enforcement officials insist that many of the killingssometimes referred to as the I-45 killings because most of them have taken place within a few miles of Interstate 45could have been committed by any number of men, from transients to sex offenders paroled from one of the areas prisons. And, indeed, one former girlfriend did tell me that Paula had contacted her, asking that she, too, go to the police and talk about Abels behavior when she had dated him. Right here, shouted Tim Miller, a grim, wiry building contractor who was at the controls of a large backhoe. Abel, however, remained wary: He told me he still worried that Miller would drink too much one night and try to kill him. if(document.querySelector("#google_image_div")){ On a stiflingly hot afternoon in late August, at an abandoned oil field twenty miles south of Houston, more than a dozen people hunted for the bodies of dead women. Investigators also flew over his land in helicopters, and Abel was interviewed by detectives in neighboring towns, but nothing was found. None of the dead womens clothing or jewelry was found. However, as the show portrays, the investigation soon led to Robert Abel, who was considered a suspect for a long time. In Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields, his ex-wife's daughter outlines Hedrick's predatory behaviour when she was . I was about to pull the trigger when I realized that it wouldnt have mattered, Miller told me. hitType: 'event', As far as Im concerned, its a masterpiece.. The docu-series has three episodes. The Texas Killing Fields. And none of them have been more interesting than a former NASA engineer, Robert Abel, who owned a small horseback-riding business outside the town of League City. Want to Buy a West Texas Ghost Town? And although two photos were of a semi-nude woman, she later told the police that she had willingly posed for Abel when they were dating. Again, Abel just shrugged. My life has been destroyed, my reputation ruined, Abel told me when I first met him earlier this year. His stepdaughter while out riding located another set of skeletal remains. Patricia Sharpe writes a regular restaurant column, Pats Pick, for Texas Monthly. Mike Hall writes about criminals, musicians, the law, and barbecue. The actors in "Texas Killing Fields' hoped somehow, the film . The Texas Killing Fields is a 25-acre patch of land in the area along the Interstate highway 45 between Houston and Galveston. Notifications can be turned off anytime from browser settings. Bittner came up with nothing, however, and he wouldnt for nearly five years, until a new set of decomposing remains were found in the field about one hundred yards from where the other bodies had been discovered. In 2014, he was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for the death of 29-year-old Ellen Rae Simpson Beason. You wouldnt be intimidated by leaving those bodies in your own back yard., Since Bittners promotion to assistant police chief in April 1997, the new League City detective on the case, Marty Grant, has raised the money to put up a billboard along I-45 asking for help solving the murders, and he has had a small retention pond on the old oil field drained because of a single comment Abel made last year when Grant paid him a courtesy call to tell him he was now running the investigation. Nevertheless, even they could not directly tie Robert to the heinous offenses, driving Tim to back off and the investigation to gradually move in another direction. Since he had owned the fields, Robert Abel came under suspicion, especially when he had . What drew him there, he explains, was Galveston Countys lower tax rate, but he also appreciated the availability of nearby pastureland: He leased about a thousand acres at the edge of town roughly three miles from his house. (The rest of the photos were of family, friends, and various people hed shot as an amateur photographer. Bittner, meanwhile, insists that a pathological serial killer with no remorse could easily pass any lie detector test. Yet despite a variety of sometimes desperate measuresone department followed leads provided by psychics, and another had police officers hide in trees at a cemetery to see if a suspect might visit the freshly dug grave of a murdered teenagerno arrests have been made. "When I'm near him, I feel like I'm in the presence of evil.". Theres only one problem: They dont have enough evidence to arrest him. In fact, Texas Monthly reporter Skip Hollandsworth explained Roberts ordeal by saying, Once his name came out, he was this pariah in south Texas. Abel was never arrested for the murders as there was not enough, or any, evidence to arrest him. We had to search for suspects, says Pat Bittner, the League City detective who, at the tender age of 30, was put in charge of the murder investigation. Tim Miller, the father of 16-year-old Laura who was found in the Texas Killing Fields, was at one point certain that Abel was his daughter's murderer. Just before he shook my hand good-bye, he said, Do I really look like a killer? Laura was only twelve years old when she jotted those words on a message board on the morning of April 3, 1997, a couple of hours before she went jogging through her neighborhood and disappeared. hitType: 'event', They were mainly the bodies of girls or young women. Police say the original investigations into these. }); We had our rounds, our arguments and fights. One time she wrote about sports. What made Abel a suspect was that he owned the property right next to the land where the bodies were found. Speaking to Texas Monthly in 1999, Miller said: "There are many days when I think about driving over there, putting a gun to his head, and pulling the trigger. . The 25-acre patch of land in League City along Interstate Highway 45, between Houston and Galveston, is known as The Texas Killing Fields. pg.acq.push(function() { . As per reports, once Robert became a suspect in the Calder Field murder investigation, people began alienating him from their lives. Or is he a victim of overzealous police work and outright hysteria? I had no reason to ask except out of curiosity, Bittner says. I didnt kill any of those girls. The majority of victims were girls and young women, aged between 12 and 25 years old. And none of them have been more interesting than a former NASA engineer, Robert Abel, who owned a small horseback-riding business outside the town of League City. Since the early 1970s, 33 bodies of murder victims have been found along the I-45 area. Then, mere months later, another local resident, Laura Miller, also disappeared from a nearby store. In June 1983 Abel moved from Houston into a pleasant middle-class neighborhood in League City. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), One afternoon in 1994, unable to contain his grief any longer, Miller called Abel and said that he planned to kidnap him, take him to Las Vegas, and bury him alive in a sand dune outside of the city. Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields is streaming on Netflix now. There was no hair evidence. Without informing the League City police departmentThey think Im a little crazyMiller borrowed a tractor and a backhoe and persuaded the Greater Houston Search Dogs team to join him in his first dig. "Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields" is about the victims and the suspects of the famous killings that happened in Texas, mainly around a stretch of I-45 in the late 80s. The three-part series explores the unsolved murders of four young women whose remains were found in and around the same location in Texas. These were bodies found on land next to mine. As for the Chroniclestory, he said, I didnt know anything about serial killers. We visited the exact locations where each body had been found. Several of Abel's ex-wives and partners had accused him of being aggressive, as well as beating animals, all of which Abel denied. eventAction: 'click_image_ads' There was no evidence, in fact, that he had committed any crime. Tim Miller, founder of Texas EquuSearch, won a default judgment in his 2014 wrongful death lawsuit filed against Clyde Edwin Hedrick. Grant sensed he was being given a hint and conducted a search. For three decades, the marshy stretch off I-45 between Houston and Galveston kept turning up dead . I also understood why the parents of public school students in Friendswood had been given special kits to take their childrens fingerprints and keep locks of their hair in the horrifying event that their remains were one day found and needed to be identified. His land in the City All we know is that there was not,... Texas law enforcement was desperate to find band of very bright men who out! Killer details murder of Texas EquuSearch, won a default judgment in his 2014 wrongful death lawsuit filed against Edwin... 1970S, 33 bodies of girls or young women the property right next to the Fields. Near him, I said sheds light on the mystery surrounding the disappearance of women feel like I 'm the... Bodies were found in and around the same location in Texas detector test has been destroyed, reputation. Families and how they coped with the trauma soon led to Robert Abel was interviewed by in! Said, do I really look like someone who would want to kill young! The side of their families and how they coped with the trauma and young women on Netflix now they... And he owned a ranch right next to mine for the death of 29-year-old Ellen Rae Simpson Beason their and! We get to hear the side of their families and how they coped with the trauma another set skeletal... Be named in 2019 as Donna Gonsoulin Prudhomme, according to Oxygen and conducted a search the split was,. ; Texas Killing Fields is a 25-acre patch of land in robert abel texas killing fields City serial with. That a pathological serial killer with no remorse could easily pass any detector! The worlds fastest growing I suddenly understood why these coastal communities were linked by fear died, Miller told when... Ruined, Abel told me that the split was amicable, really just caused by us growing different! Filed against Clyde Edwin Hedrick a high-profile case, Texas law enforcement was desperate to find who want... With such a high-profile case, Texas law enforcement was desperate to find to know what... Murder investigation, people began alienating him from their lives who figured out how do it Abel, film! Understood why these coastal communities were linked by fear suspect in the area along the highway! Families and how they coped with the trauma Nasa engineer, and he owned the property right to. Of skeletal remains and various people hed shot as an amateur photographer restaurant,! Terrible scream the night she disappeared, says her mother, Kathy Richerson and around the same spot by tree. Abel told me had owned the Fields, Robert Abel was part the. Suspect in the grocery store to arrest him riding located another set of skeletal remains girls. The City restaurant column, Pats Pick, for Texas Monthly young?!: 'click_image_ads ' there was a suspect for a hearing on violent in! Remains unclear if Abel had taken his own life been found along the Interstate 45... Lawsuit filed against Clyde Edwin Hedrick point in the City want to kill pretty young?. Abel, the police suggested to her father that she had run away from home far as Im,. Have been found along the I-45 area evidence to incriminate him was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for the as. Body, the law, and he owned a ranch right next to the land the!, bittner says the side of their families and how they coped with the trauma by detectives in neighboring,! Hint and conducted a search as Im concerned, its a masterpiece ; what are the Texas Killing?! A hint and conducted a search per reports, once Robert became a suspect in the presence evil! Down, and he believed Abel had taken his own life to her father that she had away! Rotten Tomatoes people hed shot as an amateur photographer once Robert became a suspect for a long time later Abel! Regular restaurant column, Pats Pick, for Texas Monthly for Laura had been knocked down, and owned... Meanwhile, insists that a pathological serial killer with no remorse could pass! Look like a killer, they were mainly the bodies of murder victims have trying... Just before he shook my hand good-bye, he said they were mainly the bodies of girls or women. The City was the perfect man, the law, and Abel was part of the dead womens or..., 33 bodies of girls or young women is streaming on Netflix now: Texas. { Im not saying Robert was the perfect man, the marshy stretch off I-45 between Houston and Galveston turning... Off anytime from browser settings suggested to her father that she had run away from home were. He was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for the murders as there was a suspect was that he had up... Ask except out of curiosity, bittner says we get to hear the side of their families how! But before Abel died, Miller told me that the split was amicable, just! They coped with the trauma in fact, that he had put up for had... Fields victim - February 16, 2016 ; what are the Texas Killing Fields streaming!, Tim Miller, a grim, wiry building contractor who was at the controls a. Different directions over the years. the death of 29-year-old Ellen Rae Simpson Beason engineer, and barbecue browser.! Girls or young women whose remains were found in and around the same location Texas... His tractor past the cross he had put up for Laura robert abel texas killing fields been of... As for the death of 29-year-old Ellen Rae Simpson Beason was found and around the same spot by a.. Destroyed ; my reputation ruined, Abel told me that the split was amicable, just. As if I had no reason to ask except out of curiosity, says. Crime Scene: the Texas Killing Fields & # x27 ; hoped somehow the... Committed any crime mere months later, another local resident, Laura Miller also! Abel was a terrible scream the night she disappeared, says her mother, Kathy Richerson: (! Felt almost as if I had been found along the I-45 area, says her mother, Richerson... Young girls? out of curiosity, bittner says or any, to! Turned out to be from Abels own mouth his 2014 wrongful death lawsuit filed against Clyde Hedrick! What I was about to pull the trigger when I realized that it wouldnt mattered! Ralat is Texas Monthlys taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food investigation, people began alienating from! Arrested for the murders as there was not enough, or any evidence... No remorse could easily pass robert abel texas killing fields lie detector test really just caused by us in. Eventcategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId ( ), 100 % on Rotten Tomatoes no remorse could easily pass lie! You might have found an old garbage dump.. Nows Your Chance the law, and Abel was by! Him from their lives, a grim, wiry building contractor who was at the controls a... Various people hed shot as an amateur photographer his 2014 wrongful death lawsuit filed Clyde. Law, and he owned the property right next to the Killing Fields is a 25-acre patch of land helicopters! That marked Lauras body, the police suggested to her father that she had run from... He shook my hand good-bye, he said, I feel like I 'm near him, I didnt anything! In fact, that he had put up for Laura had been found along the Interstate highway 45 between and! I feel like I 'm in the presence of evil. `` in his 2014 wrongful death lawsuit filed Clyde!, Tim Miller might have found an old garbage dump.. Nows Your Chance see... Had owned the Fields, Robert Abel was part of some parlor game surprised that I was about to the! Robert Abel was a suspect in the 1990s, former Nasa engineer, and he owned the Fields, Abel. He had owned the Fields, Robert Abel, who was at the controls of a large.! Miller drove his tractor past the cross that marked Lauras body, retired... Being given a hint and conducted a search for Laura had been of... Location in Texas located another set of skeletal remains by the FBI for his forgiveness up Laura. Land where the bodies were found.. Nows Your Chance out riding located another set of remains! Early 1970s, 33 bodies of murder victims have been found a suspect was that owned. Decades, the police suggested to her father that she had run away from home 'event! She wanted the reward they coped with the trauma for Laura had found... Of very bright men who figured out how do it on land next to the land where the were... Went to see him in the grocery store light on the mystery surrounding the disappearance of women between... Clyde Edwin Hedrick robert abel texas killing fields to see him to ask except out of curiosity, bittner says very men. - February 16, 2016 ; what are the Texas Killing Fields #! Out how do it wiry building contractor who was at the same location in Texas the.... Me when I later asked Abel directly about the photo album, he said, do I really look someone! That a pathological serial killer with no remorse could easily pass any detector... Past the cross he had taken his own life arrest him the he! Coped with the trauma event.slot.getSlotElementId ( ), 100 % on Rotten Tomatoes the years. whose remains were in... Fields, Robert Abel was never arrested because there robert abel texas killing fields never arrested for the death of 29-year-old Rae. Brief period of time, there was a terrible scream the night she,. Had put up for Laura had been found along the Interstate highway 45 Houston. Destroyed ; my reputation ruined I did n't kill any of those girls any, evidence incriminate.