Jacqueline Victoria Lambert:1984, Big Lake, Texas

 


  Jacqueline Victoria Lambert was born on April 6th, 1963 in Killeen, Texas. That’s in Bell County in Central Texas. 


  Jacqueline grew up in Killeen, Texas. She went by the nickname “Jackie”. Her family last saw the 21 year old in July of 1984 in Killeen. She said she was traveling to Arizona with a long haul truck driver friend. 


  This beautiful area of Texas has lots of lakes, water sports and water parks are common pastimes. If you are picturing a desert landscape then change that to rolling hills, mature oak trees, and natural lakes. Ranching is a common way of life there. But, there are cities, colleges, theme parks and other tourist activities as well.  


Jackie was last seen in the town of Big Lake either at a local Dairy Queen restaurant or at Grandma’s Kitchen with a long haul truck driver. Big Lake is a bit more rural than Killeen but still a busy little town. It is not right on an interstate but major highways and interstates are just minutes away.




 Jackie was found just off Highway 87 about 4 miles east of Big Lake, Texas on August 8th, 1984. She was reportedly hit or thrown from a vehicle but had also been sexually assaulted before her murder. 



 Jacqueline went unidentified for five years. In 1989 she was positively identified. Killeen and Big Lake aren’t terribly far apart but I imagine that her remains were significantly decomposed with the heat and humidity of central Texas. 


 I believe that Jerry Leon Johns may be responsible for her murder. He was a trucker and serial killer from Flat Rock, Michigan. He was caught in March of 1985 when a victim of his miraculously survived a brutal attack. She was sexually assaulted, beaten, and strips of her t-shirt were torn off to tie her hands and feet. (She had been working at a strip club and he followed her from a restaurant where she had just had a late night/early morning meal.) 


 Just a few months before this attack he had taken Teena Marie McKenney Farmer from Indianapolis. She had gone with him willingly by her family’s account. She was going to get a ride further south for possible work. He murdered her and left her off the side of I-75 near Jellico, TN. She was found on New Year’s Day in 1985. Another set of older remains was found there as well. That child would go by the name of Elk Valley Jane Doe and was finally identified as Tracy Sue Walker from Lafayette, Indiana. She had been missing since 1978. 

Jerry Leon Johns circa 1976


  Jerry Leon Johns died in prison in December of 2015. He was connected to Teena Farmer’s murder several years after that. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation developed a DNA profile of Jerry Leon Johns in order to compare it to samples found on Teena’s body. 

Johns around 2010 while incarcerated in Tennessee.


  Perhaps Jerry Leon Johns is not her killer. Perhaps it is someone else. Maybe you have a tip that can help solve her case. 


 Jackie was only 21. She was still figuring life out. She had her whole life ahead of her. She should have been allowed to live out her dreams and have her adventures and experiences. 


Rest in Peace, Jackie. 


Jacqueline Victoria Lambert’s case is an active cold case with the Texas Rangers and you can submit a tip by calling (254) 247-6523. 




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