GALVESTON COUNTY, Texas - More than four decades after 16-year-old Laura Miller disappeared, the man prosecutors say helped cause her death has been found guilty.

A jury found James Elmore Jr. guilty of manslaughter connected to the deaths of Laura Miller and Audrey Cook.


The trial started on Monday. On Tuesday, Texas EquuSearch founder Tim Miller delivered emotional testimony to the jury. Laura Miller was Tim Miller's daughter.

 Laura was Dad's girl,  Miller told the jury.

Laura Miller's disappearance

Miller testified that he last saw his daughter on Sept. 10, 1984.

Laura was wearing a blue one-piece jumpsuit, flip-flops and a gold cross necklace. Before Miller left for work, Laura asked whether her boyfriend could come over that night.

Miller told her he would see her later.

When he returned home that evening, Laura was gone.

 I knew something happened to Laura,  Miller testified.  I just knew it. Just didn't know what it was. 

Her remains were found 17 months later in a field off Calder Road in League City, near the remains of three other women.

The Calder Road site became known as the Texas Killing Fields. The name has also become associated more broadly with the disappearances and deaths of women and girls along the Interstate 45 corridor beginning in the 1970s.

Miller testified that he repeatedly returned to the field after his daughter's remains were identified. He eventually built a cross where she was found.

 I'd hear this little voice say,  Dad, don't quit. Please don't quit,'  Miller told jurors.

Miller did not quit.

His search for Laura eventually led him to begin helping other families find their missing loved ones. He founded Texas EquuSearch in 2000.

Miller testified that the organization has conducted searches in 42 states and 11 countries, recovering more than 400 deceased people and finding many others alive. He described the organization as Laura's legacy.

Elmore contacts Miller nearly 40 years later

Miller testified that a possible break came in 2022, when Elmore contacted Texas EquuSearch and said he wanted to discuss a missing pe

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