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

[Marilynilpa]

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.​

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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

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[Marilynilpa]

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/archive.mpl?id=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]

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

 

[hoppyfrog]

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_plainfield/activecases/i45suspects.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

 

[mysteriew]

Additional articles:
http://websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27384&highlight=Calder+Road

 

[Marilynilpa]

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]

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]

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]

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.

 

[Richard]

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]

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.

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/erina1216/album?.dir=/f48escd&.src=ph&.tok=phEG46EBNSj65h61

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/thevictims/miller_laura.html
http://www.amw.com/features/feature_story_detail.cfm?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?p=%22heidi+fye%22&toggle=1&ei=UTF-8&fr=FP-tab-webt&u=www.angelfire.com/nj4/savethechildren/COD4.htm&w=22heidi+fye%22&d=dogrA0aqMxsb&icp=1&.intl=us
http://www.crimesearch.net/Fact_Page_I-45S.html
http://p076.ezboard.com/fmissing87975frm133.showMessage?topicID=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...

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]

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.

 

[Erin_go_bragh]

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.

Thank you for your encouraging words. I appreciate it! I hope that the I-45 killer is caught. Soon. It's too important to the families that are left behind...

 

[Erin_go_bragh]

I can no longer edit my last response, but I was cleaning out some papers the other day and found something about the killer that I jotted down and forgot about. It's a semi-convoluted story... I worked at my local (League City) library for the past couple years and a frequent patron and I were having a discussion one day about the killing fields. She had taken a criminology class at the Clear Lake branch of the Univ. of Houston. Anyway, she said several law enforcement students were in the class and they discussed how the local police knew the man that they believe committed the murders in the I-45 murders in the '70s. He was from the area and frequented a bar called the Blue Moon Bar or Club in Dickinson (the next town over from League City towards the South on I-45). Apparently, he hung out there and is currently serving a prison sentence for other crime(s). The police know it's him and he actually is aware they know... I wish I could say I knew more, such as who he is, where he lived, etc. I wonder if the police (whichevere jurisdiction) have let the parents and family of the women know about their suspicions. I just find the whole idea dissettling, but at least he's put away at the moment.

I posted this in the other threads about the murders, so if you are keeping track, don't be surprised to see this there!

 

[Erin_go_bragh]

Courtesy of the <modsnip> posted to Tim Miller by his daughter's (Laura) killer is printed in its entirety on the site. I took some scans of the letter, which is 2-sided and also typed up what I could read. Since Robert Abel, one of the main suspects died from apparent suicide months before, it is believed that either a friend or family member of Abel typed up the letter [using different computer fonts] to detract attention from Abel's role in the crimes. At least that's what authorities and Tim Miller believe.

Although nothing really new is revealed in the letter, some interesting ideas are put forth: the killer targets brown-haired caucasian woman because of a certain woman. Maybe someone that spurned him, ala Tim Bundy? Also six bodies exist according to the killer, not four, so two have not been found because he hid them from view. The alleged killer also says he's not the only killer around the area. The reason to put the girls in the killing field was for publicity and to exhibit them, and more woman will die. He refers to 666 (the sign of the devil) and calls himself the Phantom? Or maybe that's what the police believe he is... He also knows that Officer Pat Cereal profiled the murders, but says he was wrong and he tampered with evidence. Does that mean he's someone on the inside, like a policeman? And this killer of woman makes sure to emphasize that the "NASA horseman Abel" is not the right suspect. How kind of him, right? Or if there is any legitimacy to this claim, then maybe he wants to get the credit. His MO changes and one cryptic phrase is "for the little shrine & more are more secret." Insteresting to speculate

I also made a pretty inacurate map of the convenience store phone location & where the bodies of the Calder Road victims were found.


First Side of Letter

http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/9495/tes20letter202small8te.jpg

http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/2601/i45kill8mh.jpg

http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/6095/i45kill23go.jpg

http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/5858/bottom28vk.jpg



Second Side of Letter

http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/9030/tes20note201small7tk.jpg

http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/481/i45kill12kp.jpg

http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/5223/mimage108519f95fb9388fad0352b9.jpg

http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/5513/copy16qw.jpg


Map

http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/1109/map5of.jpg

 

[KJERVIS]

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*

 

[docwho3]

Orange sock mentioned on webpage.
http://www.missingtrio.com/TRIO/news.htm

Other mentions of orange socks in murders:
tying together 2 murders:
http://www.rockymountaincoldcase.com/

http://www.cozine.com/archive/cc2005/01410081.html

". . .(an orange sock had been stuffed down Taggs’s throat). . ."
http://adsl-63-202-25-19.dsl.snfc21.pacbell.net/lawrepository/htm/10Aug00-S013187-P-v-Kraft.htm

not sure the last article is in any way connected to any other crime but it showed up in search results so I included it.

 

[KJERVIS]

Orange sock mentioned on webpage.
http://www.missingtrio.com/TRIO/news.htm

Its this one. She was from Houston and coming back. Thanks for finding this, Id always wondered what happened to her.

Kate

 

[docwho3]

One thing that came to mind as I researched orange socks being found on or near murder victems was to question if there might have been an "orange sock serial killer" operating between approximately 1978 and 1982 (or 1983.)

Or were orange socks just very popular in those years?

Or do we need an "orange sock" thread?

 

[morf13]

One thing that came to mind as I researched orange socks being found on or near murder victems was to question if there might have been an "orange sock serial killer" operating between approximately 1978 and 1982 (or 1983.)

Or were orange socks just very popular in those years?

Or do we need an "orange sock" thread?

I recall a woman named,and please forgive me if i destroy the spelling here, Bobbi Sue or Bobbi jo Oboholtszer,or something close to that from the show UNSOLVED MYSTERIES. She was kidnapped by a guy in a van out in some wstern state like Colorado,or some place where there was snow.She was raped,and while getting dressed,had accidentally put on a orange sock or was it a red one,allong with her own sock,that was normal color. Anyhow she jumped out and ran,and was shot in the back and left to die in the snow. Later that day,or the next day,another woman was kidnapped,and the same thing happened, she had put on one orange sock too,and was killed. So they found both women,each with the matching sock to each other in their feet. I cant remember all the details, but it was definately on Unsolved Mysteries!