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in: Texas, 1991, Abduction,
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Colleen Reed

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Colleen reed1

Colleen Reed

Real Name: Colleen Ann Reed
Nicknames: No known nicknames
Location: Austin, Texas
Date: December 29, 1991

Bio[]

Occupation: Certified Public Accountant
Date of Birth: April 23, 1963
Height: 5'3"
Weight: 115 to 120 lbs.
Marital Status: Dating
Characteristics: White female with shoulder-length brown hair and brown eyes. She was wearing a pink and ivory plaid hip-length jacket, blue jeans, gold-framed wire glasses, and an ivory wool scarf.

Case[]

Details: Twenty-eight-year-old Colleen Reed was a certified public accountant and accounts payable supervisor for the Lower Colorado River Authority in Austin, Texas. She moved to Austin from Louisiana in 1987. She graduated high school early and attended Louisiana State University at sixteen. She also served in the Marine Corps Reserves. She was described as an environmentalist, a nature and animal lover, and a dedicated worker.
On December 29, 1991, Colleen was abducted from a car wash in Austin. On that night, three young men happened to cross paths with her kidnappers. At 8:55pm, Steve Marks was on his way to meet his two brothers-in-law, Mike and Bill Goins, at Mike's girlfriend Kerry Branch's house on Powell Street. Less than a block from the house, he pulled behind a tan-colored car. He noticed that it was driving very slowly. He followed it down the street and pulled in front of Kerry's house. In the meantime, the other car pulled up into the parking garage ahead of the house and made a U-turn. Mike and Bill arrived about a minute later.
Mike and Bill had encountered the same car two blocks from the house, going the wrong way on Powell Street, which was a one-way street. Mike and Bill were trying to turn from Sixth Street onto Powell Street, but the other car was in the way. Mike says that when they and the other car stopped, he noticed that the people in the other car looked confused and lost.
Mike and Bill motioned for the people in the other car to get out of their way, which they did. They pulled onto Sixth Street. During this time, Mike and Bill had the opportunity to see the men in the other car. However, they did not memorize the men's faces since they had no reason to. Mike says they were just "two people passing in the night".
At 9pm, Mike and Bill rendezvoused with Steve at Kerry's house. The house was just 200 feet from a twenty-four-hour "do-it-yourself" car wash at 1506 West Fifth Street. A few minutes later, they heard a woman scream and a car door (or trunk) slam. The sounds appeared to be coming from the car wash. From the house's porch, all they could see was the side of the car wash and the vacuum cleaners. Shortly after hearing the scream and door slam, they saw a car pull out of the car wash and go the wrong way down West Fifth Street, nearly hitting two other vehicles in the process.
When Steve saw the car pull out, he realized that it was the same car that he had pulled behind on Powell Street and that had made the U-turn in the parking garage. It was also the same car that Mike and Bill had seen going the wrong way on Powell Street, pulling out onto Sixth Street.
A few seconds later, Steve and Bill arrived at the car wash. Unlike most nights, it was eerily deserted. They noticed a car, a white 1991 Mazda Miata MX-5 convertible, in one of the stalls. It was partially washed, covered in soap, and abandoned. One of its doors was open. When they walked up to the car, they saw a purse, keys, and groceries inside. Realizing that something was wrong, Bill told Steve to go back to Kerry's house and call the police.
The owner of the abandoned car was identified as Colleen. Police traced her movements on the day of the crime. That morning, she worked as a volunteer for the Lower Colorado River Authority's flood hotline. At 12:15pm, she went to church with her boyfriend, Oliver Guerra. They then went to lunch. That afternoon, she was not feeling well, so she took a nap.
When Colleen woke up around 7pm, she called Oliver and told him that she was going to run some errands. That evening, she deposited money at her bank machine and then went to the Whole Foods Market on North Lamar Boulevard to go grocery shopping. She left the market around 9pm and arrived at the car wash around 9:10pm.
Police believe that Colleen was kidnapped by the two men in the tan-colored car. They believe that the men pulled up in front of her car and pretended to use the vacuum cleaner. They then quickly approached her, grabbed her, and threw her into their car. As they drove away, they went the wrong way on West Fifth Street and almost collided head-on with two vehicles. Sgt. Don Martin Jr. of the Austin Police Department says they have not heard from the people in those vehicles. He hopes that they will come forward.
Colleen's sister, Mae Rozas, says she has almost convinced herself that Colleen is being held somewhere and that they will someday see her again. She knows that is what she wants to believe, and that, in reality, it is probably not true. But she holds onto that possibility.
Another of Colleen's sisters, Lori Bible, has thought about when she is going to accept that something horrible happened to Colleen and that she is gone. She does not know if she will ever be able to do that. She says she has gone on with her life in a lot of ways; she works, takes care of her children, and does the things she needs to do. But, she says, there is an "empty place" that she has had a hard time filling.
Suspects: The two men in the tan-colored car are believed to have been responsible for Colleen's abduction. The driver was described as a white male in his late twenties or early thirties. He had light brown hair, a medium complexion, and several days' beard growth. The passenger was described as a white male in his late twenties who was shorter than the driver. He had dark hair and a darker complexion than the driver. Their lack of familiarity with the street directions has led the police to believe that they are not from the area.
Their vehicle was described as a yellow, cream, light brown, or tan-colored late-1980s model two-door car with round taillights and a low rear end. It may have been a Ford Thunderbird or a Mercury Cougar.
Robbery is not believed to be the motive since Colleen's purse was left behind.
Extra Notes:

  • This case first aired on the April 29, 1992 episode.
  • It aired exactly four months after Colleen's abduction.
  • It is one of the few cases where an update was added to the initial broadcast.
  • It was also documented on 48 Hours and American Justice.
  • Her abduction occurred the same month as another high-profile Austin crime, the Yogurt Shop Murders.
  • Some sources state: Colleen first went to church and then did volunteer work; she withdrew money instead of depositing it; the witnesses heard two car doors slam; and Oliver was Colleen's fiancée.

Results: Solved - In March 1992, authorities began to look into forty-six-year-old Kenneth Allen McDuff as a possible suspect in Colleen's case and several other disappearances and murders in Texas. McDuff had been convicted of murdering three teenagers in 1966 and was sentenced to death. However, the sentence was later commuted to life in prison, and he was released on parole in 1989 due to overcrowding.
On multiple occasions, authorities questioned thirty-four-year-old Alva Hank Worley, a friend of McDuff's from Belton, Texas. During the interviews, he acted suspiciously, which led authorities to believe he was hiding something from them. Finally, on April 20, 1992, one week before the broadcast, he was arrested after he admitted that he and McDuff were responsible for Colleen's abduction.
In his confession, Worley said that he and McDuff had gone to Austin to buy drugs in McDuff's 1985 Ford Thunderbird when McDuff spotted Colleen washing her car. After circling the car wash twice, McDuff parked in a stall next to Colleen. According to Worley, McDuff grabbed her by the throat and brought her back to the car. Worley tied her hands behind her back as McDuff drove to Interstate 35.
After driving on Interstate 35 for several miles, McDuff stopped the car and switched places with Worley. As Worley drove north toward Bell County, McDuff raped Colleen in the back seat. At an exit, the two men switched places again. As McDuff drove along Texas Highway 317, Worley raped Colleen. They also beat her and tortured her by burning her with cigarettes.
According to Worley, he and McDuff then took Colleen down a dirt road north of Belton, near land owned by McDuff's mother. McDuff raped Colleen again before knocking her unconscious and locking her in the trunk of his car. He then told Worley he was going to "use her up". Worley believed that meant McDuff was going to kill her.
Worley said McDuff then dropped him off at his sister's house in Belton. Before leaving, McDuff asked to borrow a pocket knife and shovel. Worley claimed that he did not see Colleen after that and did not know what McDuff did with her. However, he maintained that she was still alive when he last saw her. An extensive search of the area around Belton turned up no trace of her.
Along with Worley's confession, other evidence linked McDuff to Colleen's abduction. He was known to make trips to Austin with various companions. A few days before her abduction, he was in Austin and talked to another companion about abducting a teenage girl they had seen. The car that he owned was similar to the one described by witnesses. It was found in a motel parking lot in Waco, Texas, in March 1992. Small amounts of human blood were found inside. Hairs found in the back seat and trunk were similar to Colleen's. One of the witnesses, Mike Goins, identified McDuff as one of her abductors. However, initially, McDuff could not be located.
On May 4, 1992, McDuff was arrested at a homeless shelter in Kansas City, Missouri, thanks to a tip from an America’s Most Wanted viewer. He had been working as a garbage collector and was using the name "Richard Fowler". He was initially charged with the murder of Melissa Northrup, who worked with him at a convenience store in Waco.
Melissa had been abducted from the store on March 1, 1992, and was later found murdered. Credit card receipts indicated McDuff was in Waco that night. His car was found a block from the store. Friends said he tried to convince them to rob the store with him. Prosecutors claimed there were many similarities between Melissa and Colleen's cases. In February 1993, he was convicted of Melissa's murder and sentenced to death.
In April 1993, McDuff was charged with Colleen's abduction, rape, and murder, although her body had not been found at that time. On February 23, 1994, a jury convicted him on all charges. On March 1, he was sentenced to death.
In September 1994, Worley pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual assault in relation to Colleen's case and was sentenced to forty years in prison. Charges of murder and abduction were dropped as a result of the plea deal.
On October 6, 1998, shortly before his execution, McDuff was taken off death row and led police to Colleen's remains. They were found about 100 feet from the banks of the Brazos River, just outside of Marlin, Texas, about 100 miles northeast of Austin. They were identified through dental records. With McDuff's help, the bodies of two other victims – Brenda Thompson and Regina Moore – were also unearthed.
On November 17, 1998, McDuff was executed by lethal injection. He was fifty-two. Before his execution, he confessed to eight murders (the 1966 murders and the murders of Colleen, Melissa, Brenda, Regina, and one other victim). However, authorities believe he may be responsible for several more murders.
Worley has been denied parole several times. He will be eligible for release in May 2032.
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