An all-new episode of CBS 48 Hours will examine the brutal murders committed by serial killer William Reece in Texas and Oklahoma in 1997. The episode, titled “The Daughters Who Disappeared,” airs on Saturday, October 21, at 10 p.m. ET.
Starting on April 3, 1997, four victims, including a 12-year-old girl, mysteriously vanished from different areas of Texas. These disappearances occurred over five months and forced civilians to pressure the authorities to find the culprit of these abductions. However, the case took a U-turn when it was revealed that not four but five girls were abducted from the area, and one of them survived.
As soon as the investigations began, the survivor, Sandra Sapaugh, came forward and gave the authorities the description of her kidnapper’s vehicle. The investigators quickly realized that Sapaugh’s description matched the truck that the police had searched in another case. Almost five months after the first murder, a man named William Reece was finally arrested after Sapaugh identified him as her kidnapper. At first, serial killer Willam Reece pleaded not guilty. But as years passed and further evidence was found against him, he admitted that he committed those murders.
All the victims of Texas serial killer William Reece, explored
According to CBS News, the kidnappings started on April 3, 1997, when a 12-year-old girl named Laura Smither vanished in Friendswood, Texas. She went for a morning jog and never returned. Her parents, along with community members, started an extensive search operation to find Laura. However, they were unable to find her. 17 days later, Laura’s decomposed body was found in Pasadena, Texas.
On May 16, 1997, serial killer William Reece abducted another girl named Sandra Sapaugh from Texas. He kept on following her from one place to the other before forcing her into his pickup truck and sexually assaulting her. Reece began driving his truck, and Sapaugh thought that he might kill her. So, she jumped from the fast-moving vehicle and endured serious injuries, making her the only survivor.
The kidnappings and murders kept on happening over the span of five months. Three more girls—Kelli Cox, Tiffany Johnston, and Jessica Cain—were abducted and brutally murdered by serial killer William Reece. The trials began happening in different cases, and William Reece received three life sentences.
