GALVESTON COUNTY, Texas — A man was indicted on Wednesday in connection with two murders tied to an area in south Texas known as the “Texas Killing Fields,” authorities said.
James Dolphs Elmore Jr., 61, of Bacliff, Texas, was indicted by a Galveston County grand jury, a day after his arrest, KHOU reported. According to Galveston County District Attorney Kenneth Cusick, Elmore faces charges of manslaughter and felony tampering with evidence in the death of Laura Miller. He also faces the same charges, plus an additional tampering with evidence charge, in connection with the death of Audrey Cook.
Miller, 16, was murdered in 1984, while the 30-year-old Cook was killed in 1985, the Houston Chronicle reported.
Galveston county prosecutors have charged a Bacliff man in connection to to two notorious 1980s Texas Killing Fields deaths that became two of the state's most enduring murder mysteries.
— Houston Chronicle (@HoustonChron) March 31, 2026
James Dolphs Elmore Jr. is charged with manslaughter and felony tampering with evidence in… pic.twitter.com/RMPR6CSoNe
The indictment came as the district attorney’s office has been reexamining evidence tied to what is known as the “Texas Killing Fields,” The Daily News of Galveston County reported. The area is an isolated stretch in Galveston County in League City, located about 45 miles southeast of Houston, according to KHOU. That is where the bodies of more than 30 women have been discovered, The Associated Press reported.
The district attorney’s office had also decided to seek grand jury indictment against Clyde Edwin Hedrick, 72, for the deaths of Miller, Cook, 25-year-old Heidi Fye-Villareal and 34-year-old Donna Prudhomme, KTRK reported.
Hedrick, widely considered a prime suspect in their deaths, died by suicide on March 21 at a Houston hospital, The Daily News reported.
Hedrick died while still under the state’s highest level of parole supervision, according to KPRC. He was convicted on manslaughter charges for the 1985 death of Ellen Rae Beason.
According to Wednesday’s indictment, Elmore prepared a “vial of cocaine” for Hedrick to give to Miller, KTRK reported.
Prosecutors allege Elmore also helped Hedrick conceal the remains of Miller and Cook, according to KPRC.
“He has made numerous statements, and yes, he’s implicated himself,” Cusick said during Wednesday’s news conference.
Chief Assistant District Attorney Kate Willis said that Elmore reached out in April 2022 to Tim Miller, Laura Miller’s father, to “get some things off his chest,” The Daily News reported.
He provided detailed information unknown to the public about the women’s deaths, according to the newspaper.
“(Elmore) reached out to me,” Tim Miller told reporters. “For what reason, I don’t know.”
The elder Miller said he spent “a minimum of 30 times” with Elmore, KHOU reported.
“There were times that I left James Elmore … and I had to pull over and just sob and cry with the information I got,” Miller added.
“Due to the concerted efforts of the law enforcement agencies in this county, this 40-year cycle of violence by these defendants against women; we’re trying to make headway on it,” Cusick said. “I think we made significant headway on it.”
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