Elizabeth Reiser murder occurred in May 2000 in New Philadelphia, Ohio. After that, her friend, Brandi Hicks, went to the authorities and told them a grisly story.

She told the authorities that a man with a gun kidnaped her and Elizabeth Reiser.

Brandi was lucky enough to run away from the abductor, but sadly, the man took Elizabeth to a quiet field where he killed her by slashing her throat. 

The TV show ‘Dead Silent: Strange Passenger’ on Investigation Discovery talks about this terrible murder and how the police worked hard to catch the person who did it. 

What happened to her?

Elizabeth Reiser died in a tragic and devastating event. She was known as a loving and caring person. 

Moreover, at the time of her murder, she was only 17 years old.

As per sources, she had big dreams for her future and was deeply loved by her family and friends. 

She was friendly, and her relatives described her as someone who was always ready to help others. 

Sadly, her kind-heartedness led to her untimely demise.

On May 24, 2000, Elizabeth and her friend Brandi Hicks were excited about the upcoming summer break. 

They went to a video store in New Philadelphia to rent some movies. 

When they were there, a mysterious man approached them and said he was unable to get back to his home.

After seeing two young girls all alone with a car in their possession, the man asked them for a ride in exchange for money. 

Elizabeth and her friend hesitated about getting into a car with a stranger at that moment. 

However, Elizabeth, believing in helping those in need, convinced Brandi to give him a ride. 

The man seemed normal initially, but later he started giving them confusing directions, raising suspicion. 

After the girls realized something was wrong, they asked the stranger to leave the car. Unfortunately, things took a dark turn then and there.

Quickly, the stranger man pulled out a gun, and he forced Elizabeth’s friend, Brandi, to keep driving. 

They ended up in a secluded field outside of town. 

The man tied Brandi’s hands to the steering wheel with shoelaces and dragged Elizabeth out of the car. 

Helpless, Brandi could only watch in horror as the man stabbed and slashed Elizabeth’s throat multiple times, causing her to die on the spot. 

After the authorities arrived at the event, they found out that the numerous cuts on Elizabeth’s throat were so deep that it was most likely that her head was severed. 

Reports also revealed that she had been stabbed multiple times in her back and scalp.

Who was Elizabeth Reiser murder criminal?

Once Elizabeth was brutally murdered, the man returned to the car and forced Brandi Hicks to go to a railroad track near the Tuscarawas River. 

He took her into an old train car and tried to harm her. 

The murderer’s knife broke when he killed Elizabeth, so he tried to strangle Brandi using a shoelace.

However, Brandi had a bold idea of pretending to be dead, and surprisingly, it worked.

The man believed that he had successfully killed Brandi. 

Later he threw Brandi’s body into the river, but she succeeded in escaping and went to a hospital to seek help. 

After that, she quickly contacted the police and described the whole situation and what had happened to them, and also told them about the man who attacked her and killed her friend Elizabeth.

Shockingly, another woman named Sheila Davis contacted the police around the same time and claimed that her son was involved in a murder.

She pointed them toward a man named Jeff Mulinix, who said that Matthew Vaca had spoken about killing a young girl.

Later, Matthew took Jeff to where he killed Elizabeth and showed him her lifeless body. 

As the police investigated further, they realized Brandi’s description matched Matthew Vaca’s perfectly. 

Where is Matthew Vaca right now?

When the authorities arrested Matthew on account of the Elizabeth Reiser murder case, Matthew Vaca chose a path that would help him avoid the death penalty.

The murderer accepted his guilt for various crimes, including forgery, aggravated murder, attempted aggravated murder, aggravated robbery, kidnapping, and r*pe.

For the murder charge, he was sentenced to life in prison in 2000, and additional prison terms were imposed for the other offenses. 

The show also mentioned that Matthew had previously been on parole for a different conviction in 1996.

However, the authorities revoked his parole due to his numerous crimes.

The judge decided to extend his sentence by 22 and a half years. 

As of today, the killer, Matthew Vaca, is serving his sentence at the Mansfield Correctional Institution in Mansfield, Ohio.

The Elizabeth Reiser murder case serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of trusting a complete stranger. 

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