A man was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his role in the death of Laura Miller, a young woman whose body was found in 1986 in a remote area of League City, Texas, known as the Texas Killing Fields. James Elmore Jr., 61, was convicted of manslaughter by a Galveston County jury. Laura Miller disappeared in 1984, and her remains were discovered two years later in the Texas Killing Fields—a stretch of land near Interstate 45, southeast of Houston, where over 30 female bodies have been found since the 1980s. Investigators believe Elmore helped administer a lethal dose of cocaine to Laura, which led to her death. Clyde Hedrick, a longtime friend of Elmore, was suspected of being responsible for Laura’s death and those of three other women found in the Texas Killing Fields between 1984 and 1991. Hedrick died by suicide in March at the age of 72, just before Texas prosecutors aimed to charge him and Elmore. He had previously been convicted of manslaughter in 2014 for the death of Ellen Beason, another missing woman found later in the same area. Hedrick was released on parole in 2022. Elmore’s attorney, Bill Agnew, claimed that his client was not involved in Laura’s death and argued that Elmore was the only person left after Hedrick’s suicide. During the trial, Laura’s father, Tim Miller, testified and confronted Elmore, saying, “You handed [the cocaine vial] to Clyde Hedrick,” while visibly emotional. This encounter was part of a broader effort by Miller, who had contacted Elmore in 2022 to learn more about Laura’s death. The two men met repeatedly, and a video of their meetings was shown to the jury. These interactions led to Elmore being charged with manslaughter in Laura’s case, which resulted in his conviction and sentencing in early April. Elmore still faces charges of evidence tampering and possession of child abuse imagery, with a trial scheduled for October. Meanwhile, Tim Miller has dedicated his life to finding missing people and their remains since Laura’s disappearance. He founded Texas EquuSearch, a nonprofit organization that searches for missing persons using horses, ATVs, boats, and other equipment. According to a 2022 report, the group handles about 100 new cases annually and has located over 1,100 people—both alive and deceased. Miller has stated that his work will continue beyond Laura’s case, as he remains committed to helping other families find their missing loved ones.