Human remains found in Stephens County

Human remains which authorities believe to be of a missing woman were found Saturday evening on private property near Baker Cemetery. Stephens County Sheriff Kevin Roach said the remains are believed to be of Sheri Lynne Vickers, 44, of Fort Worth, who has been missing since March 2023.

Roach confirmed a property owner on County Road 288 called SCSO around 5:41 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4 and reported what was believed to be human remains on their property. 

“We were able to confirm that it was human remains, but it was already getting pretty dark so we secured the scene and waited for daylight,” Roach said. “Based on the ongoing investigation from the Fort Worth Police Department with the missing woman Sherry Vickers, we felt like that was … possibly her so we also contacted them.”

SCSO, FWPD, Breckenridge Police Department and the Department of Public Safety Texas Rangers returned to the scene Sunday morning and recovered the remains of an adult human. Roach said the remains were sent to the University of North Texas Center for a forensic investigation and identification.

“They were sent there for positive identification so I can’t positively say that’s who it is yet,” Roach said. “But there’s a high probability that (it is) the missing woman from Fort Worth, Sheri Vickers.”

Roach said investigators from FWPD were in Stephens County and worked with him and former Breckenridge Police Chief Bacel Cantrell to search areas of the county. After searching in Stephens County in late spring into summer 2023, Roach said FWPD had remained in contact.

“They’ve had lots of communication with the Breckenridge Police Department, my agency and several surrounding agencies in the area as they followed leads,” Roach said.

The sheriff confirmed a person of interest, identified as John Brown Lewis, is currently in the Taylor County Jail on unrelated charges.

According to the Fort Worth Intelligence Exchange Fusion Center, Vickers was last seen around 11 a.m. March 23, 2023. She was last seen wearing a white tank top, jeans and red sandals. She was last seen with Lewis, according to the bulletin released Sept. 27, 2023, in a white Dodge Ram pickup.

"The victim is now believed to be deceased and her body may have been dumped on the morning of (March 24, 2023) somewhere within an hour drive of Stephens County,” the bulletin stated.

Community members with more information are encouraged to contact SCSO at 254-559-2481 or Fort Worth Police Homicide Detective Joey McAnally at 817-392-4382