81-year-old sex offender may have killed Pahrump woman Maureen fields in 2006

By Chellie Cervone - Posted: Oct 18, 2012 at 9:04 am

81-year-old sex offender may have killed Pahrump woman Maureen fields in 2006

photo of Maureen Fields who has been missing in Pahrump Nevada since 2006

Maureen Fields (photo The Charley Project)

Due to increased technologies in DNA testing, there appears to be evidence that an 81-year-old sex offender may have killed Pahrump woman Maureen fields in 2006.

When Maureen Fields, 41, disappeared on February 15, 2006, the investigation initially focused on her husband, Paul Fields.

The two had been married for 15 years and there were accounts that Paul Fields was very domineering and controlling. Although there was no evidence of physical abuse, Maureen was reportedly fearful of her husband and told people she was afraid he would kill her.
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Paul Fields had said that he and Maureen had a fight on the morning of February 15, 2006 before she left for her job at Wells Fargo Bank in Pahrump.

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She never made it to work and coworkers called her home by 9 am inquiring as to where she was.

Her husband reportedly went to the police station to file a missing persons report and allegedly was told he would have to wait for 24 hours.

According to published reports, police say Paul Fields simply inquired if her car had been involved in an accident.

The next day, February 16, 2006, a 2004 green Hyundai car, that belonged to Maureen Fields, was found in Inyo County, California just a little over 10 miles from the Nevada state line.

According to the Charley Project, her car was found stuck in the sand in a desert area about 125 feet off the road. Her keys were still in the ignition, her slippers and eyeglasses or under the gas pedal and the driver seat was fully reclined. There were also some religious pamphlets strewn about near her purse and nearby, a knotted pair of pantyhose were found and a blanket that was stained with small amounts of vomit and blood.

There were allegations by her husband that Maureen Fields had a gambling problem and misappropriated household finances, leading to speculation that Maureen fields may have committed suicide, however no suicide note was found.

DNA was found, from an unidentified male, on some of the items, however it was believed that the crime scene had been stage by whoever was responsible for Maureen’s disappearance.

Keith Homes sex offender linked to disappearance of Maureen Fields

That DNA that has now been identified as a match to a registered sex offender from Pearblossom, CA, Keith Holmes, and the 81-year-old sex offender may have killed Pahrump woman Maureen fields in 2006

Was it breakthrough DNA technology testing, as is being reported, or was it simply that the DNA has finally been tested and now there is finally a match to an 81 year old sex offender, Keith Holmes?

DNA testing is backlogged, particularly in the case of missing persons. CBS News published an article in 2010 stating that as of March 2010, there were over 3,200 cases of DNA waiting to be tested and, back then the cases were backlogged by nearly 2 years and, unfortunately, the list was growing.

Missing persons cases compromised nearly 40% of the backlog.

8 News Now reports that Keith Holmes was recently arrested in California on a sex crime. That is why, reportedly, his DNA was in the system.

Holmes reportedly tried to lure a 12-year-old child into his car in California last year.

Usually, a sex offender could not fly under the radar for so many years, although it has happened.

Was homes arrested for other crimes in the past? He reportedly is a sex offender so, could a DNA match have been made years earlier, if the DNA was tested earlier?

Interestingly, Holmes had been traveling to Pahrump around the same time frame in 2006 that Maureen Fields went missing.

So far, Holmes has not been charged in the disappearance and presumed death of Maureen Fields.

Maureen Fields was declared legally dead in 2009 and thus far her body has not been found.
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NCSO Detectives are asking for the help of the community. Anyone who knows Holmes or recognizes him or his vehicle should contact Nye County Detectives at 775-751-7000. Information can also be submitted confidentially to ncso_detectives@co.nye.nv.us.