Neal Martin Falls (September 24, 1969 – July 18, 2015) was an American suspected
serial killer
A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A
*
*
*
* with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...
who was shot and killed in
self-defense
Self-defense (self-defence primarily in Commonwealth English) is a countermeasure that involves defending the health and well-being of oneself from harm. The use of the right of self-defense as a legal justification for the use of force in ...
by Heather Saul, a woman in
Charleston,
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...
. Falls had been stopped by police in over twenty states during his life but did not incur any serious criminal charges.
[ Only after his death did police discover evidence possibly tying Falls to other crimes.
]
Biography
Neal Falls was born on September 24, 1969, in Eugene, Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
, into an impoverished family with nine other children. He spent his childhood and formative years living in various cities around Oregon. During his school years, he began to show an interest in firearms and subsequently became obsessed with military paraphernalia. After leaving high school, Falls was forced to engage in low-skilled labor. Despite this, he was not known to break the law, refrained from abusing alcohol or drugs, and was keen on collecting weapons and ammunition. Most of his friends and acquaintances spoke very positively of him.
In early 1992, Falls moved to Greensburg, Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...
, where he lived with his father until his death in 1995. He then returned to Oregon and found a job as a private security guard. After finishing his training, his fingerprints were entered in a national database in 1998. In 2000, Falls moved to Henderson Henderson may refer to:
People
*Henderson (surname), description of the surname, and a list of people with the surname
*Clan Henderson, a Scottish clan
Places Argentina
*Henderson, Buenos Aires
Australia
*Henderson, Western Australia
Canada
* H ...
, Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...
, where for the next eight years he worked as a security guard at Hoover Dam
Hoover Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the U.S. states of Nevada and Arizona. It was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression and was dedicated on Se ...
. During this period, he began to exhibit deviant behavior, including abusing animals in the desert regions of Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
, over which he was subjected to disciplinary action. At the same time, Falls began to spend most of his leisure time in the company of various sex worker
A sex worker is a person who provides sex work, either on a regular or occasional basis. The term is used in reference to those who work in all areas of the sex industry.Oxford English Dictionary, "sex worker"
According to one view, sex work is d ...
s and pimp
Procuring or pandering is the facilitation or provision of a prostitute or other sex worker in the arrangement of a sex act with a customer. A procurer, colloquially called a pimp (if male) or a madam (if female, though the term pimp has still ...
s. In the mid-2000s, he visited the Philippines for the purpose of sex tourism
Sex tourism refers to the practice of traveling to foreign countries, often on a different continent, with the intention of engaging in sexual activity or relationships in exchange for money or lifestyle support. This practice predominantly oper ...
.
In 2008, Falls was charged with sexually harassing a colleague, after which he was forced to quit. After this dismissal, he began to frequently change his place of residence; between 2009 and 2015, he lived in Oregon, Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
, Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
, and Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
, where he was detained by police on several occasions for traffic violations. In January 2015, Neal found out that a woman with whom he was intimately involved was married, after which, in the same month, his mother died. These two events greatly affected his emotional state, making him become internally conflicted and disorganized. In April 2015, Falls underwent retraining courses to continue working as a security guard in the private sector in Oregon, but by that summer he went to Texas, from where he moved to West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...
.[Who is Neal Falls?]
September 3, 2015
Death and investigation
Shortly after moving to West Virginia, Falls met a sex worker named Heather Saul online and tracked down her address. After entering Saul's residence, he held her at gunpoint. Saul described the struggle that ensued as follows: "When he strangled me, I grabbed my rake, and when he laid the gun down to get the rake out of my hands, I shot him... I grabbed the gun and shot behind me."[ Falls died at the scene,][ shot by Saul in the head, killing him instantly. Four sets of handcuffs were retrieved from Falls' body. When police officers searched the inside of his car, they allegedly found a ]machete
Older machete from Latin America
Gerber machete/saw combo
Agustín Cruz Tinoco of San Agustín de las Juntas, Oaxaca">San_Agustín_de_las_Juntas.html" ;"title="Agustín Cruz Tinoco of San Agustín de las Juntas">Agustín Cruz Tinoco of San ...
, axes, knives, a shovel, a sledgehammer, bleach, plastic trash bags, bulletproof vests, clean white socks, and underwear.[
Police linked the objects found, Falls' '']modus operandi
A ''modus operandi'' (often shortened to M.O.) is someone's habits of working, particularly in the context of business or criminal investigations, but also more generally. It is a Latin phrase, approximately translated as "mode (or manner) of op ...
'' and his previous known locations to the murders and disappearances of women in three states. During the eight years he lived in Henderson, Nevada, from 2003 to 2007, several sex workers disappeared, three of whom were later found dismembered in California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
, and Nevada. All the missing women, like Saul, advertised their activities on the Internet. A dozen more vanished in and around Chillicothe, Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
, a two-hour drive from Charleston. Despite the fact that no evidence was found of Falls' presence in Chillicothe, he is still considered a suspect. Since 1995, Falls had been detained by the police for violating traffic rules in sixteen states, and his true scale of movement and activity remains unknown.
A list containing the names of six women involved in sex work and their contacts on social networks was found in Falls' pocket, which, according to the prosecutor
A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the common law adversarial system or the Civil law (legal system), civil law inquisitorial system. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the ...
's office, may have been intended victims. However, police investigations determined that all of them were alive and well; five of them were located across West Virginia and the sixth worked in San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
. In 2018, Falls was tested for involvement in the I-70 Killer murders, a series of killings in the Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...
in the spring of 1992. During that time he lived in Kansas, where one of the murders had occurred, and corresponded very closely to the suspect's image, but no physical evidence was located to corroborate these speculations.[
]
Possible victims
Based on the circumstances surrounding Falls' death, law enforcement conducted an extensive investigation into his background to determine his culpability in any unsolved murders and disappearances of women and sex workers. This led the Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...
to believe that Falls had killed at least ten people and they identified Falls as a suspect in a series of dismemberment murders of sex workers working on the Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
strip from 2003 to 2007, when he was living in nearby Henderson during the time he worked at the Hoover Dam
Hoover Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the U.S. states of Nevada and Arizona. It was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression and was dedicated on Se ...
as well as the unsolved murders and disappearances of women around Chillicothe, Ohio
Chillicothe ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Ross County, Ohio, United States. Located along the Scioto River 45 miles (72 km) south of Columbus, Chillicothe was the first and third capital of Ohio. It is the only city in Ross Count ...
, located about two hours from Charleston, West Virginia
Charleston is the capital and List of cities in West Virginia, most populous city of West Virginia. Located at the confluence of the Elk River (West Virginia), Elk and Kanawha River, Kanawha rivers, the city had a population of 48,864 at the 20 ...
, where Falls lived when he died. The disappearances in Chillicothe stopped after Falls was killed.
* Misty Marie Saens, 25, disappeared from Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
on March 12, 2003. Her torso was found wrapped in black plastic bags and bed sheets off State Route 159 near State Route 160 just west of Las Vegas. Her partial remains were found in the desert on a road leading to the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area
The Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area in Clark County, Nevada, is an area managed by the Bureau of Land Management as part of its National Landscape Conservation System, and protected as a National Conservation Area. It is about west o ...
.
* On August 29, 2003, the remains of 19-year-old prostitute Jodi Brewer were discovered near a highway in San Bernardino County, California
San Bernardino County (), officially the County of San Bernardino, is a County (United States), county located in the Southern California, southern portion of the U.S. state of California, and is located within the Inland Empire area. As of the ...
, 25 miles from the Nevada border. Jodi's torso had been discovered wrapped in plastic and she had been identified by a hummingbird tattoo and an M-design tattoo. A further search by investigators uncovered a sheet near the Interstate 15
Interstate 15 (I-15) is a major Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway in the western United States, running through Southern California and the Intermountain West. I-15 begins near the Mexico–United States border, Mexican border i ...
off-ramp near the Mojave National Preserve
Mojave National Preserve is a United States National Preserve located in the Mojave Desert of San Bernardino County, California, USA, between Interstate 15 in California, Interstate 15 and Interstate 40. The preserve was established October 31 ...
. On August 14, Brewer had been dropped off by her boyfriend at the Harbor Island Club Apartments, in Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
. Her mother reported her missing on August 15. When interviewed by police, one witness claimed that Jodi got into a white car with California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
licence plates.
* Lindsay Marie Harris, a 21-year-old sex worker, disappeared from her home in Henderson, Nevada
Henderson is a city in Clark County, Nevada, United States, about southeast of downtown Las Vegas. It is the second largest city in Nevada, after Las Vegas, with an estimated population of 320,189 in 2019. The city is part of the Las Vegas Vall ...
, on May 4, 2005. She was last observed at a nearby bank making a deposit. At the southern end of the valley, her rental car was discovered abandoned in the desert. On May 23, 2005, a group of children discovered human legs in a grassy field a couple hundred yards away from Interstate 55
Interstate 55 (I-55) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, connecting the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes. The h ...
in Divernon, Illinois
Divernon is a village in Sangamon County, Illinois, Sangamon County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,172 at the United States Census 2010, 2010 census, and 1,119 at a 2018 estimate. It is part of the Springfield, Illinois Springfiel ...
, 15 miles south of Springfield and 350 miles from Butler, Illinois where Falls held a firearms permit during that time. It was discovered that both of the legs belonged to the same person after conducting DNA tests on each of them. The FBI was able to compare the DNA of the unnamed victim that had been submitted by Illinois authorities to Harris' DNA that had been submitted by Henderson authorities in May 2008. After comparing the two DNA samples, the woman's legs were identified as Harris. In a recent development, Rex Heuermann, the suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer, has come under investigation for potential links to Harris's murder. Heuermann and his wife purchased a condominium in Nevada shortly before Harris's disappearance. This timing has drawn the attention of investigators, and the Las Vegas police are probing Heuermann's possible involvement in the case, among others. The investigation remains ongoing.
* 25-year-old Megan Nicole Lancaster was last seen in Wheelersburg, Ohio
Wheelersburg is a census-designated place (CDP) in Scioto County, Ohio, United States. It lies along the northern banks of the Ohio River in southern Ohio. Wheelersburg is approximately east of Portsmouth and west of Ironton. It is in Porte ...
on April 3, 2013. That evening, she was supposed to run errands and then head back to her parents' place, but she never did. Two days later, her car was found abandoned at a Rally's fast food restaurant in Portsmouth, Ohio
Portsmouth is a city in and the county seat of Scioto County, Ohio, United States. Located in southern Ohio south of Chillicothe, it lies on the north bank of the Ohio River, across from Kentucky, just east of the mouth of the Scioto River. ...
, with her wallet on the passenger seat.
* Holly Renee Logan, 27, was last seen in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...
on July 21, 2013. She has never been heard from again. She was not reported missing until December 2014. 22-year-old Jayme Malynn Bowen was last seen in the area of Parsons and Stewart Avenues in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...
on April 10, 2014. She was making her way a few blocks from her sister's house to her parents' home. Bowen had been mutual friends with Logan.
* Charlotte Eliza Trego, 27, was last seen in Chillicothe, Ohio
Chillicothe ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Ross County, Ohio, United States. Located along the Scioto River 45 miles (72 km) south of Columbus, Chillicothe was the first and third capital of Ohio. It is the only city in Ross Count ...
on May 3, 2014. She had been living with a flatmate on Ewing Street, but after the flatmate evicted her, she departed on foot. She has never been heard from again. 30-year-old mother of three Tameka Lynch, who was friends with Trego, went missing on the same day: May 3, 2014. Three weeks after going missing, Lynch's nude body was discovered in Paint Creek; the autopsy determined she had died from an overdose of cocaine
Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly recreational drug use, used recreationally for its euphoria, euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from t ...
, alcohol, and amphetamines
Substituted amphetamines are a class of compounds based upon the amphetamine structure; it includes all derivative compounds which are formed by replacing, or substituting, one or more hydrogen atoms in the amphetamine core structure with sub ...
, although the exact circumstances of her death are unknown. Her family believes she was murdered.
* Wanda Jean Lemons, 37, was last seen in Chillicothe, Ohio
Chillicothe ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Ross County, Ohio, United States. Located along the Scioto River 45 miles (72 km) south of Columbus, Chillicothe was the first and third capital of Ohio. It is the only city in Ross Count ...
on November 3, 2014; her last communications with her family were messages to her adult daughter via text and Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
. Lemons was last seen trying to hitchhike to Galveston, Texas
Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding Galvesto ...
.
* Shasta Himelrick, 20, went missing on December 25, 2014, from Chillicothe, Ohio
Chillicothe ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Ross County, Ohio, United States. Located along the Scioto River 45 miles (72 km) south of Columbus, Chillicothe was the first and third capital of Ohio. It is the only city in Ross Count ...
. She was seen on CCTV
Closed-circuit television (CCTV), also known as video surveillance, is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors. It differs from broadcast television in that the signal is not openly t ...
from a Speedway petrol station in Chillicothe at around 3:15 a.m. in the morning. Her car was found abandoned at a road junction near Higby Bridge, which crosses the Scioto River
The Scioto River ( ) is a river in central and southern Ohio more than in length. It rises in Hardin County just north of Roundhead, Ohio, flows through Columbus, Ohio, where it collects its largest tributary, the Olentangy River, and meets t ...
, in south-eastern Ross County, Ohio
Ross County is a county in the Appalachian region of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 77,093. Its county seat is Chillicothe, the first and third capital of Ohio. Established on August 20, 1798, the ...
, the next day. The driver and passenger doors were open, the battery was dead, and the car was out of fuel. Her body was found in the Scioto River
The Scioto River ( ) is a river in central and southern Ohio more than in length. It rises in Hardin County just north of Roundhead, Ohio, flows through Columbus, Ohio, where it collects its largest tributary, the Olentangy River, and meets t ...
on January 2, 2015. Her family strongly disagreed with the coroner's determination that she committed suicide by drowning and strongly insisted that she was actually killed and dumped in the river.
* Tiffany Sayre, 26, went missing on May 11, 2015. Her body was found by two people walking along a creek bed along Cave Road in Highland County, Ohio
Highland County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 43,317. Its county seat is Hillsboro. The county is named for the topography which is hilly and divides the watersheds of the Little Mia ...
, about 30 miles west of Chillicothe, Ohio
Chillicothe ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Ross County, Ohio, United States. Located along the Scioto River 45 miles (72 km) south of Columbus, Chillicothe was the first and third capital of Ohio. It is the only city in Ross Count ...
, on June 27, 2015. She had been last seen in the evening heading to the Chillicothe Inn which had a reputation as a site for prostitution
Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in Sex work, sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, n ...
. Sayre's body was found wrapped in a sheet. Her death was deemed a homicide.
See also
* List of serial killers in the United States
A serial killer is typically a person who kills three or more people, with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) defines serial murder a ...
References
External links
Neal Falls: Prostitute Serial Killer?
at About.com
Dotdash Meredith (formerly About.com) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, home, food, finance, tech, beauty, ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Falls, Neal
1969 births
2015 deaths
20th-century American criminals
21st-century American criminals
American male criminals
Crimes against sex workers in the United States
Criminals from Oregon
Deaths by firearm in West Virginia
People from Eugene, Oregon
Suspected serial killers