‘20/20′ investigates how a truck’s description led to solving 4 1997 cold-case murders

Friday night’s episode of “20/20″ centers on the 1997 murders of four young woman along highways in Texas and Oklahoma.

According to an ABC press release, the episode “Highway Hunter” features interviews from family members of the respective victims, as well as exclusive footage of “a hypnosis session” helping authorities track down the convicted serial killer.

Here’s a list of the affected young women.

Laura Smither

A gifted student and ballerina, 12-year-old Laura Smither suddenly went missing on April 3, 1997. She left for a morning jog, yet never returned back to her Friendswood, Texas, family home, according to ABC13 Houston.

Led by her parents, thousands volunteered and surveyed the nearby fields, yet Smither could not be found.

Then, 17 days later, Smither’s body was found in a retention pond 12 miles from her home. Her cause of death was unclear due to her submersion, CBS News reported.

Kelli Ann Cox

A University of North Texas student, 20-year-old Kelli Ann Cox was visiting the Denton police department for a criminal justice class on July 15, 1997. Cox tried to leave the class trip early for an exam, but found she was locked out of her car. She then went to call her boyfriend at a nearby gas station pay phone, per CBS News.

When the boyfriend arrived, Cox was no longer there. Years passed and she remained missing.

Tiffany Johnston

According to The Oklahoman, 19-year-old Tiffany Johnston went off to a car wash in Bethany, Oklahoma, on July 26, 1997. Once her car was parked, it remained there for the night, with Johnston nowhere to be seen.

The keys were still in the ignition and the floor mats hung up to dry, per CBS News, which authorities found suspicious.

The day after, Johnston was found dead, under tall grass by “an unpaved rural road close to the interstate.” She was found 15 miles away from the car wash, CBS News reported.

Jessica Cain

A few weeks later, 17-year-old Jessica Cain was reported missing by her father. She was last seen leaving a Clear Lake, Texas, restaurant to drive back home on Aug. 17, 1997, reports ABC13 Houston.

Hours later, Cain’s truck was seen abandoned on an interstate, a couple miles from her family’s home. There were no traces left behind, and — similar to Cox — she wasn’t found.

Sandra Sapaugh

In between the murders of Smither and Cox, 19-year-old Sandra Sapaugh on May 16, 1997, stopped at a convenience store at Webster, Texas, near an interstate. All of a sudden, she was forced into a pickup truck in which the perpetrator sexually assaulted her, soon after driving onto a highway, according to CBS News.

Fearing what could happen next, Sapaugh jumped out of the truck and landed on the highway. She was seriously hurt, but survived the impact.

Finally, a breakthrough

Several months after Sapaugh’s abduction, Webster authorities found a supposed suspect whose truck was searched during Smither’s case, and was described similarly by Sapaugh. The suspect — who was released from jail a year prior, serving for sexual assault charges — was William Reece.

Per CBS News, Sapaugh identified Reece as the perpetrator. He was arrested and charged for kidnapping. A year later, in 1998, a jury found Reece guilty, sentencing him to prison for 60 years.

More connections are discovered

In 2012, through technological advancements, DNA found on Johnston was tied back to Reece. Investigators had suspected Reece as the perpetrator, but this new evidence was considered proof, per ABC News.

Soon after, Reece confirmed he killed the four women but negotiated to not receive a life sentence in order to help authorities. When agreed, he helped them locate the remains of Cox and Cain.

By 2022, Reese received three life sentences in Texas for the murder of Cox, Cain and Smither, and a death penalty conviction in Oklahoma for Johnston. He is currently appealing the death sentence, according to ABC News.