DENTON — Police have identified remains found in Brazoria County as Kelli Cox, who vanished almost two decades ago.
Cox, who was 20 and a senior at the University of North Texas at the time, was last seen in Denton on July 15, 1997. Her remains were found more than 300 miles south from where she vanished in a 7,000-yard strip of land along Highway 288, about 25 miles south of Houston.
Authorities say William Reece, a suspected serial killed, led investigators to the site, where he said they would find Cox's remains. Officer Shane Kizer, a spokesman with the Denton Police Department, said the University of North Texas was able to help identify the remains as Cox through a forensic analysis of dental records.
Kizer said additional DNA testing will be conducted at the university's Health Science Center.
"There's almost a comfort knowing," said Jan Bynum, Cox's mother, of the identification. "I'm now certain she hasn't been hurting all these years."
Bynum said she has notified Cox's daughter, Alexis, of the news. Alexis was 19 months old at the time her mother disappeared.
In early March, Reece was named a person of interest in the case.
Previous to the discovery of Cox's remains, Reece led authorities to another buried body in an area southwest of Houston. While the remains found at the site haven't been identified, police say Reece told investigators they would find the remains of Jessica Cain at the site.
The La Marque teen disappeared in 1997 after having dinner with friends. Her car was found abandoned on Interstate 45 in Galveston County.
Reece is also the prime suspect in the 1997 disappearance of 12-year-old Laura Smither, of Friendswood. Her body was later found in Pasadena.
Reece was recently charged with the 1997 murder of Tiffany Johnson, of Bethany, Oklahoma, after DNA linked him to the case. She was slain after being abducted from a car wash.
Reece is currently serving a life sentence for aggravated kidnapping.