"Killing Field" in League City, Texas- Calder Rd Cold Cases

Marilynilpa · #1 11-29-2005, 01:13 PM

The skeletal remains of an unidentifed female were located on September 8, 1991, in a field in the 3000 block of Calder Road in League City, Texas. Death is estimated to have taken place between one month and four months prior to discovery. The estimated age at time death was approximately 31 years old. This reconstruction shows the victim at a younger age, as she may not have been in contact with her family for several years. The victim had a small frame, was about 5'0" - 5'3", and weighed approximately 100 - 130 lbs. She had long, fine, light brown hair. Her eye color is unknown. The victim had low quality upper dentures. She may have had difficulty moving her head due to poorly healed fractures in two ribs.

snip

The skeletal remains of an unidentifed female were located on February 2, 1986, in a field in the 3000 block of Calder Road in League City, Texas. Death is estimated to have taken place between six weeks to six months prior to discovery. The estimated age at time death was approximately 25 years old. This reconstruction shows the victim at a younger age, as she may not have been in contact with her family for several years. The victim was about 5'5" - 5'8", and weighed approximately 140 - 160 lbs. She had shoulder-length, light reddish-brown hair. She had a large gap between her upper front teeth. She had healed fractures of the ribs.

drawings and more info: http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2001_3345841

Marilynilpa · #2 11-29-2005, 01:27 PM

I ran across the story of the "killing field" in League City, Texas, and thought it was interesting. Even though I lived in Texas for most of my life, I've never heard of these murders.

A possible suspect in these killings is Mark Roland Stallings. The following is part of an article about him:

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 field," authorities said Friday.

Mark Roland Stallings, 34, has not yet been charged with any of the murders, however.

League City police Capt. Chris Reed said DNA tests will confirm whether Stallings was involved in any of the slayings of four women whose bodies were dumped in a field off Calder Road just west of Interstate 45 from 1983 to 1991. "He confessed to multiple homicides. We don't know which ones at this time," Reed said. "We have an idea but we're not real sure because we haven't corroborated what he said."

http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/ar...d=2001_3345841

I haven't been able to find out much about Mark Stallings, other than a couple of newspaper articles from 2001. I'm interested to see if any of my fellow sleuths have heard of him. My assumption is that this didn't pan out, since I can't find any more recent articles.

I've e-mailed the League City Police Department asking about this case, as well as another case which I've posted on this thread - a brutal 1983 triple homicide.

hoppyfrog · #3 11-29-2005, 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marilynilpa

I haven't been able to find out much about Mark Stallings, other than a couple of newspaper articles from 2001. I'm interested to see if any of my fellow sleuths have heard of him. My assumption is that this didn't pan out, since I can't find any more recent articles.

I've e-mailed the League City Police Department asking about this case, as well as another case which I've posted on this thread - a brutal 1983 triple homicide.

Here's a bit of info I found (from 2004 it appears) at

http://www.geocities.com/verbal_plai...5suspects.html

"Mark Stallings-Became a suspect after confessing in 2001 to the 'Killing Fields' murders outside of League City but not much has been heard from him since. This confession can only be thought of as highly suspect since he would have been only 15 or 16 when the first Killing Fields victims disappeared. Assuming the four victims found dead there were all killed by the same man this would effectively rule Stallings out.
However, Stallings does have a history of violence. He is currently serving 489 years in prison for aggravated assault and an escape attempt. He also worked for a time on the property that encompassess the Killings Fields.

Probably the best evidence that Stallings' confessions may not be the real deal is the fact that he has still not been charged in any killings in the three years since his suprising confession."

Hoppy

Richard · #4 12-02-2005, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hoppyfrog

Here's a bit of info I found (from 2004 it appears) ...
Probably the best evidence that Stallings' confessions may not be the real deal is the fact that he has still not been charged in any killings in the three years since his suprising confession." Hoppy

This conclusion is not necessarily a valid one, as it is based upon prosecutors NOT doing something yet. Since Stallings is currently incarcerated for several hundred years, there is no "rush" to prefer charges in these cases. Once he is arrested and charged with a crime, the state has a set amount of time (according to Constitutional law) to bring the case to trial. It is often better to get more information and perhaps to locate more victims, than to rush into a trial with insufficient evidence.

There are various reasons for a convicted criminal to begin confessing to other murders. One reason, might be to gain more status in the prison. Another might be an attempt to negotiate for benefits of some sort. Sometimes ego trips play a part in wanting to be the "most" notorious. Sometimes other cons or individuals on the outside will offer him something to confess to a murder committed by another. So there are a lot of hidden motives to consider, besides the desire to solve open cases.

Erin_go_bragh · #5 05-24-2006, 06:34 PM

What inspired my interest in the case is that I lived in Clear Lake for 10 years. We just moved to League City a few years ago, which is scary, considering. Most of the victims are white, petite, with brunette hair. In a word: me! The only time I wish I was blond. When I was a senior in high school, a girl only a year older was abducted and was never heard from again.

Quote:

Originally Posted by annemc2

I was living in Houston at the time Jessica Cain disappeared and was always nervous when driving south on 45 because of these killings/disappearences.

That would be the girl. I was acquaintances with friends of hers. A friend of the family said the Galveston Sheriff believed her friends that last saw her were covering up for her, leading them to believe she might have been meeting an ex-boyfriend at the time. However, that was at least a decade ago. I wonder if there have been any developments since then?

I actually took some pictures of the Killing Field Area, since that area of Calder Road is being heavily renovated. It was pretty much a dead end and private property until this past spring. Now, there is a major church and subdivision being built further down the road. The ranch was originally owned by Robert Abel, a suspect, but is now in the ownership of someone else. I included maps showing the location of the payphone where the girls were last seen in relation to Calder Road:

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/erina1...EG46EBNSj65h61

Laura Miller, one of the victims, is the daughter of Tim Miller, founder of EquaSearch. He was active in the search for Natalee Holloway:
http://www.free-webspace.biz/thevict...ler_laura.html
http://www.amw.com/features/feature_...id=830&print=1

Some more news about the suspected killer:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/525273.stm
http://216.109.125.130/search/cache?...icp=1&.intl=us
http://www.crimesearch.net/Fact_Page_I-45S.html
http://p076.ezboard.com/fmissing8797...picID=29.topic
http://www.casebook.org/forum/messages/4927/9435.html
http://www.mayhem.net/Crime/killersatlarge.html

It's frustrating how few people in Houston actually even know of these crimes! You'd think people would be more concerned for their wives, daughters, and mothers. However, many are ignorant of the cases...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marilynilpa

edited to add: I received another e-mail from the League City police department. Sgt. Dan Krieger was recently interviewed by America's Most Wanted in connection with the Calder Road murders. He tells me the show will air sometime in January. So maybe this will renew people's interest in these murders.

Wow! That is interesting, indeed. I didn't see that, but I do have the DVD of A&E's production: Investigative Reports- The Mysteries of I-45. Not much new information, but interesting, none the less.

concernedperson · #6 05-24-2006, 07:21 PM

The info you provided is very interesting. I wonder why LE doesn't always connect the dots.I followed the Louisiana serial killings for years.There is always some connection. The I-45 is the same thing. Bigger area but still.

Don't stop what you research.You are on a good path.Someone somewhere is listening and noting.

KJERVIS · #7 07-11-2006, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Erin_go_bragh

It's frustrating how few people in Houston actually even know of these crimes! You'd think people would be more concerned for their wives, daughters, and mothers. However, many are ignorant of the cases...

Thats not actually true, many of us remember Jessica from the news. It was a very very big deal when it happened. Not a day went by when we didnt have her story in the papers and on the tv. Most people who have lived in Houston since the 80's will remember this story very well. They will also be familiar with the killing fields as everyone I mentioned it to knew exactly what it was.

I also remember a jane doe who was nicknamed orange sock (or some color sock) who was found in that area. My memory could be completely wrong mind you. I couldnt find anything on her when I did a search. Maybe she was identified *fingers crossed*

hoppyfrog · #8 11-29-2005, 02:10 PM

The article you linked was from 2001. Since then, has LE figured out the identities of Jane and Janet Doe? Has anyone been charged with the killings?

Hoppy

mysteriew · #9 11-29-2005, 02:24 PM

Additional articles:
http://websleuths.com/forums/showthr...ht=Calder+Road

Marilynilpa · #10 11-29-2005, 04:11 PM

I received this response from the League City police department:

Thank you for your email. Mark Stallings was not charged in

connection with the crimes as we were unable to corroborate

any of his claims. There have been several other suspects

in the case, but it is still an open case and we are still

actively seeking information leading to the arrest of the

killer(s).

annemc2 · #11 11-29-2005, 04:50 PM

Interesting, Marilyn. I know that there are still several unidentified victims left by the killer(s) who struck along the I45 corridor. Here are links to a couple of them:
http://www.doenetwork.us/cases/52uftx.html
http://www.doenetwork.us/cases/35uftx.html

I was living in Houston at the time Jessica Cain disappeared and was always nervous when driving south on 45 because of these killings/disappearences.

eta: duh - these are the cases you were talking about, no? There were also several *identified* victims.

Marilynilpa · #12 11-29-2005, 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by annemc2

Interesting, Marilyn. I know that there are still several unidentified victims left by the killer(s) who struck along the I45 corridor. Here are links to a couple of them:
http://www.doenetwork.us/cases/52uftx.html
http://www.doenetwork.us/cases/35uftx.html

I was living in Houston at the time Jessica Cain disappeared and was always nervous when driving south on 45 because of these killings/disappearences.

eta: duh - these are the cases you were talking about, no? There were also several *identified* victims.

Yes, these are the two I'm talking about. There were four victims, two of whom were identified. They were all found in the same area in League City, Texas.

I remember reading something a while bck about the killings and disappearances along I-45. I used to live in Dallas and traveled to and from Houston and Galveston to visit friends, and was always a little nervous when I was traveling alone.

edited to add: I received another e-mail from the League City police department. Sgt. Dan Krieger was recently interviewed by America's Most Wanted in connection with the Calder Road murders. He tells me the show will air sometime in January. So maybe this will renew people's interest in these murders.

Yaya · #13 12-01-2005, 10:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marilynilpa

edited to add: I received another e-mail from the League City police department. Sgt. Dan Krieger was recently interviewed by America's Most Wanted in connection with the Calder Road murders. He tells me the show will air sometime in January. So maybe this will renew people's interest in these murders.

Marilynilpa, this is interesting. I hope you will post a reminder

I would be interested to hear what he has to say. I'm sure they have put many long hours into this case.

It is nice to hear LE responded to your email... that is always encouraging. There are so many here that take these cases very seriously and work hard on trying to identify a victim or come up with clues in a case. I wish all LE would take this site more serious and use some of the wonderful people here like yourself.

Many of the posters here are of the highest calliber when it comes to intelligence. They seem to pick out something seemingly minor and really bring it to the front. It shines a whole new light on things sometimes.

Erin_go_bragh · #14 12-29-2009, 12:19 AM

Apparently, there's a film being produced based on the murders:

Quote:

Little is known about the script, except that it’s about two cops who realize that the latest murder in their jurisdiction connects their case to the notorious killing fields murders. The killing field murders concern four bodies that were found in the same place in Texas — along Interstate 45 near Calder Road in League City. Two of the bodies are still unidentified, and all four murders remain unsolved. I suspect the script is a fictional account inspired by those murders, and it certainly does sound dark. But with Cooper and Worthington attached, it should have no problem moving ahead.

Link

Also, from what little can be found, it may have been written by an ex-cop from Galveston... We'll see.

morf13 · #15 12-29-2009, 06:40 PM

Looks interesting, I have done some research on these killings and the way they paralelled the Zodiac murders as far as timeline, MO, etc

I will certainly watch this film

Andi041 · #16 09-09-2010, 07:08 PM

I spent the majority of yest afternoon reading the letter and looking at the case of the killing field and the connections to the corvette concepts murder which happened one year prior to the first killing field victim being found. The letter to tim miller is signed PhanTOM i knew right away i would find a tom somewhere in the corvet murders. One of the victims names was tommy mcgraw. He was an oilfield worker. The killing field was an abandon oil field...hence the main connections. The corvette murders are a he said she said field day...whoever murdered beth wilburn enjoyed it. Stabbing her so many times they thought she was killed by a shot gun at first. the letter also states that the girls in the killing field were killed because they looked enough like someone....they all resemeble beth wilburn. Could the killer be reliving his first kill?

:+:MrTT:+: · #17 09-09-2010, 09:07 PM

http://psu-sk.tripod.com/frames/i45-calder.html

Any official LE documents?
Or Videos?
And I am having a problem in finding good copies of the letters.
If any one can link a thread to those, it would be greatly appreciated.

Dear Prudence · #18 09-10-2010, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by :+:MrTT:+:

http://psu-sk.tripod.com/frames/i45-calder.html

Any official LE documents?
Or Videos?
And I am having a problem in finding good copies of the letters.
If any one can link a thread to those, it would be greatly appreciated.

There are links to jpg's of the letter in post # 15 of this thread by Erin go Braugh.

I have lived in the area all my life and have certainly heard of the Calder Killing Fields but have never studied the case besides reading all the news articles. Does anyone believe the letter is really from the killer? I guess there's no way of knowing. I didn't see anything in the letter that was not known by the public, but maybe I missed something. Would love to hear opinions.

I'd also like more info on the Corvette Concept's murders. It's weird that I have no memory of the crime but I remember the place. Although I was a teenager at the time so I didn't really pay much attention to the news.

Since I'm local I would be more than willing to do any research here I could. As far as LE documents, could I file a FOIA request with the police dept or something? I don't know how anything like that works so if y'all have suggestions or any requests just let me know and I'll try to help.

Andi041 · #19 09-10-2010, 10:34 AM

yeah ill tell ya where later

Andi041 · #20 09-10-2010, 04:01 PM

There was something in the letter that had 4 maybe 5 or 6...... which could point to one of the 4 girls in the killing fields was pregnant.In other words it appears someone is trying to leave details that the killer would know(In the letter). but most of that type of info i think they keep from the public since the cases were never solved. Whoever wrote the letter is insinuating the cases are connected and after looking at them they may be. I will try to copy and paste an article from the galveston newspaper on the corvette murders so much info is listed. The last person at the scene, The ex bf/ current business partner of the victim etc. Its a verty interesting case. Another thing that connects the cases the address to the business is west main and the convenience store where two of the victims from the killing fields were missing from is west main and hobbs. I also wondered if the person who abducted the girls after they used the phone was listening in on thier conversations some how????? was that technology available back then? I wondered if he/she lived near there the girls were taken over a year apart from the same spot? both on the first of the month , different months.

Andi041 · #21 09-10-2010, 04:06 PM

http://thepolicenews.net/html/gcpnmar06final.pdf

try this link it has a full length article pages long lots of details.

Andi041 · #22 09-10-2010, 07:34 PM

yw DP let me know if u dig anything up( that was a bad saying to use)! im trying to learn to navigate this site its a lil tricky

morf13 · #23 09-11-2010, 09:59 PM

There is a movie about the League City murders, or at least those committed in the 'killing fields'. The movie should be out soon, and will be called "THE FIELDS"

Andi041 · #24 10-07-2010, 11:08 AM

Hey guys i found a case so similiar in another country it has the same nick name look up killing fields in barbados and see if you think i should make a time line. Which is difficult because when they bodies were found is published but not when they disapeered.The suspect in that case was identified and fled to the united states

Andi041 · #25 10-07-2010, 11:20 AM

http://www.nationnews.com/articles/v...se-not-closed/

This is the link to the only article i found on the killing fields in barbados. Exact same time line. Not alot of info on how they were killed etc.