How a serial killer used the highways in Texas and Oklahoma to help him get away with multiple murders

It took greater than 20 years to deliver William Reece to justice for the murders of Laura Smither, Kelli Cox, Tiffany Johnston and Jessica Cain.

October 18, 1996: William Reece is launched from jail    

After serving practically 10 years in jail for sexually assaulting two girls in his native Oklahoma, William Reece was launched from jail within the fall of 1996. After his launch, Reece briefly stayed along with his mom in Anadarko, Okla., earlier than shifting to Harris County, Texas the place he discovered work as a farrier (placing sneakers on horses) and building employee. Reece made frequent journeys between his new dwelling in Texas and his mom’s dwelling in Oklahoma in 1997.

April 3, 1997: Laura Smither disappears in Friendswood, Texas

Laura Smither, a 12-year-old aspiring ballerina, went for a morning jog close to her dwelling in Friendswood, Texas, however by no means returned. As days handed, Homosexual and Bob Smither searched for his or her daughter with the assistance of their neighborhood, hundreds of volunteers and even the US Marines, however nobody was capable of finding a hint of the lacking lady.

April 20, 1997: Laura Smither is discovered

After 17 days of looking out, Laura Smither’s decomposed physique was discovered 12 miles from her dwelling in a Pasadena, Texas, retention pond by a father and son out strolling their canine. After weeks within the water, her reason behind demise was unclear. Regardless of this devastating information, a suspect rapidly emerged. It was William Reece, who labored at a building website simply down the street from the Smither’s Friendswood dwelling. Whereas Reece was on their radar and his truck was search in connection to Laura’s case, police didn’t have sufficient proof to make an arrest on the time, so he remained a free man.

Could 16, 1997: Sandra Sapaugh is kidnapped in Webster, Texas

Sandra Sapaugh, 19, stopped at a comfort retailer close to I-45. Sapaugh says she observed a person watching her within the parking zone and when she noticed him once more on the Waffle Home restaurant throughout the road, he supplied to assist her with a newly found flat tire. Sapaugh was confused by this and says earlier than she knew what was taking place, the stranger compelled her into his white pickup truck and sexually assaulted her. He sped away along with her in his truck and bought on the interstate.  Fearing what may occur to her if she stayed, Sandra jumped from the fast-moving truck into the center of the freeway. Sapaugh was badly damage from the soar, however survived.

July 15, 1997: Kelli Cox goes lacking in Denton, Texas

Kelli Cox, a 20-year-old mom and pupil on the College of Northern Texas, was taking a tour of the Denton police division as part of her legal justice class however left early to take an examination. Shortly after leaving, Cox found that she was locked out of her automotive and used a pay cellphone at a close-by gasoline station to name her boyfriend for assist. However when he confirmed up, Cox was nowhere to be discovered. Later that day, when Kelli failed to choose her toddler up from daycare, Cox’s mom Jan Bynum, says she knew one thing was terribly unsuitable.

Jan Bynum’s Struggle to Discover Kelli

Kelli Cox was a devoted pupil, taking summer season courses and hoped to graduate early with a level in social work. Though Kelli was a younger mom to her daughter Alexis, she embraced it totally. Alexis was Cox’s complete world and Kelli’s mom Jan Bynum knew that Kelli would by no means go away Alexis behind.

Nonetheless, the times of looking out was weeks and regardless of her finest efforts, Bynum could not work out precisely what occurred to her daughter. With no physique and no sturdy leads, the case started to develop chilly.    

July 26, 1997: Tiffany Johnston vanished in Bethany, Oklahoma

Tiffany Johnston was 19 years previous and newly married when she vanished in broad daylight, from a automotive wash in Bethany, Oklahoma. Her ground mats had been nonetheless hanging on the drying racks and keys had been nonetheless within the ignition, however there was no signal of Tiffany and nobody on the automotive wash reported seeing something out of the bizarre that day. Tiffany’s mom Kathy Dobry was left mystified and puzzled what occurred to her youngest daughter.

July 27, 1997: Tiffany Johnston’s physique is found

Only a day after her disappearance, Tiffany Johnson’s partially clothed physique was present in tall grass, subsequent to an unpaved rural street near the interstate. It was simply 15 miles from the automotive wash the place Johnson was final seen alive. She had been strangled and sexually assaulted. Investigators had been in a position to get better the killer’s DNA from Johnson’s physique, however they might not develop a suspect profile from it on the time.

August 17, 1997: Jessica Cain’s truck is present in La Marque, Texas

Simply three weeks after Tiffany Johnston’s homicide, 17-year-old Jessica Cain was final seen leaving a restaurant in Clear Lake, Texas, the place she was out with buddies. When Jessica missed curfew, her father C.H. Cain went out in search of her. After trying to find hours, C.H. Cain discovered his daughter’s truck deserted on the shoulder of I-45 simply a few miles from their dwelling. There was no hint of Jessica and no clues as to the place she was. 

Looking for Jessica Cain

Search events and buddies regarded for any signal of Jessica, however that they had no luck. Homosexual and Bob Smither, who had been nonetheless processing the lack of their very own daughter Laura, simply 4 months earlier, joined the search instantly, saying they felt known as by God to assist.  After weeks of trying to find solutions, as soon as once more, investigators had been left with out leads and Jessica’s case grew chilly.

October 1997: A survivor comes ahead

5 months after Sandra Sapaugh’s abduction, throughout a gathering with Friendswood police, Webster investigators realized that Sapaugh’s description of her kidnapper’s automobile sounded much like the truck Friendswood police had searched in Laura Smither’s case — belonging to Wiliam Reece. On Oct.16, 1997, Reece was pulled in for a lineup and Sapaugh recognized him as her attacker.

Reece was arrested and charged with kidnapping. He pleaded not responsible.

April 29, 1998: The trial for Sandra Sapaugh’s kidnapping begins

When William Reece was placed on trial for the kidnapping of Sandra Sapaugh, his previous got here again to hang-out him.  The jury heard Sandra Sapaugh’s highly effective testimony and his victims from the eighties additionally took the stand and shared how they had been each brutally attacked by Reece in Oklahoma. The jury deliberated for lower than three hours earlier than they discovered Reece responsible. He was sentenced to 60 years in jail.

A second take a look at Tiffany Johnston’s case

In 2012, retired police chief, Lynn Williams had began working for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations (OSBI) and was assigned to Tiffany Johnston’s case.  Williams went by means of the case file methodically, and got here to suppose the crime scene DNA was their finest guess at figuring out Johnston’s killer.

The DNA from Johnston’s physique had already been examined twice, with no outcomes, however with developments in DNA testing, OSBI supervising criminologist Wendy Duke and her crew had been in a position to develop a partial male profile. The crew in contrast this partial profile to the profiles from identified suspects, and eradicated all different suspects, till they bought to William Reece.    

A DNA breakthrough

In December of 2013, a buccal swab was collected from William Reece and despatched to the OSBI for comparability. Along with his DNA in hand, Wendy Duke was lastly in a position to join Reece to the DNA recovered from Tiffany’s physique, and Reece couldn’t be eradicated because the contributor.  On Sept. 22, 2015, an arrest warrant was issued for William Reece by the state of Oklahoma for the homicide and kidnapping of Tiffany Johnston.

Here’s a take a look at the DNA comparability that was run by the OSBI.

February 2016: William Reece agrees to speak

Oklahoma regulation enforcement shared their new DNA discovery with Texas investigators who puzzled if they might get Reece to speak a couple of potential connection to the instances of Laura Smither, Kelli Cox and Jessica Cain.  

Investigators from Texas went to go to Reece in jail, however earlier than he agreed to talk additional, he wished the demise penalty taken off the desk. The Smithers agreed and Jan Bynum agreed; all of them hoped to be taught what occurred to their daughters.

Chilly instances warmth up

Regardless of solely having an settlement to waive the demise penalty for Kelli Cox and Laura Smither’s instances, William Reece ended up confessing to all 4 murders.

March 18, 2016: Jessica Cain’s stays are found

With the assistance of some info from William Reece, after 25 days of digging, Jessica Cain’s stays had been found in a subject on East Orem Drive, close to Pastime Airport.  Jessica Cain’s mother and father requested for privateness whereas they buried their daughter.

April 1, 2016: Kelli Cox’s stays are found

Two weeks after Jessica’s stays had been unearthed, Kelli Cox’s had been present in close by Brazoria County. After so a few years of questioning what occurred to her daughter and Alexis’ mom, Jan Bynum now had solutions.  Kelli’s bracelet was discovered along with her stays, and Jan had it made right into a locket.

Could 18, 2021: Tiffany Johnston’s homicide trial begins

After William Reece led investigators to Kelli Cox and Jessica Cain’s stays, Oklahoma prosecutors wished Reece transported to Oklahoma, so he may face expenses for the homicide and kidnapping of Tiffany Johnston. Though prosecutors had DNA linking him to TJohnson and his confession, Reece entered a plea of not responsible.

After 9 days, the jury deliberated and took lower than two hours to search out Reece responsible of murdering Tiffany Johnston. He was sentenced to demise.

March 8, 2022: William Reece returns to Texas

After being discovered responsible of the homicide of Tiffany Johnston, Reece returned to Texas to face justice within the murders of Laura Smither, Kelli Cox and Jessica Cain.

June 29, 2022: Justice for Laura, Kelli, and Jessica

Twenty-five years after the murders of Laura Smither, Kelli Cox and Jessica Cain, their households lastly bought their day in court docket. William Reece pleaded responsible in Galveston and Brazoria Counties and was given three life sentences: one for every homicide.