What happened to Laura Houghteling? Details about Born Evil: The Serial Killer and the Savior subject explored

ID's latest show, Born Evil: The Serial Killer and the Savior covers the case of Laura Houghteling and Michele Dorr's deaths at the hands of suspected serial killer Hadden Clark. Being one of the most intriguing figures in the crime world, Hadden has confessed to dozens of murders since his teen years to a cellmate, but these two are the only ones that were proven.

The first episode of Born Evil: The Serial Killer and the Savior has already premiered on Investigation Discovery on September 2, 2024, and three more episodes are slated to follow on September 3, 2024. Among them, the third episode, titled Laura, will cover the disappearance of Laura Houghteling in detail. The synopsis for the episode reads:

"A young woman mysteriously disappears shortly after returning home from college. As detectives investigate, they uncover evidence of a brutal crime, revealing a suspect with connections to a previous case."

Laura Houghtellng was an unassuming 23-year-old Maryland native who was murdered in her own home by a suspected serial killer who had no ulterior motive. Hadden allegedly argued with Laura's mother, who accused him of stealing tools from the shed, and then he went on to murder Laura with a chef's knife.

Read on for more details about the crime.

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Who was Laura Houghteling and what happened to her?

Laura Houghteling was born on April 8, 1969, to Penny and Frederic Delano Houghteling. She grew up in a seemingly ordinary household with a brother, Warren, and attended the National Cathedral School. She had gone through several hardships from a young age, as her parents divorced in 1977 and her father killed himself in 1986.

Despite this, Laura Houghteling remained focused and eventually attended Harvard University. She pursued a career as a PR professional and joined Holman Communications. Things seemed to be looking very bright for the young woman when she suddenly disappeared. On the morning of October 19, 1992, Laura's boss sent his daughter to check on her.

When she wasn't found, a search began for the young woman, but to no avail. On June 15, 1993, months after she went missing, Laura was found buried in a shallow grave across I-270 in the Bethesda-Rockville area. Authorities would later determine that the cause of death was strangulation and she was also stabbed.

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Who killed Laura Houghteling?

Laura Houghteling was murdered by Hadden Clark, who had previously murdered a 6-year-old girl, Michele Dorr, at his brother's home, once again for seemingly no reason.

Clark worked as a gardener for Laura's mother Penny. Though they shared a good bond, she had accused him of stealing tools from her backyard shed just before this incident.

On October 18, 1992, he entered Laura's house through the backdoor, went to her bedroom, and stabbed Laura to death in her bedroom with a kitchen knife while suffocating her with a pillow. He allegedly carried her body wrapped in a bedsheet through the forest and buried her about half a mile away.

However, unlike his previous crime(s), Hadden Clark could not escape after murdering Laura. In fact, he had committed one big mistake, which would eventually lead to his arrest and incarceration.

The police discovered a pillowcase in the woods near Penny’s home, which had fingerprints that could be lifted off. This directly led them to Hadden Clark, who was already a suspect in the previous case and had a history with the law.

He was arrested and sentenced to two 30-year terms for the murders.

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Born Evil: The Serial Killer and the Savior covers this case in more detail.