Two women’s lives are tragically intertwined, although they’ve never met. The only thing that Stephane Meeks and Jeannie Quinn have in common is Taylor County inmate Ricky Don Henderson. He’s the person of interest in both of their criminal cases.
According to the Hockley County clerks office, Henderson was married to Stephane in 1993. That’s the year when she vanished. And just last year Henderson named a person of interest in the murder of 20-year-old Jeannie.
“I can’t emphasize it enough, it was a brutal crime,” said Jeannie’s uncle, John Quinn.
Abilene Police said Quinn was found hung by wire in a wooded area in Abilene after leaving Levelland with Henderson. According to court documents show they were dating at the time and an autopsy showed the hanging was staged.
“We want to make sure she’s not just another statistic. Her murderer is on the streets, it’s disgusting,” Quinn said.
But less is known about what happened to Stephane. She went missing in November of 1993, just a year and half after she married Henderson.
“The person of interest still is Ricky Don Henderson and has been going back to 1994,” said Hockley County Sheriff Ray Scifres.
Hockley County is the lead on this case again after the investigation had been taken over by the Texas Rangers for several years, he said.
Scifres said the Henderson family property outside of Levelland was the last place Stephane was living before her disapperance.
“According to what is widely know, he informed them that she was going, she went to New Mexico and was staying with friends or family there,” Scifres said. “That she was well.”
But family and friends never believed that story.
“I think even going back to 1994, they began to assume and investigate it as something’s not right here, something maybe criminal is going on,” Scifres said, speaking on the investigation from the 90’s.
According to notes from 1994, police searched the Henderson property for any evidence, even bringing in cadaver dogs to search the fields. But they never found anything.
“You know, one of the big challenges in cases like this is a lack of a crime scene,” Scifres said.
And without a crime scene, or a body, Scifres said Stephane’s case went cold. He said the only evidence came in a letter, all typed, even the signature.
That letter was sent to a lab where they discovered a man’ DNA sealed the envelope and it was postmarked Lubbock instead of Hobbs. He said Hockley County is now hoping there’s enough remaining DNA left on that letter for it to be re-tested. According to the Hockley County Sheriff’s Office, it’s the only hope in moving this case forward independently.
“Forensic evidence takes time,” Scifres said. “Unfortunately, it’s not like CSI and the other shows there they have an answer in 48 minutes.”
Henderson is currently in jail, being held in Taylor County on a parole violation and a felony drug charge.
“At this point to be a suspect, you have to be suspected of a crime,” Scifres explained. “At this point we have a missing person not a homicide.”
EverythingLubbock.com contacted Henderson’s mother and brother, who still live on the Henderson property. Both declined our request for an interview.
“This is a case that has been going on for a number of years,” said Scifres. “We’d like to put a close this.”
Law enforcement working both Stephane’s and Jeannie’s case are in desperate need for any information pertaining to their cases.
