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A renowned pecan dynasty came to an end in 2012 when Bonnie Harkey, the 85-year-old matriarch of a well-known San Saba family, was brutally killed. It also revealed a sinister story of hatred, money, and family.
Bonnie Harkey, also known as the Pecan Queen in San Baba, Texas, was missing after her housekeeper Karen Johnson was found dead in March 2012. Harkey's body was found later in the day, almost 200 miles away from her home. The shocking details of their demise are the plot for season 10 episode 10 of the Oxygen series Dateline: Secrets Uncovered.
The official synopsis of the episode reads:
"The Harkey name was famous for pecan harvesting in Texas; the matriarch, with a powerful grip on the family fortune, went missing, so investigators focused on the family; in fact, the plot was more tangled than the branches of a pecan tree."
The episode, titled Queen of the County, will be re-aired on November 15, 2023, at 7 pm EST on Oxygen.
Dateline: Secrets Uncovered - five details about the murder of 'The Pecan Queen,' Bonnie Harkey
1) Her housekeeper was found dead and she was missing at the time
An upsetting 911 call was received by authorities on the afternoon of March 25, 2012. Four miles west of San Saba, near Harkeyville, the officers arrived and discovered 50-year-old Karen Johnson lying face down. The body was cold to the touch, and the paramedics pronounced her deceased.
Karen's eleven-year-old kid had discovered his mother's body and dialed 911. Bonnie was nowhere to be seen inside, leading the cops to question if she had gone off. At the time, Bonnie was 85 years old, with an aortic aneurysm and dementia. Her caregiver, Karen, took care of all her requirements.
2) Bonnie Harkey was found dead almost 200 miles away from her home
Bonnie was nowhere to be seen inside, leading the cops to question if she had gone off. The 85-year-old was the focus of a huge search by the authorities, which included ATV volunteers and a DPS helicopter fitted with heat-imaging cameras.
The next day, her body was discovered in Leon County, 178 miles away. The body was found by Texas Rangers in a creek bed next to an RV park in Normangee. She was smacked over the head and buried in the shallow water, according to the autopsy reports.
3) Her murder was initiated by her adopted stepson
In a shocking discovery by the police, Bonnie Harkey's death was orchestrated by her stepson Bruce Harkey, in an effort to get ownership of the Pecan farms owned by her. Bruce wanted to sell the property to their neighbor, the famous Tommy Lee-Jones. However, with Bonnie still alive and living on the property, it would be impossible for him to do so. Thus, he orchestrated to have her killed.
4) Her adopted grandson was her murderer
Bruce hired a methhead named Carl Pressley (who was also Bonnie's adopted grandson) and his ex-girlfriend Lillian King to kill the octagenarian. Lillian's mother informed the authorities that she was certain Carl was involved as soon as she learned about Karen's death. On March 26, 2012, the authorities hauled him and Lillian in for interrogation after tracking them to Normangee.
After hours of questioning, the pair, who had first lied, broke down and confessed to killing Karen and Bonnie. Carl acknowledged that he had killed Karen by strangulation before chasing Bonnie to go on a ride. However, he pointed out that Bruce had paid him to murder Bonnie Harkey.
5) Her autopsy reports indicate a shocking detail
Bonnie was found buried in a shallow stream almost 200 miles away from her home. The autopsy reports revealed a shocking detail that she might have been buried alive by her step-grandson.
Carl Pressley acknowledged that he had killed Karen by strangulation before chasing Bonnie to go on a ride. He admitted to dragging the matriarch down a tiny stream's slope, hitting her over the head with a dead tree branch and pushing her face into the water up to her ankles.
Catch up on the chilling murder of Bonnie Harkey on Oxygen when season 10 episode 10 of Dateline: Secrets Uncovered re-airs on November 15, 2023.
