Suvechha Sarkar
Based in Eunice, Louisiana, Mary Elizabeth Vail was a loving mother and a beloved sister. However, the life of the 22-year-old came to a sudden end when she was found dead in the Calcasieu River. Her cause of death was initially considered an accidental drowning. However, that changed 50 years later when additional evidence led authorities to reclassify her death as a homicide. The case is revisited in Investigation Discovery’s ‘People Magazine Investigates: Gone Girls.’ It delves deeper into the homicide and two other missing-person cases. Moreover, the episode features interviews with her loved ones and the officials who helped bring the truth to light.
Mary Horton Vail’s Death Was Ruled a Homicide After Five Decades
Floyd Allen Sr. and Lillie Mae Horton were overjoyed when they welcomed their daughter, Mary Elizabeth Horton, into the world on February 16, 1940. She grew up in a loving household in Eunice, Louisiana. The house was always filled with the laughter of Mary and her brothers, William “Will” and Floyd Allen Horton Jr. William described his sister as someone whose life revolved around her friends and family. She eventually attended Eunice High School, where she became the Homecoming Queen in 1957. According to reports, she later became the winner of the Tri-Parish Beauty Pageant. After graduating from high school, Mary pursued a degree in Education at McNeese State University in Lake Charles.
William stated on the show that Mary had always been popular, but she never paid attention to anyone until she crossed paths with Felix Vail. It didn’t take them long to begin dating, and soon after, they tied the knot on July 1, 1961. On their first wedding anniversary, they welcomed their son, Bill Vail. Things appeared to be going well until tragedy struck on October 28, 1962. Around 7:30 pm, Felix returned to the riverbank in his boat and contacted authorities, claiming that he and Mary had gone fishing on the Calcasieu River when she fell into the water. In his statements, he claimed that the 22-year-old was at the front of the boat and that when he tried to maneuver it around a stump, she fell into the water.
Reports state that Felix claimed he searched the water for Mary despite the darkness and strong currents, but could not find her. After a relentless search, authorities recovered her remains from the river on October 30. Forensic experts noted that she had a large bruise/contusion on the side of her head and had a scarf wrapped around her neck and mouth. The initial autopsy report determined her cause of death as accidental drowning. When another expert reviewed the autopsy report and Mary’s postmortem pictures in 2012, he noted that her bruise indicated foul play. He also deduced that the scarf inside her mouth could have been evidence of strangulation. Based on the new findings, her manner of death was reclassified as homicide.
New Witnesses and Forensic Conclusion Led to the Arrest of Mary’s Killer
After Mary’s remains were found, officials interrogated Felix, who insisted that his wife had drowned accidentally. According to one of the detectives on the show, her husband told the investigators that she was not wearing a life vest. However, they became suspicious of Felix since Mary knew how to swim. Official reports state that he was eventually arrested for the murder of Mary in 1962 due to inconsistencies in his statements. However, the coroner eventually classified her death as accidental drowning, and the prosecution didn’t obtain an indictment. One of the detectives on the show stated that around the same time, Felix pleaded guilty to reckless operation of a watercraft and was fined $500 before he was released.
By 1970, Felix moved to California with his girlfriend, Sharon Hensley, and his son, Bill. There, Felix was later arrested and charged with drug and child-related offenses. He reportedly pleaded guilty to the drug charge and received a sentence of six months in jail. In 1973, Sharon’s parents reported her missing, but she was never found. A few years later, Felix got married to another woman, Annette Craver, who also went missing in September 1984. It is essential to note that although authorities considered him a person of interest in both missing-person cases, he was never charged in any of those cases. Over time, the investigation stalled until 2012, when an investigative journalist began looking into the case.
According to the show, detectives then contacted Issac Abshire Jr., who was present on the boat when officials found Mary’s remains. He provided them with her postmortem photographs, which led a forensic expert to conclude that her death should be classified as homicide, as per court records. Further records suggest that three witnesses came forward and told officials that they had heard Felix make incriminating statements about killing Mary. With the mounting evidence against him, he was finally arrested on May 17, 2013, at his home in Canyon Lake, Texas, before he was extradited to Louisiana. On June 27, 2013, Felix was indicted on the charge of second-degree murder of Mary.
Felix Vail is Likely Serving His Sentence at a Louisiana Prison Today
Following his indictment, Felix originally pleaded not guilty to his charge. His jury trial began on August 8, 2016, during which the prosecution presented several witnesses before the court who testified about hearing him speak about killing Mary. Moreover, a forensic pathologist reviewed the original autopsy report and testified that he believed the 22-year-old was already dead when her remains entered the river. The prosecution also received permission to introduce evidence regarding Sharon and Annette’s missing cases, emphasizing that both were last known to be with Felix.
However, it is worth noting that the defendant has never been charged or convicted in either of those two cases. The prosecution also pointed out that Felix had taken out life insurance policies on Mary, suggesting a possible motive. On the other hand, the defense emphasized that her death was an accident. They also contended that the forensic conclusions were made more than five decades after Mary’s death and challenged the evidence regarding the two missing women.
On August 12, 2016, Felix was found guilty of second-degree murder, and he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on September 26, 2016. He later appealed his judgment, but on December 28, 2017, the Appellate Court upheld his conviction and sentence. By December 2018, Felix was serving his sentence at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, Louisiana. From what we can tell, as of writing, he appears to be incarcerated at a Louisiana State Prison facility, but his exact location remains unrevealed.
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