Megan Romero Curl
6 min read
I've covered some pretty heavy topics in my first month of blogging. I can admittedly say I've lost some sleep and had horrible dreams since starting this site. So I thought this week I would take a break from serial killers. I know the topic is still dark, but that's what you're supposed to be here for. The case of Megan Curl was featured in an episode of Unsolved Mysteries, and her killer has gone unidentified for almost twenty-two years.
Introduction
On Sunday morning, March 26, 2000, at roughly 4:30 a.m., the Lufkin Fire Department responded to a call about heavy smoke coming from room 616 at the Fox Run Apartments. When the fire company arrived, they couldn't make entry, so they had to break into the apartment. Unfortunately, the fire had been set just before their arrival. As the firefighters extinguished the flames, they realized it was confined to the bed. That is when they made a chilling discovery. Bound to the post of the bed was a charred woman's body. They immediately called in Lieutenant David Young to investigate.
Lt. Young understood that the apartment belonged to Megan Curl. The medical examiner confirmed her identity through dental records, as her body was burned beyond recognition. Megan had been cut almost to the bone on each side of her throat, and a plastic bag was found placed over her head. "This crime was absolutely the meanest thing I've ever seen one person do to another," said Lt. Young.
Childhood
Megan Romero Curl was born on October 1, 1973. Sadly, her life had never been easy. In first grade, she was diagnosed with a mild mental disability and placed in special education classes. According to her mother, Sherri Romero, the other children often picked on her and made fun of her. When she was eighteen, she married and moved to Arkansas. Unfortunately, her husband was abusive, and they separated. Megan moved back to Lufkin and insisted on living in an apartment on her own. Sherri described her daughter as an easy target for men to prey on. She was twenty-six years old, lonely, and just wanted someone to care for her.
Credit: Unsolved Mysteries
Gold-rimmed Glasses
On the night of Megan's murder, she went to the Electric Cowboy, a nightclub she visited often. Witnesses saw her talking with an unidentified man who bought her two drinks at the bar. As the evening went on, Megan was kicked out of the club for her provocative dancing. She made her way to the Sports Shack, another club she frequented that was just a few blocks down the street. She talked with some people there and caught a ride home with an employee from the club.
She arrived at her apartment complex around 1:30 a.m. A neighbor she was close with waited up for Megan to hear the details of her night. Megan's friend did not want her identity to be revealed when speaking with reporters. So, we will call her Cathy. Megan was standing on the balcony talking with Cathy when a car sped into the parking lot and came to an abrupt stop. Megan said she thought it was the man she had met at the club, so she went down to meet him. Cathy went back into the apartment; when she looked outside, Megan was inside the car with the man. The next time Cathy stepped out, the car was still parked, but they were both gone.
At around 2:20 a.m., Cathy went to Megan's apartment to check on her. She knocked on the door, and Megan cracked it open. She noticed a man behind her. He was small-built, white, babyfaced, with blond hair and a mustache. He looked to be about in his twenties and wore gold-wire rimmed glasses.
"Megan said, 'I was right. It was my friend from the club.' And I looked down to him, and he just nodded his head slowly and didn't say a word. And I didn't speak to him at all, either. I said, 'Well, are you sure you're ok?' And she said, 'Yes, I'm fine.'" Cathy said in an interview. She said goodnight and left. This was the last time Megan was seen alive.
Credit: Lufkin Daily News
Suspects
Due to the nature of the crime, investigators immediately started trying to locate Megan's murderer. During the autopsy, remnants of a nightgown were found on Megan's body. When police began interviewing her former partners, they said her usual sleep attire was shorts and a t-shirt. However, when she wanted to be "romantically involved," they claimed she would put on a nightgown. Her mother, Sherri, believed that this information meant the person who murdered Megan was someone she knew well.
All of Megan's past lovers provided an explanation for where they were the night of March 25. Including her ex-boyfriend, Tim Purvis, who had just been released from prison the week before Megan's murder. Before she died, she testified that he was abusive, which led to his parole being revoked. But along with the other men from Megan's past, he had a solid alibi. This left the prime suspect as the white, blond male seen in Megan's apartment by Cathy.
Suspect seen inside of Megan’s apartment right before her death
Credit: Unsolved Mysteries
When police followed up with witnesses about the man seen buying her drinks at the Electric Cowboy, his description did not match the man Cathy saw. Though he is not considered a suspect, investigators feel he may know something about what happened to Megan the night she was murdered. It has been almost twenty-two years, and her killer has never been located.
Man seen buying Megan drinks at Electric Cowboy
Credit: Unsolved Mysteries
Questions that interest me
Why did the police and Megan's mother seem to get tunnel vision upon discovering the nightgown? Who's to say she wasn't forced to put it on by her attacker? The man was already passionate enough to stab her, suffocate her, and set her on fire.
Why did the man pull up at such a high speed and stop so quickly? He could have followed Megan home from the bar without her knowledge and seen her outside of her apartment, having to abruptly switch directions.
Megan's casualness to Cathy about the man, "Oh, he's a guy I met at the bar," could be explained by her mild mental disorder. It is hard to know her quirks; she could have inwardly been alarmed and not been able to express it appropriately.
The man was daring enough to murder Megan when it was clear he had been seen by Cathy. This makes me think he was visiting from out of town. Understanding he was a stranger in Lufkin and wouldn't be positively identified by any witnesses, skipping town entirely the next day.
Tips
Megan Romero Curl's case was featured on Unsolved Mysteries in December of 2001. The episode has produced a few leads, but they always turn out to be false. Anyone with information on Curl's death is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 639-TIPS or submit their tip here.
Credit: Find A Grave
Sources
https://www.cbs19.tv/article/news/local/the-burning-cold-case-of-megan-curl/501-552339539
https://lufkindailynews.com/news/community/article_238acf6a-3acb-11e3-9481-0019bb2963f4.html
https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Megan_Curl
https://unsolved.com/gallery/megan-curl/
https://www.ktre.com/story/11568961/unsolved-murder-of-lufkin-girl-one-of-most-gruesome-in-local-history/
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/72580237/megan-kristen-romero