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

ikoihil said:

Oops, I accidentally added my mom to 90's instead of 80's. That just seems so long ago.

Thanks for the verification info; I've emailed them with my details.

I'm still trying to dig up that other information about the cases I've heard about and think about random stuff people have told me. I guess it's kind of common around here, so ..."oh, they found another one" and then you don't get the name. Plus, when you're a kid, details don't stick with you quite as much. Good thing I've got google!

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Good thing Bessie came to the rescue to get you verified. I've never done it but if I do need to know I now know how! lol

Thanks Bessie!

JeannieC said:

Good thing Bessie came to the rescue to get you verified. I've never done it but if I do need to know I now know how! lol

Thanks Bessie!

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Absolutely - but admin had contacted me directly giving me great instructions and asking for my verification info before I'd seen Bessie's post anyhoo... Word gets around quick! ^_^

Oh, great, ikoihil. I'm glad that's being taken care of. There's a lot to do here. It's going to be a very interesting thread. I'll be glad to chip in and help out tomorrow. Right now I'm trying to read to get caught up but my eyelids are getting very heavy. 'Nite all. fftobed:

ikoihil said:

Absolutely - but admin had contacted me directly giving me great instructions and asking for my verification info before I'd seen Bessie's post anyhoo... Word gets around quick! ^_^

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Nothing slack about out Mods! Couldn't do it without them!:great:

LETTER TO TIM MILLER

I'm reading but so far behind in all the cases. I never even read about Tim Miller's daughter. In the note to Tim Miller, where it states: "the very first kills in the series was some other guy too" (this reads like he had a partner)

If a cop is involved he would know all the criminals, and I'm willing to bet he had someone in on some of his kills. A partnership so to speak! He did them favors and they did him favors, heck it could be more than 1 person.

I haven't watched Killing Fields yet, don't know where to locate it. Going to go try to find it now.

Lera213 said:

I'm reading but so far behind in all the cases. I never even read about Tim Miller's daughter. In the note to Tim Miller, where it states: "the very first kills in the series was some other guy too" (this reads like he had a partner)

If a cop is involved he would know all the criminals, and I'm willing to bet he had someone in on some of his kills. A partnership so to speak! He did them favors and they did him favors, heck it could be more than 1 person.

I haven't watched Killing Fields yet, don't know where to locate it. Going to go try to find it now.

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I'm sure the hispanics and asians were a different killer or 2 killers. I think it is possible all those who were not young/teens and brown haired were a different killer.
jmo

Just found this - the most recent confessional interview (re: 1970's victims) I've run across:

Monday, September 26, 2011

He calls his victims the "Eleven that went to Heaven."

Edward Harold Bell, admitted sex offender, convicted murderer and self-described serial killer, has given multiple chilling confessions from his locked prison cell of abducting and slaying teenage and adolescent girls in the 1970s, describing crimes even now unsolved.

In disturbing letters sent to Harris and Galveston county prosecutors in 1998 - but kept secret for 13 years - Bell claimed to have killed seven girls, including two Galveston 15-year-olds shot as they stood tied up and half naked in the chilly waters of Turner Bayou, according to excerpts and descriptions of Bell's letters obtained by the Houston Chronicle.

In July and September, in exclusive interviews, Bell, now gaunt and pasty-faced at 72, told a Chronicle reporter the tally of lives was not just seven, but 11, the "Eleven that went to Heaven."


BELL'S SUPPOSED VICTIMS

Bell named four of his alleged victims; in seven other cases he provided years, places or descriptions, which the Chronicle compared against police and forensic reports and interviews to determine possible matches:

Colette Anise Wilson: Wilson, 13, disappeared June 17, 1971, after a bus driver dropped her off near her home north of Alvin.

Debbie Ackerman and Maria Johnson: Ackerman and Johnson, 15-year-old best friends from Galveston, disappeared Nov. 17, 1971

Kimberly Rae Pitchford: Pitchford, 16, never came home after attending driver's ed class at Frank Dobie High School off of Beamer in Houston on Jan. 3, 1973.

Two unnamed girls from Webster in 1971: Sharon Shaw and Rhonda Renee Johnson, both 14, abducted and murdered together after a day at the beach in Galveston on Aug. 4, 1971.

Two unnamed Dickinson girls: Georgia Geer, 14, disappeared with friend Brooks Bracewell, 12, after the middle school students skipped classes Sept. 6, 1974. Last seen at a convenience store.

Unnamed brunette girl from west Houston: Possibly Gloria Ann Gonzales, 19, reported missing by her roommate in West Houston in October 1971; remains were found near Colette Wilson's.

Unnamed girl picked up off Highway 2004 near Santa Fe: Possibly Nina Lynn Kluge, 16, of Cypress, who failed to arrive home Oct. 22, 1975, after visiting friends in Rosharon. Her car was found abandoned along Texas 6, about four miles west of Santa Fe.

Unnamed Houston girl with red or blonde hair killed in mid-1970s: No further information.


OTHERS WHO WERE SUSPECTS

Men previously identified as possible perpetrators of a 1970s killing spree involving an estimated 21 victims in Brazoria, Harris and Galveston counties.

Michael Lloyd Self: A a League City mechanic, convicted in 1972 for the murder of Sharon Shaw. But his conviction was tainted by corrupt police officers who used Russian roulette to obtain two conflicting confessions and who themselves were later convicted of bank robbery. Self died in prison in 2000. His attorneys say he was never told of Bell's letters.

Charlie Hitzfelder Jr.: The son of a former Medina County Sheriff and considered a suspect in several unsolved murder cases here. He died in 1998.

Harry Andrew Lanham and an accomplice, Tony Knoppa, were convicted in 1971 in the shooting death of Linda Sutherlin, a 21-year-old Houston woman found dead in Brazoria County. Lanham was awaiting trial for a teen's murder in Montgomery County and was considered a suspect in other cases when he was killed by police in a 1972 escape in Harris County.



LISE OLSEN, Chronicle



http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Confessions-of-a-cold-blooded-killer-2187501.php

Lera213 said:

I'm reading but so far behind in all the cases. I never even read about Tim Miller's daughter. In the note to Tim Miller, where it states: "the very first kills in the series was some other guy too" (this reads like he had a partner)

If a cop is involved he would know all the criminals, and I'm willing to bet he had someone in on some of his kills. A partnership so to speak! He did them favors and they did him favors, heck it could be more than 1 person.

I haven't watched Killing Fields yet, don't know where to locate it. Going to go try to find it now.

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It just came out in theatres yesterday, so check your movie listings.

Lera213 said:

I'm reading but so far behind in all the cases. I never even read about Tim Miller's daughter. In the note to Tim Miller, where it states: "the very first kills in the series was some other guy too" (this reads like he had a partner)

If a cop is involved he would know all the criminals, and I'm willing to bet he had someone in on some of his kills. A partnership so to speak! He did them favors and they did him favors, heck it could be more than 1 person.

I haven't watched Killing Fields yet, don't know where to locate it. Going to go try to find it now.

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That note sends chills down my spine. I'm so sorry for what this person did to Tim Miller and his wife. He's a cruel and heartless person. Even worse was what was done at her death site! I think this guy wanted to be dubed the "Phantom" and all he is dubed is killer.

Didn't get "credit" for all his kills because others came into the area. I bet that really bothers him. He'll never have his own place as a serial killer. He's in a crowd with others and no one knows exactly what he did!

Jeannie I haven't read that case at all. What link is best to read it, don't tell me there are 40 threads here on WS. I'll never be able to read all that.

48 hours Mystery - The Killing Fields


http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/48hours/main3410.shtml?tag=hdr;snav

Lera213 said:

Jeannie I haven't read that case at all. What link is best to read it, don't tell me there are 40 threads here on WS. I'll never be able to read all that.

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Start with the 48 Hours Mystery. Its brief but helps. I have links in the Media Thread too.

In 1970's 10 young girls were murdered, in 1980's at least 13 were murdered ,1990's there were 16 or more and in 00's there were 6. The total was 60 or more. We're still getting our names and places together.

One of our Sleuthers' mother was among the victims. Not all were placed in the fields. Some were killed in homes. Some were left on the side of roads, some in swamps, creeks, lakes. It was a killing spree and more than one serial killer was involved.

commercial break, my heart is very heavy right now!

Bell claims a brainwashing "program" forced him to "be a flasher," to "rape girls" and ultimately to kill.

Edward Harold Bell, now 72, called his victims the "Eleven that went to Heaven."
Claimed he was brainwashed to kill

Don't know if I can post the link below, but its to another forum that has a lot of news articles, and a poster there claims to have been in law enforcement at the time of the earlier murders.

I-45 Texas Mysteries - Cold Case Investigations

Ed Bell seems to have been responsible for many of the 1970's murders, and by looking at the consistency of the victims found, you can kind of tell those were his. Additionally, he has admitted to most of those in the September 2011 interview. I'm enclosing my list of victims within the 1970's, but in no way, shape, or form is this list considered by me to be exhaustive.

Jeanie Monk - Baytown; Missing - 5'2" 100 pounds, blondish brown hair, green eyes, fair complexion. Mr. & Mrs. L. E. Monk, 118 E. Hunnicutt, still have not heard from their 16-year-old daughter, Jeanie, who has been missing since June 11, 1971. STILL UNRESOLVED.

Colette Annise Wilson - Age 13, Caucasian. She was dropped off by her Band Leader at a bus stop in Alvin on June 17, 1971. Her nude body was found in West Houston, near I-10 and HWY 6 near Addicks Reservoir, some 35 to 40 miles from where she was last seen 5 months earlier. She had been killed by a gunshot to head; her band instrument was never located. The remains of Colette Wilson were found within 35 yards from where the body of 19 year old Gloria Gonzales was later discovered BELL'S SUPPOSED VICTIMS Bell claimed responsibility in a 2011 interview with Houston Chron, but no charges have formally been brought forth, therefore, considered, STILL UNSOLVED.

Brenda Jones - Age 14, brunette. She disappeared while walking in the East End on Galveston Island, close to I-45, to visit an aunt on July 1, 1971. Her body was found the next day in Galveston Bay, close to Seawolf Park. She had a slip crammed in her mouth and had died of a head wound. BELL'S SUPPOSED VICTIM - but not in Bell's confession in 2011 to Houston Chronicle STILL UNSOLVED.

Sharon Shaw – Age 14. On August 5, 1971, two 14-year old Webster girls, Rhonda Johnson and Sharon Shaw, disappeared from an outing in Galveston (from a surf shop co-owned by Bell). An investigation was launched the same day by the police department in nearby Webster in Harris County. Their skeletal remains were discovered about five months later in the Taylor Bayou near Shoreacres in southeast Harris County. Michael Lloyd Self confessed, but recanted the confession he made to Officer Tommy Deal & Webster Chief of Police Don Morris (both police were 'crooked' and were incarcerated for bank robberies in Texas during this time). Self is the only man in America convicted solely on a confession. Ed Bell claimed responsibility and he named her in his 2011 confession interview with Houston Chronicle. http://thepolicenews.net/html/gcpnoct06.pdf BELL'S SUPPOSED VICTIM STILL UNSOLVED.

Rhonda Johnson – Age 14. On August 5, 1971, two 14-year old Webster girls, Rhonda Johnson and Sharon Shaw, disappeared from an outing in Galveston (from a surf shop co-owned by Bell). An investigation was launched the same day by the police department in Webster in Harris County. Their skeletal remains were discovered about five months later in the Taylor Bayou near Shoreacres in southeast Harris County. Michael Lloyd Self confessed, but recanted the confession he made to Officer Tommy Deal & Webster Chief of Police Don Morris (both police were 'crooked' and were incarcerated for bank robberies in Texas during this time). Self is the only person convicted solely on a confession in America. Ed Bell claimed resonsibility, as he named her in his 2011 confession interview with Houston Chronicle. http://thepolicenews.net/html/gcpnoct06.pdf STILL UNSOLVED.

Gloria Ann Gonzales - Age19, brunette. She disappeared on October 28, 1971 near her home in Houston. Her body was found near Addick's Reservoir in west Houston, within 35 yards from where the body of Colette Wilson had been discovered months earlier. She died from blunt force trauma to the head. (Possibly a Bell victim but didn't identify her by name, however, his other victims were found in the same place) STILL UNSOLVED.

Alison Craven - Age 12, Caucasian. Her mother returned home from after running errands for 1 hour on November 9, 1971. Her daughter was missing from their apartment near I-45. Police later found partial remains in a nearby field, two hands along with bones from an arm and some teeth. On Feb 25, 1972 the rest of her skeleton was found in a Pearland, TX field, also near I-45 and 5 to 10 miles from where she was last seen. (This was one the wasn't in Bell's confession.) +1SK STILL UNSOLVED.

Debbie Ackerman - Age 15, Caucasian, brunette. students Debbie Ackerman and Maria Johnson both were students from Galveston’s Ball High, both disappeared on November 11, 1971 and they were found dead two days later, 10 miles north of where they disappeared, close to I-45 and Highway 3. They were in Turner's Bayou in Texas, both girls were shot twice and their hands and feet bound and only partially clothed. Edward Harold Bell was a suspect but never charged because of circumstantial evidence. He later wrote a letter admitting the murders of Ackerman and Johnson, but wasn’t charged. He is in prison on unrelated charges. BELL'S SUPPOSED VICTIM Bell claimed responsibility in a 2011 interview with Houston Chron, but no charges have formally been brought forth, therefore, considered, STILL UNSOLVED.

Maria Johnson - Age 15, Caucasian, brunette. Galveston Ball High student disappeared from Galveston Mall on November 11, 1971 and found dead two days later, 10 miles north of where they disappeared, close to I-45 and Highway 3. Their bodies were in Turner's Bayou in Texas City where fishermen saw them floating, both girls were shot twice before being dumped in the water. Their hands and feet were bound and only partially clothed. Edward Harold Bell was a suspect but never charged because of circumstantial evidence. He later wrote a letter admitting the murders of Ackerman and Johnson, but wasn’t charged. He is in prison on unrelated charges. BELL'S SUPPOSED VICTIM Bell claimed responsibility in a 2011 interview with Houston Chron, but no charges have formally been brought forth, therefore, considered, STILL UNSOLVED.

Kimberly Pitchford - Age 16, Caucasian; last seen at a Pasadena driving school near I-45 on January 3, 1973. She was found strangled two days later in a ditch near Angleton near 288, about 30 miles south of where she was last seen. However, the authorities still deem the case unsolved. Edward Bell identified her as one of his victims (in a 09/2011 interview with the Houston Chronicle called ‘The 11 That Went to Heaven”, but I don’t believe he was charged. BELL'S SUPPOSED VICTIM Bell claimed responsibility in a 2011 interview with Houston Chron, but no charges have formally been brought forth, therefore, considered, STILL UNSOLVED.

Georgia Geer - Age 14, Caucasian, brunette. Georgia Geer skipped school on September 6, 1974 and disappeared from a convenience store in Dickinson, close to I-45. Both her and Bracewell had been beaten to death and found were found in an Alvin Swamp. BELL'S SUPPOSED VICTIM. Bell claimed responsibility in a 2011 interview with Houston Chron, but no charges have formally been brought forth, therefore, considered, STILL UNSOLVED.

Brooks Bracewell - Age 12, Caucasian, brunette. Brooks Bracewell skipped school on September 6, 1974 and disappeared from a convenience store in Dickinson, close to I-45. Both her and Geer had been beaten to death and found were found in an Alvin Swamp. BELL'S SUPPOSED VICTIM Bell claimed responsibility in a 2011 interview with Houston Chron, but no charges have formally been brought forth, therefore, considered, STILL UNSOLVED.

Unnamed girl picked up off Highway 2004 near Santa Fe: Possibly Nina Lynn Kluge, 16, of Cypress, who failed to arrive home Oct. 22, 1975, after visiting friends in Rosharon. Her car was found abandoned along Texas 6, about four miles west of Santa Fe, TX. BELL'S SUPPOSED VICTIM Bell claimed responsibility in a 2011 interview with Houston Chron, but no charges have formally been brought forth, therefore, considered, STILL UNSOLVED.

Unnamed Houston girl with red or blonde hair killed in mid-1970s: No further information. BELL'S SUPPOSED VICTIM Bell claimed responsibility in a 2011 interview with Houston Chron, but no charges have formally been brought forth, therefore, considered, STILL UNSOLVED.

Nina Lynn Kluge, 16, of Cypress, who failed to arrive home Oct. 22, 1975, after visiting friends in Rosharon. Her car was found abandoned along Texas 6, about four miles west of Santa Fe, TX. ***Similar to Jessica Lee Cain's Disappearance!*** +1SK STILL UNSOLVED.

ikoihil said:

Friday, September 15, 1989

Foster, Darlynn A: Caucasian. 5'6" green eyes; 140 lbs; light brown hair. DOB 09/30/55. Body found at or about 2500 Maxwell St, La Marque, TX 77568.

Snipped:

Later fingerprinting of the home yielded no actionable results. There were threatening letters written by the ex-boyfriend, Gibbons, that later disappeared from the home. Her ex was once on the HPD police force, had a violent history, and collected guns and other weapons. These have been a suspect details, since evidence related to this case disappeared on more than one occasion, before the investigation was stopped due to the victim being deemed not worthy of further investigation. (That was the statement of the LMPD in the report.) Please note that the police did not realize these murders in the area were the work of a serial killer until 1997.

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Was Gibbons, Darlynn's ex-boyfriend? Are you saying that guns disappeared from evidence?

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Gibbons, her ex-boyfriend, was supposed to pick her up and take her to the rehabilitation facility. The morning all this happened, Darlynn called her sister and confirmed that he would be picking her up. Because of his connection with the police, he was tipped off prior to the search of his home, and when they arrived, there was a fire burning in his back yard. (Burning of trash is not allowed in Houston City Limits).

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Gibbons was suppose to take Darlynn to a rehab facility, correct? Darlynn disappeared and LE was going to search his home and someone tipped him off?

After this occurred, Gibbons was said to have moved a prostitute by the name of Dana into his home on Echo Ln in Houston. This house was a corner lot, and he had installed cyclone fencing around the perimeter, with barbed wire at the top... however, the barbs were facing inward. At some time, he shot Dana, and in her escape, she scaled the fence and ran to a neighbor's house, crashing through their window with her body. She has since disappeared.

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Do you know Dana's full name and was she reported missing? Was she a local?

I was told that Gibbons passed away a few months before my 15th birthday, thus he could not be responsible for any disappearances after the mid-90s. However, he was retired, and was often between Galveston and Houston prior to then, and had land in the country that he often visited in the early hours of the morning to avoid being seen. Nobody put two and two together about the property on Hopper Rd until I found it by searching records today.

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I'm confused about the property on Hopper Rd. Can you explain a little about that? What town is this in?

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Thanks. I get confused easily...........:floorlaugh:

JeannieC said:

Was Gibbons, Darlynn's ex-boyfriend? Are you saying that guns disappeared from evidence?

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Yes, and yes kind of. He was a man of means, and she was best friends with his daughter throughout high school. (Thus proving that he had a penchant for young girls, and had his eye on my mother since her early teens). Gibbons' daughter moved away to Hawaii after High School; my mother moved to England and got married briefly. However, after a divorce and in her late 20s, when Darlynn got 'stuck' financially, he would help her. So, it wasn't like they were in a relationship, but enough that I was around and we stayed at his home for extended periods of time, off and on.

Regarding the firearms: He kept two guns in his truck at all times, and a multitude at his home. Somehow, none were taken into evidence. So... either they weren't present during the search of Gibbons' home, or they weren't deemed relevant and were never considered evidence at all.

This man had an armament he openly kept around the house. He liked to control and to have women and children fear him. I know this firsthand; additionally, I witnessed him provoke Dana's little girl (around the same age as me), and attempt to run over Dana with a vehicle.

One of the reasons my mother stopped dealing with him is because she found out he had acted inappropriately with me by threatening me with his guns, leaving arms in common areas (kitchen counter near the bread primarily used by me), in areas primarily used by me (guest bathroom - placed a silver plated gun with a white handle on the floor directly under the toilet, and one in the guest bedroom), verbally abusing me, and telling me not to involve her with my complaints of his actions. ...Maybe she realized I was a little too young for him then, but was quickly growing into someone he would enjoy targeting/torturing?

JeannieC said:

Gibbons was suppose to take Darlynn to a rehab facility, correct? Darlynn disappeared and LE was going to search his home and someone tipped him off?

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Yes. And yes, for the most part. I don't think he was contacted until the body had been recovered. Either he was tipped off, or just knew (because of his HPD history) that SOP would be that his home would be searched, so immediately returned there to prepare.

JeannieC said:

Do you know Dana's full name and was she reported missing? Was she a local?

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I do not know her full name, but I might have a picture of her. She had long brown hair. She was a local, a Houstonian. As a 9 year old, I don't recall knowing anything about her being from elsewhere. I would remember this, because I was very interested in locations other than the one in which I lived. If she is still alive, I would be very interested in speaking with her (or even her daughter), as she would have information about my mother's killing. Plus, she got shot by the same guy...

JeannieC said:

I'm confused about the property on Hopper Rd. Can you explain a little about that? What town is this in?

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The Hopper Rd property is in Houston, between Gibbons' home and the I-45 corridor. I believe there may be answers here, in regard to some missing women. According to tax records, he bought this property 07/1989 - two months before my mother's murder. The police asked my aunt and other people where he had property, so they could search for evidence. It was never searched because nobody knew of any land aside from his home and his ranch in the country. He never mentioned this land in my presence; I drove out there yesterday, and it is unbelievably close to the East-Tex Freeway, just off I-45. It is in a seedy neighborhood where nobody would care about someone dumping items in the early morning hours (if they were even awake to see that). He was in LE, so was accustomed to rising at 4am. There is a steep culvert between the narrow two lane road and the parcel of land, which would keep random people from wandering around... although there is also a fence installed at the perimeter of the land.



http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=149+East+Echo+Glen+Drive,+Houston,+TX&daddr=3000+Calder+Rd,+League+City,+TX+77539+to:5005+Hopper+Road,+Houston,+TX&hl=en&ll=29.673735,-95.254211&spn=0.72546,1.539459&sll=29.649869,-95.254211&sspn=0.725632,1.539459&geocode=FXavxwEdNGNQ-inlXT_h_8dAhjEyG0bW7L57FQ%3BFT6mwQEdqs1U-imfWIZ1A4NAhjE8twz9zdP4gw%3BFbntxwEdXplR-iknTFMITrdAhjEYZRqcDjF9zg&vpsrc=6&gl=us&mra=ls&t=h&z=10