A DOG carrying a human skull helped unearth the first of four victims found on the same plot of land, which later became known as the Texas Killing Fields.
At least 30 people – mainly women and girls – were found dead along a 50-mile stretch of land that runs from Houston to Galveston between 1971 and 2006.
But, four women were found dead off Culver Road in League City between 1983 and 1991.
Investigators at the time suspected their deaths were linked to the work of a serial killer.
The women were all found with their hands tied behind their backs and stripped naked, according to the Texas Monthly.
Bartender Heidi Fye, 23, disappeared in October 1983 before being found dead in an oil field.
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Coroners conducted DNA testing and identified her remains after a dog was seen carrying a skull in its mouth months later.
The cocktail waitress vanished without a trace after leaving her parents’ home to get a ride to Houston with her partner.
But she never made it to the city.
The medical examiner revealed that Fye suffered broken ribs and had been clubbed.
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They suspect she may have died from blunt trauma to the head.
Laura Miller, 16, vanished after trying to call her boyfriend inside a store in 1984.
The teen lived just a few blocks from Fye, according to The Washington Post.
Her house phone had not yet been set up, so she went to a store to make what turned out to be an ill-fated call.
Miller’s body was not found until more than 17 months after she made the call.
Her father Tim continues to fight for justice almost four decades later.
He said: “If you want to commit a crime, do it here because they can’t solve it.”
MYSTERY KILLINGS
Tim told The Guardian in 2018 that his daughter had a “history of depression” and battled anxiety.
Audrey Cook’s body was found alongside Miller but her remains were not formally identified until April 2019.
Cook was known as Jane Doe before her body was positively identified.
It has since emerged that Cook used to send her family, who lived in Memphis, Tennessee, letters every few weeks.
She talked about the weather and spoke about missing home, according to ABC13.
But, her aunt Shirley Love claimed that “someone took joy” away from Cook.
A fourth victim, later identified as Donna Prudhomme, was also discovered.
Mark Stalling appeared to confess that he killed Prudhomme but hasn't been charged, Newsweek revealed.
He's also a suspect in connection with the death of Audrey Cook.
The four killings remain shrouded in mystery and ex-Nasa engineer Robert Abel was also among the suspects accused.
Journalist Skip Hollandsworth said that Abel appeared to be a “shy character.”
Hollandsworth added that he resorted to putting his hands in his pockets when he spoke.
And, Abel used to “walk stiffly” as he suffered from a bad back, according to the reporter.
Miller described Abel as a “strange character” but not one that most would perceive as “menacing.”
But, despite executing a search warrant, cops could not find any physical evidence that linked Abel with the killings.
Abel was killed in July 2005 when he drove a golf cart onto the rail tracks and was hit by a train.
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The mystery surrounding the Texas Killing Fields was turned into a film in 2011 and it is back in the spotlight a decade later.
Netflix’s Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields sheds light on the mystery that remains as relatives of the victims continue their search for answers.
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