Circumstances of Disappearance
Richerson worked as a night clerk at Casa Del Mar Condominiums in Galveston, Texas in October 1988. She was last seen at work on October 7 at approximately 06:00. Another employee was sleeping in the room above Richerson's office and awoke to a female scream, followed by a car door slamming in the facility's parking lot. Another scream was heard before the car drove away.
The last people to see her, according to authorities, were nighttime security guards who got off duty at 06.00 that morning. A half hour later when a guest came downstairs to checkout, the office was empty and Rene was nowhere to be found. There was no sign of a struggle.
Rene left behind her purse, school books and car. One of her shoes was found in the parking lot.

Rene Richerson’s case is included along with 26 other women in the area that have been murdered or missing since 1971. Authorities believe there may be several serial killers responsible for some of the deaths and disappearances. A task force of various local law enforcement agencies and the FBI has been formed in order to solve these cases. They call themselves Operation HALT (Homicide-Abduction Liaison Team.).