True Crime Lovers Will Be Captivated By The Horrifying Texas Killing Fields True Story
By Katie Lawrence|Published January 13, 2023
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Katie Lawrence
Author
Katie Lawrence is a Southeast Texas native who graduated 18th in her high school class with a GPA of 4.25. She attended college in the Houston area and began writing for OnlyInYourState in 2015.
Today, Katie writes, edits, and performs several other tasks for OnlyInYourState and has never been more passionate about a job before. Outside of work, you can likely find her curled up on with a hot cup of coffee, practicing yoga, baking, or exploring the beautiful Lone Star State (in particular, the vast and mystical West Texas desert).
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.
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.
Between the early 1970s and as recently as 2016, the bodies of 33 murder victims have been discovered in the area.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
