130-627: The Texas Killing Fields is a title used to roughly denote the area surrounding the Interstate Highway 45 corridor southeast of Houston , where since the early 1970s, more than 30 bodies have been found, and specifically to a 25- acre patch of land in League City, Texas where four women were found between 1983 and 1991. The bodies along the corridor were mainly of girls or young women. Furthermore, many additional young girls have disappeared from this area who are still missing. Most of
260-670: A plantation economy based on cotton as the commodity crop. Planters had numerous African-American slaves as laborers. By the 1850s, Fort Bend was one of six majority-black counties in Texas. In 1860, the slave population totaled 4,127, more than twice that of the 2,016 whites. Few free Blacks lived there, as Texas refused them entry. While the area began to attract white immigrants in the late 19th century, it remained majority-Black during and after Reconstruction. Whites endeavored to control freedmen and their descendants through violence and intimidation. Freedmen and their sympathizers supported
390-537: A "superhighway" between the cities was first made in 1930, and Houston Mayor Oscar F. Holcombe began to work toward it later that decade. He announced an agreement with the Houston Electric Company on April 12, 1940, through which the company could convert its four remaining lines to busses in exchange for the right-of-way used by the Park Place line. This line was last used on June 9, 1940,
520-408: A commissioners' court. It is composed of four popularly elected county commissioners, one representing each precinct drawn decennially on the basis of population, and a county judge elected to represent the entire county. Other county officials include a sheriff, district attorney, tax assessor-collector, county clerk, district clerk, county treasurer, and county attorney. For decades, Fort Bend County
650-644: A decrease in population. This was a period when many African Americans migrated in the second wave of the Great Migration from Texas and other parts of the South to the West Coast, where a buildup in the defense industry provided more job opportunities. Other minorities settled in the county during its residential development, and African Americans are now a minority. As of the census of 2000, 354,452 people, 110,915 households, and 93,057 families resided in
780-615: A diamond white line at grade separated HOV north to just before exit 84 Loop 336 on the south side of Conroe . This provides constant HOV access with one lane on the northbound side and one lane on the southbound side with periodic dotted lines for access at major exits. The stretch of I-45 along the Julius Schepps Freeway in Dallas, from the Trinity River to Downtown Dallas up to and including I-345 ,
910-410: A group of teenage girls, Bell was confronted by 26-year-old former Marine Larry Dickens. As his mother called the police, Dickens removed the keys from Bell's vehicle and refused to return them. In retaliation, Bell killed him and fled, but was subsequently apprehended by police. He posted bail several weeks later and in order to avoid conviction and further incarceration, he fled Texas and escaped from
1040-431: A hospital district. OakBend Medical Center serves as the county's charity hospital which the county contracts with. School districts in the county include: Kendleton Independent School District , which formerly served parts of the county, closed in 2010 and merged into LCISD. The Texas Legislature assigns these community college districts to the following: Fort Bend County Libraries operates many libraries in
1170-469: A lane drop; the roadway carried six lanes (three in each direction) between Houston and the interchange and four beyond to Galveston. After the new US 75 was completed, the old road between Downtown and South Houston was dropped from the state highway system, while the remainder became SH 3, connecting to the Gulf Freeway via Winkler Drive, effective August 20, 1952. The first major change
1300-472: A large minority middle class started to emerge, Fort Bend was virgin territory that all groups could move to." In 2020 Fort Bend County had the highest percentage of Asian Americans of any county in Texas. In 2019 Indian Americans make up almost 50% of the Asian Americans in the county, with the second and third largest subsets being Chinese Americans and Vietnamese Americans . From 2010 to 2020
1430-423: A letter addressed simply to "Mr. Republican". As the 1960s progressed, though, rapid suburban-style development in west and southwest Houston began to overflow into Fort Bend County, where the development of numerous master-planned communities attracted many upper-middle-class families to developments in the eastern portion of the county. This development, along with the shift of conservative white Democrats towards
SECTION 10
#17327825147631560-602: A major suburban county dominated by service and manufacturing industries. Among the earliest such developments were Sugar Land's Sugar Creek and Missouri City's Quail Valley , whose golf course hosted the Houston Open during the 1973 and 1974 seasons of the PGA Tour . Another was First Colony in Sugar Land, a 9,700-acre development commenced in the 1970s by Houston developer Gerald D. Hines that eventually became
1690-474: A median household income of $ 95,389 and a median family income of $ 105,944, surpassing Collin and Rockwall Counties since the 2000 census. Before European settlement, the area was inhabited by Karankawa Indians. Spanish colonists generally did not reach the area during their colonization, settling more in South Texas. After Mexico achieved independence from Spain, Anglo-Americans started entering from
1820-651: A nearby lake upon leaving a local bar, but he further stated that she had accidentally drowned while in the water. He then claimed to have disposed of her body out of fear of being accused of foul play . At the time, since her cause of death could not be ascertained, in 1996, Hedrick was convicted of abusing her corpse and was sentenced to a year in jail. In 2011, Hedrick's ex-wife approached authorities and said that Hedrick had frequently made incriminating remarks regarding Beason's death. This information, along with Beason's second autopsy, resulted in authorities getting an arrest warrant and charging Clyde with murder in 2014. Hedrick
1950-592: A new interchange with NASA Road 1 , began in mid-2007. Widening of the freeway between Kurland Drive at Bay Area Boulevard began in July 2011. This construction will expand the number of freeway lanes from six to ten and increase the number of frontage lanes from four to six. The HOV lane will be extended to the southern end of the construction. It will also involve rebuilding the overpasses at Dixie Farm Road and Clear Lake City Boulevard. (Dixie Farm Road bridge demolition has already been completed.) According to TxDOT,
2080-441: A potential expansion of Sugar Land Regional Airport. In contrast to greater Houston in general, Fort Bend County's economy is more diverse, with numerous service-sector jobs in healthcare, energy, education, hospitality, and other areas. Major companies with a presence in the county include Schlumberger , Minute Maid , Fluor , and Sunoco 's logistics operations in Sugar Land. The Houston Business Journal reported in 2010 that
2210-511: A previous criminal record that included charges of trespassing, theft, abuse of a corpse , attempted arson , possession of marijuana , driving while intoxicated and sexual assault . Hedrick allegedly made a jailhouse confession to murdering Miller and Villarreal-Fye. Suspected serial killer Clyde Edwin Hedrick was brought in for questioning in 1985 in relation to Beason's suspicious death; he admitted that both of them had gone swimming in
2340-517: A prime suspect until his death in April 2019. In 2013, Mark Roland Stallings, a convicted kidnapper serving a life term, confessed to killing a girl, later identified as Donna Prudhomme, in 1991 and dumping her body in the fields. At the time of the murder, Stallings was living and working in League City near the homes of some of the girls who went missing and were subsequently found dead. Despite
2470-513: A property near the beach in Galveston, where he was a silent partner of a surf shop. He even knew two of the victims, Debbie Ackerman and Maria Johnson, who frequented the store. In the mid-1970s, he acquired a plot of land in Dickinson and lived near the place where two more victims, Brooks Bracewell and Georgia Geer, were last seen alive. In 1978, while masturbating on the street in front of
2600-477: A proposed state highway. I-45 and I-345 were built and opened in the 1970s, with the final section, between Lamar Street (exit 283A) and the Central Expressway (exit 283B), opening on February 25, 1976. At the north end, before it merged into the Central Expressway (which continued to carry US 75), I-345 straddled the bridges over Bryan Street and Ross Avenue, the latter the location of
2730-417: A thousand residents, including 919 units in 16 apartment complexes, 160 single-family homes, five places of worship, and two schools. An apartment complex was acquired and vacated by TxDOT, which plans to demolish it for the expansion. TxDOT was heavily criticized for this planned demolition, as the apartment complex slated for demolition had been described as an example of good urban planning. Parts of
SECTION 20
#17327825147632860-587: Is Sugar Land . The largest city by population in the county is Houston ; however, most of Houston's population is located in neighboring Harris County. Fort Bend County is included in the Houston – The Woodlands –Sugar Land metropolitan statistical area . As of the 2020 census , the population was 822,779. In 2017, Forbes ranked it the fifth-fastest growing county in the United States. In 2015, Fort Bend County became Texas's wealthiest county, with
2990-525: Is Houston's William P. Hobby Airport in Harris County. Fort Bend County is also within the primary service area of George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. Fort Bend County officially created a department of public transportation in 2005 that provides commuter buses to Uptown , Greenway Plaza , and Texas Medical Center . It also provides demand-and-response buses to senior citizens and
3120-598: Is elevated above the surrounding areas for most of its length. As such, when ice storms hit the Dallas area (usually on average one to two times per year), the freeway is shut down, and traffic is diverted to SH 310 and US 175 , which parallel I-45. In the initial assignment of state highways in 1917, the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex and Greater Houston were connected by a branch of SH 2 ( Meridian Highway ), which ran via Waco and Bryan and continued on to Galveston. The more direct route followed by I-45
3250-549: Is often considered a swing county, with election results usually tilting more Democratic than statewide results, which continue to favor Republicans. Elections within the county are often decided by margins in more Republican-leaning areas in Sugar Land, Rosenberg, and Sienna, with Republicans dominating in the Katy, Fulshear, and rural southern areas of the county and Democrats in the county's northeast corner around Missouri City and Fresno, as well as heavily Hispanic Mission Bend. Since
3380-593: Is the wealthiest county in Texas, with a median household income of $ 95,389 and a median family income of $ 105,944, having surpassed Collin and Rockwall Counties since the 2000 census. However, the Council for Community and Economic Research ranked Fort Bend County America's third-wealthiest county when the local cost of living was factored in. This estimate does not include property taxes and local taxes, as effective tax rates and home insurance were not measured. Along with other Texas counties, Fort Bend County has one of
3510-601: The Greater Katy area began to experience rapid growth and expansion into Fort Bend County in the 1990s, led by the development of Cinco Ranch . By 2010, the county's population exceeded 500,000, and it had become the second-largest county in the greater Houston area (behind Harris County). In 2017, Hurricane Harvey caused significant flooding in Fort Bend County, leading to the evacuation of 200,000 residents and over 10,000 rescues. The unprecedented flooding,
3640-671: The Gulf of Mexico that the highway would reach when completed. The freeway was extended to Griggs Road in February 1951 and Reveille Street (onto which SH 35 was realigned) in July 1951 and was completed to the Galveston Causeway on August 2, 1952, with a ceremony on the bridge over FM 517 near Dickinson . However, beyond Reveille Street, the road was not built to freeway standards, with 32 at-grade intersections , though no traffic signals . The highway curved away from
3770-554: The Sam Houston Tollway (Beltway 8), meeting the north end of SH 3 in southeastern Houston . (This part of SH 3—on Winkler Drive and Monroe Road—is not part of old US 75.) A center reversible HOV lane begins just south of the Sam Houston Tollway. In Houston, I-45 meets I-610 and SH 35 at a complicated interchange . At the merge with Spur 5 , a short freeway spur to
3900-637: The Texas Transportation Commission signed an agreement with Houston and Harris County , referred to the new bypass as a relocation of US 75. Drawings were released by the state on January 31, 1946, and included almost continuous frontage roads , broken only at railroad crossings. Although the freeway ended at Live Oak Street, a so-called "four-street distribution system" of four one-way streets , timed for 30 mph (48 km/h), carried traffic to Main Street. Initially,
4030-598: The University of Houston , elevated collector–distributor roads (also part of Spur 5) begin. The collector–distributor roads and the HOV lane end at Emancipation Avenue, the original end of the Gulf Freeway. Just past Emancipation Avenue is an interchange with I-69 / US 59 (Eastex and Southwest freeways) and SH 288 (South Freeway), after which I-45 technically becomes the North Freeway as it runs along
Texas Killing Fields - Misplaced Pages Continue
4160-462: The 1955 freeway in the Allen Parkway interchange, passing east of Houston Avenue, and connected to an already-built portion at I-610 . The six-lane Pierce Elevated, which occupies half a block on the southwest side of Pierce Street, required the acquisition of a number of commercial properties; the cost prevented the full block from being used. This portion opened on August 18, 1967, connecting
4290-572: The 1959 segment in February 1963, and north to the 1960 segment in March 1963, completing the North Freeway except for the Pierce Elevated (1967). The freeway as initially built had eight lanes (four in each direction) between Downtown and I-610, six to FM 1960 , and four north of FM 1960. Like the Gulf Freeway, the North Freeway soon became congested . The oil boom of the 1970s resulted in large-scale residential development along
4420-430: The 1970s, Fort Bend County has been attracting people from all ethnic backgrounds. According to a 2001 Claritas study, it was the fifth-most diverse U.S. county, among counties with a population of 100,000 or more. It is one of a growing number of U.S. counties with an ethnic plurality , with no single ethnic group forming a majority of the population. Fort Bend County also has the highest percentage of Asian Americans in
4550-545: The 1994 election of a Republican county judge to the commissioners' court for the first time since Reconstruction. As of 2019, five of Fort Bend County's eight countywide offices, including two precinct-level positions, are held by Republicans. The remaining three are held by Democrats. With growing populations of minorities and more socially moderate suburban voters who often break Republican on fiscal and economic issues, Fort Bend County has recently become more competitive. In 2008, Democrat Barack Obama came very close to winning
4680-663: The Dallas area, north of the interchanges with I-20 and SH 310 (old US 75), is the Julius Schepps Freeway . The Gulf Freeway and North Freeway both include reversible high-occupancy vehicle lane (HOV lanes) for busses and other HOVs to and from Downtown. The freeway is the subject of ongoing controversy and federal investigation due to a proposed expansion project in Harris County , which would displace hundreds of people from their homes and worsen air quality. The local authorities have opposed
4810-599: The Downtown section was extended north to meet it. As each section opened, US 75 was moved to it, temporarily using I-610 to Airline Drive for about a year. At the other end, US 75 was upgraded from Spring Creek at the north edge of Spring north to the San Jacinto River south of Conroe in 1960. In between, the upgrade was completed from FM 525 to near Richey Road in December 1961, south to
4940-596: The Fort Bend County Commissioners' Court. In 2018, significant enthusiasm for U.S. Senate candidate Beto O' Rourke and strong Democratic infrastructure resulted in Democratic control of the commissioners' court (including county judge) and a number of countywide administrative and judicial posts, with Fort Bend Independent School District board trustee K.P. George becoming Texas's first Asian-American county judge. Today, Fort Bend County
5070-463: The Gulf Freeway. It was the first freeway built in Texas —opened in stages beginning on October 1, 1948, up to a full completion to Galveston in 1952, as part of US 75 . At the north (Houston) end, it connects to the North Freeway via the short Pierce Elevated, completed in 1967. The section north of the curve near SH 3 /Monroe Road in southeastern Houston was built on the right-of-way of
5200-460: The Gulf and North Freeways and bypassing the "four-street distribution system", which remains in its original form to this day. The first piece of the North Freeway to be built outside I-610 was an upgrade of existing US 75 on Stuebner Airline Road, between Airline and Shepherd drives, opened in December 1959. In April 1961, this was completed to the interchange with I-610, and, on July 24, 1962,
5330-637: The Jaybirds ordered a list of certain Blacks and Woodpecker officials out of the county, overthrowing the local government. The Jaybirds took over county offices and established a "White-only pre-primary," disenfranchising African Americans from the only competitive contests in the county. This device lasted until 1950, when Willie Melton and Arizona Fleming won a lawsuit against the practice in United States District Court , though it
Texas Killing Fields - Misplaced Pages Continue
5460-731: The North Freeway from Downtown to the Sam Houston Tollway began. The plan for the project is to widen the freeway by adding managed lanes and adding the North Shepherd on- and offramps also known as Spur 261 (which was already completed) prior to the I-45 widening project. This project has generated major controversy, with proponents claiming it would "enhance safety and mobility", while opponents point out that it would worsen air quality and greenhouse gas emissions, displace hundreds of people, and fail to meaningfully address congestion. Authorities in Harris County have sued TxDOT to stop
5590-719: The Republican Party because of emancipation, electing their candidates to office. The state legislature was still predominately white. By the 1880s, most white residents belonged to the Democratic Party. Factional tensions were fierce, as political elements split largely along racial lines. The Jaybirds, representing the majority of the Whites, struggled to regain control from the Woodpeckers, who were made up of some whites who were consistently elected to office by
5720-561: The Republican Party in the wake of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 , led to increased support for the GOP in the following years. Richard Nixon narrowly carried the county in 1968, making it the only county in greater Houston outside of Harris County to go Republican that year, and carried it again in 1972. In 1976, conservative physician Ron Paul of Brazoria County, noted for his opposition to most government programs, which earned him
5850-622: The Richmond-Rosenberg area. Fort Bend County is also a major service area for the Houston Chronicle , which provides separate local coverage for the Sugar Land and Katy areas. The sole publicly owned airport in the county is Sugar Land Regional Airport in Sugar Land . Privately owned airports for public use include: Privately owned for private use: The closest airport with regularly scheduled commercial service
5980-540: The Southern United States; the largest groups are of Vietnamese , Chinese , Indian , and Filipino ancestry. By 2011, Fort Bend was ranked the fourth-most racially diverse county in the United States by USA Today . The newspaper based the ranking on calculating the probability that two persons selected at random would be of different ethnic groups or races. According to the USA Today methodology,
6110-540: The United States, evading police for more than two decades. In 1993, he was arrested in Panama and extradited back to the United States, where he was subsequently convicted of Dickens' murder and received a 70-year sentence. In 1998, Bell wrote several letters to the Harris County Attorney, confessing to the murders of five girls in 1971 and six more between 1974 and 1977. He stated that he did not remember
6240-695: The Woodall Rodgers Freeway) to connect to I-35E at the north end of I-345. The portion of I-45 between Downtown and Galveston is known to Houston residents as the Gulf Freeway . The short elevated section of I-45, which forms the southern boundary of Downtown, is known as the Pierce Elevated after the surface street next to which the freeway runs, while north of I-10 it is known as the North Freeway . I-45 and I-345 in
6370-426: The bodies, how they were killed, and various other details. Three years later, in 1976, Don Morris and his deputy, Tommy Deal, were arrested and convicted of various crimes, including torture and other misconduct against detainees. Morris was sentenced to 55 years, while Deal to 30. After this, Self regularly applied for an appeal, but was rejected every time. Michael Self died on December 21, 2000, still in custody. It
6500-538: The bypass around Corsicana , which was built c. 1964 . This freeway was mostly built along the existing US 75; one of the projects in Navarro County , near Corsicana, was the first Interstate project in Texas approved under the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 . It was not until 1964 that I-345, extending I-45 north along the proposed Central Expressway bypass, was added as
6630-578: The chance of people of being two different ethnic groups/races being selected was 75%. Karl Eschbach, a former demographer with the State of Texas, has said that many people from Houston neighborhoods and communities with clear racial identities, such as the East End , Sunnyside , and the Third Ward , moved to suburban areas that were too new to have established racial identities. Eschbach explained, "[a]s
SECTION 50
#17327825147636760-484: The completion of the Gulf Freeway as an actual freeway. As the first freeway in Texas, the standards of the Gulf Freeway soon became inadequate, with poor sight lines and little room to merge when entering. It also attracted development, such as Gulfgate Center , the first mall in the Houston area, the Manned Spacecraft Center , and many residential developments . Heavy congestion began to affect
6890-415: The connecting ramps south of Allen Parkway would become a second downtown spur, which will result in the demise of a full freeway loop around Downtown. As of 2018 , there are no plans to place the Pierce Elevated in a tunnel similar to Spur 366 in Dallas since Greater Houston is prone to flooding, especially in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey . The last alignment of US 75 before the North Freeway
7020-471: The county, with 48.6% of the vote to Republican John McCain 's 50.9%. In 2016, Hillary Clinton became the first Democrat to carry the county since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, largely due to the unpopularity of Republican nominee Donald Trump , with many voters splitting their tickets between Clinton and Republicans for other offices; Republicans won every elected countywide office by a margin similar to Clinton's, while also defeating an incumbent Democrat on
7150-459: The county. According to the 2008 American Community Survey, the median income for a household in the county was $ 81,456, and for a family was $ 90,171. Males had a median income of $ 54,139 versus $ 41,353 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 30,862. About 5.50% of families and 7.10% of the population were below the poverty line , including 8.50% of those under age 18 and 9.40% of those age 65 or over. As of 2006, Fort Bend County
7280-821: The county. Houston Public Library operates one branch in the county, the Stimley Blue Ridge Neighborhood Library in Blue Ridge, Houston . Local newspapers in the county include three weeklies: the Fort Bend Star , headquartered in Stafford ; the Fort Bend Independent ; and the Fort Bend Sun , headquartered in Sugar Land. The daily Fort Bend Herald and Texas Coaster focuses on news coverage in
7410-671: The county. Source: The Fort Bend County Jail is at 1410 Richmond Parkway in Richmond . Texas Department of Criminal Justice operates the following facilities in Fort Bend County, all at the Jester State Prison Farm site: Prisons for men: Other facilities: The TDCJ announced that the Central Unit in Sugar Land was closing in 2011. The City of Sugar Land is exploring the property for future economic development, including light industrial uses, as well as
7540-423: The county. The population density was 405 people per square mile (156 people/km ). The 115,991 housing units averaged 133 units per square mile (51/km ). The racial or ethnic makeup of the county was 56.96% White (46.21% White non-Hispanic), 19.85% Black or African American, 0.30% Native American, 11.20% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 9.10% from other races, and 2.56% from two or more races. About 21.12% of
7670-830: The diversity of industries promoted decades of rapid population growth. After Memorial Hermann Hospital and St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital opened facilities in Fort Bend County, already home to local facilities for Houston Methodist Hospital in Sugar Land, as well as locally based OakBend Medical Center in Richmond, many doctors moved their offices to the county. Compared to Montgomery County, which has experienced rapid growth in corporate employment following ExxonMobil's decision to move its greater Houston operations to an area directly south of The Woodlands, Fort Bend County has yet to experience significant corporate growth, though Schlumberger recently announced plans to move its North American headquarters to Sugar Land. The county does not have
7800-552: The east. In 1822, a group of Stephen F. Austin 's colonists, headed by William Travis, built a fort at the present site of Richmond. The fort was called Fort Bend because it was built in the bend of the Brazos River. The city of Richmond was incorporated under the Republic of Texas along with 19 other towns in 1837. Fort Bend County was created from parts of Austin, Harris, and Brazoria Counties in 1838. Fort Bend developed
7930-462: The end of construction on the Gulf Freeway. The highway beyond I-610 to FM 1959, which had just been upgraded in the 1950s and 1960s, saw an extension of the transitway to a temporary end near FM 1959, widening to eight lanes, and a large stack interchange at the Sam Houston Tollway . This reconstruction was completed between Almeda-Genoa Road and College Avenue in 1991, between College Avenue and Sims Bayou in 1994, and, finally in 1997, there
SECTION 60
#17327825147638060-494: The entire route located within Texas. Additionally, it has the shortest length of all the primary Interstates that have numbers ending in a "5". It connects the cities of Dallas and Houston , continuing southeast from Houston to Galveston over the Galveston Causeway to the Gulf of Mexico . I-45 replaced U.S. Highway 75 (US 75) over its entire length, although portions of US 75 remained parallel to I-45 until its elimination south of Downtown Dallas in 1987. At
8190-839: The expansion project, while the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) supports expansion, and negotiations are pending. The project's estimated cost is at least $ 9.7 billion and is expected to take at least two decades to complete. In addition to the official control cities of Galveston , Houston , and Dallas , I-45 serves a number of other communities, including La Marque , League City , Spring , The Woodlands , Conroe , Willis , Huntsville , Madisonville , Centerville , Buffalo , Fairfield , Corsicana , and Ennis . US 190 joins I-45 for 26 miles (42 km) from Huntsville to Madisonville. US 287 joins I-45 for 18 miles (29 km) from Corsicana to Ennis. US 287 signs are only posted (with I-45) from
8320-430: The expansion, and the federal government has investigated the expansion project to determine whether it violates any civil rights or environmental laws. Among others, the expansion has been opposed by U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee and Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo . If completed, the highway's width will double to 480 feet (150 m), wider than a football field. The highway expansion would displace around
8450-503: The fact that his testimony shows great consistency with details, he has not been charged with any murders, but remains a suspect in the murders of Donna Prudhomme and Audrey Cook, as well as two unrelated murders in Fort Bend County . Clyde Hedrick was named as a suspect in the 2022 documentary series Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields . Hedrick was released from jail in 2021 after he was sentenced to 20 years in prison for
8580-426: The film Texas Killing Fields , commented: "You could actually see the refineries that are in the south end of League City. You could see I-45. But if you yelled, no one would necessarily hear you. And if you ran, there wouldn't necessarily be anywhere to go." A task force composed of local law enforcement officials and FBI agents, called Operation HALT (Homicide/Abduction Liaison Team), has been formed to investigate
8710-566: The first freeways in the state: the Gulf Freeway (Houston) and the Central Expressway (Dallas). The Galveston–Houston Electric Railway began operating an interurban between those cities on December 5, 1911, and last ran on October 31, 1936, though the Houston Electric Company , operator of Houston's city transit system, continued to run trains on the portion between Downtown and Park Place . A proposal for
8840-461: The following roads: The I-45 North Freeway HOV begins in downtown Houston near the University of Houston–Downtown , with easy access inbound on Milam Street and outbound on Travis Street. Ramps and entrances are provided for access from the following roads. All are fully accessible. The HOV ends approximately one mile (1.6 km) north of the FM ;1960 (Cypress Creek Parkway) exit and becomes
8970-573: The former Galveston–Houston Electric Railway , which entered downtown on Pierce Street. After several interchanges , I-45 crosses the Galveston Causeway and passes Tiki Island . Old US 75 south of this junction was upgraded on the spot. The Gulf Freeway generally parallels SH 3 (old US 75) about one mile (1.6 km) to the west, bypassing La Marque , Dickinson , and South Houston . It includes interchanges with several other freeways: FM 1764 (Emmett F. Lowry Expressway), State Highway NASA Road 1 (NASA Road 1), and
9100-551: The freeway are paralleled by the METRORail Red Line . The first part of I-45 between Conroe and Richland was the bypass around Huntsville . The final piece of I-45 between the cities opened on October 13, 1971, for 12 miles (19 km) between Fairfield and Streetman . The Central Expressway was the first freeway in Dallas , built as a new alignment of US 75. It first opened between San Jacinto Street and Fitzhugh Avenue in 1949 and soon stretched south to Hutchins . The stretch through downtown, however, ran along
9230-419: The freeway by the early 1960s; two roughly parallel freeways—the Harrisburg and Alvin freeways—were proposed at that time to relieve the traffic but were not built. A short project to widen the road to six lanes between I-610 and Sims Bayou was completed in 1960, and ramp meters were installed in 1966. The I-610 interchange was rebuilt with direct connections for most movements in 1975. Plans to reconstruct
9360-542: The freeway near Downtown began in 1972, taking about 170 houses and 22 businesses from the southwest side for the room to expand the main lanes and add parallel lanes for the Alvin Freeway. Local opposition was unsuccessful at stopping the project, and construction on this segment, and others to the southeast, took place in the 1980s. The lanes were shifted outward to make room for the transitway, which opened to I-610 on May 16, 1988. These lanes were inspired by
9490-414: The highway, most notably The Woodlands . Since the corridor was strongly directional, with 65 percent of peak-hour traffic going in the peak direction, a 9.6-mile (15.4 km) contraflow lane for busses and other HOVs was implemented later that decade, opening on August 28, 1979, between Downtown and Shepherd Drive (exit 56B). The facility, operating during both rush-hour periods, occupied
9620-484: The incidents. Confirmed or suspected victims, listed chronologically: In 1972, a gas station operator and convicted sex offender from Galveston, Michael Lloyd Self, became a suspect in the murders of Rhonda Johnson and Sharon Shaw. After hours of interrogation, Self confessed to the murders. He was taken to the district prison, later aiding with locating the bodies. In the following months, he retracted his confession, claiming that he had been tortured into confessing, with
9750-414: The interrogators suffocating him with a plastic bag, burning him with cigarette butts and a radiator, as well as being assaulted by the police chief, Don Morris. Nevertheless, on September 18, 1974, Self was convicted of killing Shaw and received a life imprisonment term, despite the fact that his confessions showed great discrepancies concerning the victims' clothing, the date of the murders, the locations of
9880-687: The last day of streetcar service in Houston; the replacement is still operated by the Houston Metro as the 40 along Telephone Road. Before the new highway was built, US 75 followed Galveston Road (now mostly SH 3 ), Broadway Street, and Harrisburg Boulevard into Downtown. SH 225 carried traffic from La Porte along La Porte Road to US 75 in Harrisburg , and SH 35 connected Alvin with Downtown along Telephone Road and Leeland Street. Plans made in October 1943, when
10010-403: The leftmost lane of the other direction and was separated from the other lanes with a movable pylon every 40 feet (12 m). In 1980, the existing center breakdown lanes were restriped for HOV traffic for about two miles (3.2 km) from the north end of the contraflow lane. Off-peak traffic, however, was increasing, and construction began in 1983 on a more permanent reversible transitway in
10140-558: The majority of African Americans, as several had served as Republican officials during Reconstruction. Fort Bend County was the site of the Jaybird–Woodpecker War in 1888–89. After a few murders were committed, the political feud culminated in a gun battle at the courthouse on August 16, 1889, when several more people were killed and the Woodpeckers were routed from the county seat. Governor Lawrence Sullivan Ross sent in militia forces and declared martial law. With his support,
10270-489: The median. Thus, the second transitway in Houston (a month after the one on the Katy Freeway ), opened on November 23, 1984, replacing the contraflow lane. Reconstruction of the mainlanes and frontage roads to handle increased traffic began in 1982 just north of Downtown. No lanes were added south of I-610, but the eight-lane cross-section, with room for a transitway, was continued north as construction progressed. Work
10400-578: The mid-1980s, but both vehemently denied any involvement. King died from natural causes behind bars in October 2015, while Zwarst died in prison in November 2020. In April 2012, sixteen years after Krystal Jean Baker's beaten, raped, and strangled body was found, Kevin Edison Smith was arrested and convicted of murdering her. In 2009, Smith had been arrested on a drug charge in Louisiana . At about
10530-473: The movie and go, 'Oh, I remember when someone went down in the fields, and I remember a certain car and a certain person seemed a bit dodgy.' Maybe a family can then know what happened to their daughter." Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields , a three-part miniseries about the Texas Killing Fields, was released on Netflix in November 2022. The series was directed by Jessica Dimmock . It
10660-601: The movie. Janet Miller, mother of victim Laura Miller, said in an interview with the Dallas Morning News that she was angry at first about the film, stating "I was upset because no one notified me. The parents should know what's going on." Tim Miller, the father of Laura Miller, said he saw the film for what the filmmakers intended — to raise awareness about the crimes and to generate new tips. In an interview with CBS News for 48 Hours , actor Sam Worthington said, "People — you never know — might just go and see
10790-438: The murder of Ellen Beason in 1984. Following his release, Hedrick has been living in a halfway house and in July 2022, Tim Miller , father of victim Laura Miller and founder of Texas EquuSearch , won $ 24 million in liability and damages after filing a 2014 wrongful death lawsuit against Hedrick, who was his former neighbour. Hedrick had been found civilly liable for Laura Miller's death but was not criminally charged. Hedrick had
10920-459: The names of most of his victims, but confidently stated that he had killed Debbie Ackerman, Maria Johnson, Colette Wilson and Kimberly Pitchford, as well as two other girls whom he had abducted from Webster in August 1971, later identified as Rhonda Johnson and Sharon Shaw. Despite this, Bell was never charged with these murders, since no evidence, biological or otherwise, incriminated him. He remained
11050-541: The nation's highest property-tax rates. In 2007, it was ranked fifth in the nation for property taxes as a percentage of the homes' value on owner-occupied housing. The list includes only counties with a population over 65,000. Fort Bend County also ranked in the top 100 in property taxes paid and percentage of taxes of income. Part of this is due to Texas's complex Robin Hood plan school financing law. County politics in Fort Bend County, as in all Texas counties, center around
11180-571: The new North Freeway. A median barrier was added in 1956 to prevent crossover accidents . Southeast of Downtown, the at-grade intersections proved dangerous, and only two had been replaced with interchanges by 1959, when the Texas Highway Department began a program to upgrade the road to full freeway standards. Frontage roads would be required along the entire highway, since the state had not purchased access rights, and so abutting property owners were able to build driveways to
11310-520: The nickname "Dr. No", captured the 22nd district in the United States House of Representatives in a special election, before narrowly losing re-election in the November election in which Gerald Ford also won Fort Bend, despite losing Texas to Jimmy Carter . Beginning in 1978, Republicans began to win several offices within the county, with William P. Clements carrying the county in his successful run for governor. That same year, Paul
11440-686: The northern end of Business I-45-F (Bus. I-45-F) in Corsicana to the Ellis County line. I-45 gained notoriety during Hurricane Rita in 2005. Thousands of Houston area evacuees jammed the roadway trying to leave. As a result, the freeway became a parking lot. Gas stations ran dry and hundreds of people's cars simply ran empty, their occupants having to spend the night along the shoulder. Four-hour drives suddenly became 24-hour drives. Even though TxDOT started contraflow lane reversal at Farm to Market Road 1488 (FM 1488), it did not alleviate
11570-418: The northwest half of the block between Pierce Street and Gray Street as the Pierce Elevated. The reversible HOV lane begins in Downtown at the intersection of St. Joseph Parkway and Emancipation Avenue, with easy access inbound to St. Joseph Parkway and outbound from Pierce Street. It runs down the median of the Gulf Freeway, mostly at the same level as the mainlanes. Ramps are provided for access to and from
11700-408: The old interurban right-of-way near Monroe Road, about where the Park Place streetcar line had ended. In December 1952, a short spur, now part of I-610 , was opened to connect with SH 225. A three-way split in the northwest part of Park Place, near where Gulfgate Shopping Center opened in 1956, carried nonstop traffic to and from SH 35 and SH 225. This split was also the location of
11830-488: The opening ceremonies in 1949. Because of their location, these two bridges were not replaced in the 1990s reconstruction of the North Central Expressway and are the only surviving grade separations from the initial construction north from downtown. At the time the interchange with I-20 was built, the freeway that crossed I-45 was then a part of I-635 ; it would not be until later when, initially, I-20
11960-509: The overpass over Calhoun Road by the University of Houston . The roadway between Downtown and Telephone Road was opened to traffic after speeches but lacked an official name, being called the "Interurban Expressway", after the rail line that it replaced, by the press. Mayor Holcombe quickly started a contest to assign a name, and the city chose the winning entry on December 17, 1948. Sara Yancy of Houston Heights won $ 100 (equivalent to $ 1,268 in 2023 ) for her submission of "Gulf Freeway", named for
12090-585: The passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the federal government has enforced it by regularly reviewing voting patterns and local practices, and plaintiffs have sometimes sued state or local governments over discriminatory practices. In April 2009, as part of a settlement with the United States Department of Justice , officials of Fort Bend County agreed to increase assistance to Spanish-speaking Latino voters in elections held in
12220-540: The percentage of non-Hispanic white people declined by 4.8%, the Asian American community grew by 83,167 (83.7% increase), the percentage of Hispanic people increased by 42.9% and the percentage of black people increased by 35.9%. Fort Bend County also has the highest percentage of Filipino Americans in the Greater Houston area and in state of Texas. Filipinos are also the fourth largest Asian subset in
12350-410: The police that he had hidden the body in one of the fields, where the other bodies were found. Both men were asked to indicate the whereabouts of Sikes' body in exchange for avoiding life sentences, but their directions failed to uncover it. King and Zwarst were convicted of aggravated kidnapping, and received life imprisonment sentences in 1998. They were also probed for other such crimes committed during
12480-479: The population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Other self-identifications were 8.8% of German ancestry, 6.3% American, and 5.8% English ancestry. In 2000, of the 110,915 households, 49.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.80% were married couples living together, 11.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.10% were not families. About 13.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.10% had someone living alone who
12610-471: The project is approximately 15 miles (24 km) in length, starting at Kurland and ending approximately one mile (1.6 km) south of Bay Area Boulevard. The project has six phases. Phase one is the reconstruction of the mainlanes from the northern end of the project to just south of FM 1959. The end of this phase will include the demolition and reconstruction of the bridge at the FM 1959 intersection. Phase two, planned to begin in mid-2012, will be
12740-400: The reconstruction of the frontage roads from just south of FM 1959 to the southern end of the project. Phase three will be the reconstruction of the mainlanes on the southern half of the project and is planned to begin in mid-2013. Phase four, scheduled to start late 2014, will be the demolition and reconstruction of the overpass at Clear Lake City Boulevard. Phase five (which was completed)
12870-509: The result of record rainfall and overflow from the Brazos River and Barker Reservoir , resulted in damage to or destruction of over 6,800 homes in the county. According to the United States Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 885 square miles (2,290 km ), of which 24 square miles (62 km ) (2.7%) are covered by water. From 1930 to 1950, the county showed a decline in the rate of expansion and even
13000-497: The right side, and long-range plans call for the demolition of the outdated Pierce Elevated, with the reroute of I-45 being along I-69 / US 59 and I-10 / US 90 to the North Freeway. The parts of the Gulf Freeway at I-10 and I-45 will be known as the Downtown Connector. If I-45 was rerouted and the Pierce Elevated demolished (and/or redeveloped into the proposed Pierce SkyPark as part of additional greenspace),
13130-515: The road. To accomplish this, traffic was shifted to the newly built frontage roads so that the central main lanes could be reconstructed. This grade separation was completed from Houston to Almeda-Genoa Road (exit 34) in June 1959, FM 1959 (exit 30) in October 1964, FM 518 (exit 23) in December 1970, and FM 1764 (exit 15) in 1976. As the section beyond FM 1764 into Galveston had already been rebuilt, this marked
13260-427: The same time, a detective tested Baker's dress for DNA . A match was confirmed, using advanced technology that was not available at the time of Krystal's disappearance. A jury deliberated for about 30 minutes and found Smith guilty. He was sentenced to life in prison. In May 1997, William Lewis Reece was arrested for the kidnapping and attempted murder of 19-year-old Sandra Sapaugh from Webster . The following year, he
13390-509: The section through The Woodlands to Research Forest Drive (exit 77) was completed in 2001, including a direct connection to Woodlands Parkway, and, in 2003, work was completed to FM 1488 (exit 81). Construction is now complete between FM 1488 to the Walker County line near milepost 100 just south of the northbound truck weigh station and New Waverly , near SH 75 (exit 98). As of 2015 , widening of
13520-695: The similar ones on the Henry G. Shirley Memorial Highway in the Washington metropolitan area . That year also marked the end of the reconstruction inside I-610, along with the elevated distribution lanes alongside the mainlanes near Downtown; the first short piece of the Alvin Freeway was finally connected to these in 1999. This project gave I-45 its current configuration, mostly eight mainlanes wide, from Sims Bayou past I-610 to Griggs Road in 1981, to Telephone Road in 1982, to Lockwood Drive in 1985, and, finally, to Downtown in 1988. These projects, however, were not
13650-623: The south end of I-45, State Highway 87 (SH 87, formerly part of US 75) continues into downtown Galveston. The north end is at I-30 in Downtown Dallas, where US 75 used the Good-Latimer Expressway . A short continuation, known by traffic reporters as the I-45 overhead, signed as part of US 75 and also part of unsigned I-345 , continues north to the merge with the current end of US 75. Traffic can use Spur 366 (better known locally as
13780-410: The southwest Greater Houston area's main retail hub, anchored by First Colony Mall and Sugar Land Town Square . Since the 1980s, new communities have continued to develop, with Greatwood , New Territory , and Sienna (originally Sienna Plantation) among the more recent notable developments. In addition to continued development in the eastern part of the county around Sugar Land and Missouri City,
13910-488: The surface, as did the part south of the bridge over the Trinity River , due to diversion of funds to the north portion. By the late 1950s, a bypass to the east of the downtown section was planned. By the time construction reached Hutchins, in about 1955, the state decided to build further segments to full freeway standards. By 1961, the freeway was complete between Hutchins and the SH ;14 split at Richland , except for
14040-405: The traffic jam deep into the city, as that starting point was even north of The Woodlands, which is close to Conroe, the northern terminus of Greater Houston . At just 284.91 miles (458.52 km), I-45 is the shortest of the primary Interstates (ending in 0 or 5) and the only primary Interstate to be entirely inside of one state. The stretch of I-45 connecting Galveston with Houston is known as
14170-441: The two southwestern streets—Pierce Street and Calhoun Avenue (now St. Joseph Parkway)—carried traffic toward the freeway, and the other two—Jefferson and Pease streets—carried exiting traffic; once the freeway was completed far enough to allow US 75 to be marked along it, Pease and Pierce streets carried that highway to Fannin Street. The first freeway dedication in the state took place at 7:00 pm on September 30, 1948, at
14300-495: The victims were aged between 12 and 25 years. Some shared similar physical features, such as similar hairstyles. Despite efforts by the League City, Texas police, along with the assistance of the FBI , very few of these murders have been solved. The area has been described as "a perfect place [for] killing somebody and getting away with it". After visiting some of the sites of recovered bodies in League City, Ami Canaan Mann , director of
14430-449: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.14, and the average family size was 3.46. In the county, the age distribution of the population was 32.00% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 32.30% from 25 to 44, 22.40% from 45 to 64, and 5.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.30 males. Since
14560-482: Was a stronghold for the Democratic Party , having achieved disenfranchisement of Blacks at the county level in 1889 in the aftermath of the Jaybird–Woodpecker War . The state effectively disfranchised them with a poll tax and White primaries ; the latter device was declared unconstitutional in 1944. By 1960, so few Republicans resided in Fort Bend County that the county's Republican chair once received
14690-451: Was added to I-635 as a multiplex, then later still, I-635 would be truncated away from the I-45 interchange (back around to just north of what is now I-20's interchange with US 175). Reconstruction and widening to six lanes, from the Ellis – Navarro county line (between exits 243 and 244) north to SH 310 (exit 275), began in 1991. The last section, near the north end,
14820-576: Was adopted in 1956; an unsuccessful proposal in 1965 would have renamed it the Dallas Freeway. The first short piece of the freeway to open crossed Buffalo Bayou , connecting the two one-way pairs from the north end of the Gulf Freeway with the south end of Houston Avenue. This section was opened on December 12, 1955, and allowed US 75 to bypass its run on Main Street; it included interchanges with Allen Parkway and Memorial Drive . The next piece near downtown opened on July 24, 1962, leaving
14950-439: Was built left Downtown to the northwest on Main Street, turning north at Airline Drive, and then northwest along the present alignment of I-45, then known as Stuebner Airline Road, Shepherd Drive, and East Montgomery Road. The freeway replacement was authorized in stages between May 1945 and June 1952, when the Texas Transportation Commission adopted plans for a freeway all the way between Houston and Dallas. The North Freeway name
15080-464: Was completed in 2002. Fort Bend County, Texas Fort Bend County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas . The county was founded in 1837 and organized the next year. It is named for a blockhouse at a bend of the Brazos River . The community developed around the fort in early days. The county seat is Richmond . The largest city located entirely within the county borders
15210-488: Was completed on a short piece of I-45 from the toll road into The Woodlands. Reconstruction continued from FM 525, reaching Airtex Boulevard (exit 63) in 1997, including part of the Sam Houston Tollway interchange (completed in 2003) and a transitway extension, Cypresswood Drive (exit 68) in 1998, extending the transit way to its present terminus, and the Hardy Toll Road (exit 72) in 2003. Work on
15340-404: Was completed south of Airline Drive (exit 53) in about 1985, to Shepherd Drive (exit 56B) in 1987, and to FM 525 (exit 60A) in 1990; this last opening allowed the transitway to extend to just south of FM 525. The Hardy Toll Road , completed on June 28, 1988, between I-610 and I-45 near The Woodlands, added capacity to that part of the corridor, and, in 1990, reconstruction
15470-415: Was convicted of Johnston's murder and sentenced to death. The following year, he was extradited to Texas and was convicted of the murders of Smither, Cain, and Cox, receiving a life term after pleading guilty to each of the three murders. A film adaptation of the deadly events that occurred along the Interstate Highway 45 highway was released on September 9, 2011, with the title Texas Killing Fields . It
15600-520: Was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and was released from Estelle Supermax Penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas in October 2021. In 1987, 30-year-old John Robert King phoned the El Paso police, claiming that on May 24, 1986, he, together with 33-year-old Gerald Peter Zwarst, attacked Shelley Sikes while she was in her car, after which the girl was raped and strangled. After his arrest, Zwarst told
15730-562: Was directed by Ami Canaan Mann and starred Sam Worthington and Jeffrey Dean Morgan . The film is loosely based on the murders while depicting a fictional portrayal of the struggle that local police faced while attempting to solve the murders. The film focuses on the lead police detectives, Captain Brian Goetschius and Mike Land, who dedicated their careers to solving the mysteries of Interstate Highway 45 . The filmmakers hired officers Goetschius and Land as consultants while making
15860-533: Was found guilty and convicted, receiving a 60-year imprisonment term. In 2015, his DNA was matched to the killer of 19-year-old Tiffany Johnston, who was found murdered in Oklahoma in 1997. After this revelation, Reece confessed to killing Jessica Lee Cain and Kelli Ann Cox, leading the investigators to the bodies' burial sites. He had been suspected of kidnapping and killing Laura Smither and confessed to Friendswood Police, in 2016, that he murdered her. In 2021, Reece
15990-405: Was made in preparation for the North Freeway connection, when the directions of Calhoun Avenue and Jefferson Street were swapped so that they would alternate. A bridge, dated 1954, was built to carry traffic from Jefferson Street over traffic to Jefferson Street, and US 75 was moved to Calhoun Avenue northbound, soon crossing downtown on the one-way pair of Calhoun Avenue and Pierce Street to
16120-413: Was no construction anywhere on the entire length of the freeway when the tollway interchange was opened, along with the widening between Almeda-Genoa Road and FM 1959. A 1999 study recommended widening the entire stretch from the Sam Houston Tollway to Galveston to at least eight lanes. Construction to replace the Galveston Causeway began in mid-2003, and work on a section through Webster , including
16250-522: Was not initially part of the system between Richland and Huntsville ; this cutoff was added by 1919 as SH 32 , and US 75 was assigned to the alignment in 1926. Prior to the coming of the Interstate Highway System in the late 1950s, the only improvements to US 75 in Texas beyond building a two-lane paved roadway were in the Houston and Dallas areas. The highways in and near these cities, however, included some of
16380-516: Was only after his death that a number of police officials, including the former Harris County District Attorney, stated their belief that Self was wrongly convicted. An investigation by the League City police and the FBI in the 1970s identified another local resident, Edward Harold Bell , a known exhibitionist, as a suspect. He had been arrested at least 12 times on charges of showing his genitals to children, but each time avoided imprisonment. Bell lived on
16510-622: Was overturned on appeal. In 1953, they ultimately won their suit when the Supreme Court of the United States declared the Jaybird primary unconstitutional in Terry v. Adams , the last of the white primary cases. In the 1960s, the first of several master-planned communities that came to define the county were developed, marking the beginning of its transformation from a largely rural county dominated by railroad and oil and gas interests to
16640-407: Was rated as the top docuseries on Netflix, with 23,880,000 total hours viewed, and received positive reviews. General: Interstate 45 Interstate 45 ( I-45 ) is a major Interstate Highway located entirely within the U.S. state of Texas . While most primary Interstate routes which have numbers ending in "5" are cross-country north–south routes, I-45 is comparatively short, with
16770-549: Was returned to Congress, while businessman Tom DeLay captured the county's seat in the Texas House of Representatives . In 1984 DeLay succeeded Paul in Congress after the latter ran an unsuccessful U.S. Senate campaign, and became House majority leader by 2002. Beginning in 1982, Republicans won a number of county-level offices and judicial benches, and Fort Bend County's new reputation as a Republican stronghold culminated in
16900-615: Was the demolition and reconstruction of El Dorado and Bay Area boulevards. The demolition and reconstruction was finished in 2016. As a result, the 1960s-era cloverleaf interchanges (with the exception of Fuqua Street and Scarsdale Boulevard) have been eliminated with overpasses. Phase six will be making the new lanes of the freeway. It will have five lanes each direction along with the new overpasses for those two underpasses. This will be completed 2017. In 2015, reconstruction and widening of I-45 began in Downtown due to heavy traffic. The southbound onramp from Allen Parkway will be moved to enter on
#762237