The murder of Elizabeth Reiser took place in New Philadelphia, Ohio, in May 2000. Following that, her friend Brandi Hicks went to the police and related a gruesome tale to them.
She claimed that Elizabeth Reiser and she were abducted by a man brandishing a gun.
Brandi was fortunate enough to escape the kidnapper, but regrettably, the man took Elizabeth to a secluded field and hacked her throat to death.
This awful crime is discussed in the Investigation Discovery television programme “Dead Silent: Strange Passenger,” as well as how the police made a valiant effort to apprehend the perpetrator.
Elizabeth Reiser passed away in a terrible and tragic incident. She was regarded as a lovely and compassionate individual.
She was also only 17 years old when she was killed. According to accounts, she was adored by her family and friends and had lofty aspirations for the future. She was affable, and according to her family, she was always willing to lend a hand. Sadly, her generosity brought about her premature death.
Elizabeth and her companion Brandi Hicks were looking forward to the summer holiday on May 24, 2000.
To rent several films, they proceeded to a video rental shop in New Philadelphia. A mystery man approached them while they were there and claimed he was unable to return to his house. The man requested two young ladies for a ride in exchange for money after observing them alone with a car in their hands. Elizabeth and her companion debated whether or not to get into a car with an unknown person at that very moment.
However, Elizabeth persuaded Brandi to give him a ride because she believes in assisting those in need.
The man originally came across as regular, but as soon as he began giving them unclear instructions, suspicions began to surface.
The girls asked the stranger to exit the vehicle once they realised something was off. Sadly, that’s when everything started to go south.
The unfamiliar man quickly produced a revolver, and he ordered Brandi, a friend of Elizabeth’s, to continue driving.
They wound up in a remote area away from the town.
The man took Elizabeth out of the car and tied Brandi’s hands with shoelaces to the wheel.
Brandi was helpless and could only watch in horror as the man repeatedly stabbed and sliced Elizabeth’s throat, killing her then and then.
When the police arrived at the scene, they discovered that Elizabeth had multiple deep wounds on her throat, suggesting that she had likely had her head removed.
She had reportedly allegedly been stabbed repeatedly in the back and scalp, according to reports.
After brutally killing Elizabeth, the man went back to the car and made Brandi Hicks follow him to a railway track next to the Tuscarawas River.
He attempted to injure her while transporting her in an old railroad car.
After killing Elizabeth, the murderer’s knife broke, so he tried to choke Brandi with a shoelace.
Brandi, however, had the audacious idea of acting dead, and strangely, it was successful.
The man thought he had killed Brandi with ease.
Later, he tossed Brandi’s body into the river, but she managed to flee and sought assistance at a hospital.
Following that, she immediately called the police and gave them a detailed account of everything that had transpired, as well as information on the man who had attacked her and killed her friend Elizabeth.
Surprisingly, at around the same time, another mother by the name of Sheila Davis called the police and said that her son had committed a homicide.
She gave them the name of Jeff Mulinix, who claimed that Matthew Vaca had mentioned killing a young girl in his remarks.
Later, Matthew brought Jeff to the scene of Elizabeth’s murder and showed him the dead woman.
The police realised Brandi’s description matched Matthew Vaca’s completely as they conducted their further inquiry.
When Matthew Vaca was detained by the authorities in connection with the murder of Elizabeth Reiser, he made a decision that would spare him the death penalty.
The murderer admitted to committing forgeries, aggravated murder, attempted aggravated murder, aggravated robbery, kidnapping, and r*pe among other offences.
He received extra prison terms for the other offences in addition to a life sentence in prison for the murder accusation in 2000.
The programme also revealed that Matthew had previously served time on parole in 1996 for a different crime.
However, because of his multiple offences, the authorities cancelled his parole.
The judge decided to add an additional 22 and a half years to his sentence.
The murderer, Matthew Vaca, is currently incarcerated at the Mansfield Correctional Institution in Mansfield, Ohio, where he is carrying out his sentence.
The murder of Elizabeth Reiser serves as a sobering warning about the risks involved in placing your trust in a total stranger.