Ohio woman found in submerged Camaro: Ex convicted years later
Regina Hicks was supposed to pick up her 4-year-old son, Montana, from her estranged husband’s friend’s house in Willard, Ohio, but she said he never showed up.
Shortly after his disappearance on the evening of October 18, 2001, investigators found the 25-year-old man’s body in his white Camaro, submerged in a nearby pond, and began a decades-long search to unmask his killer.
A new episode of “20/20” “The Secret in Water” A.IriThe episode, which will air on ABC at 9pm on Friday, May 1 and will be available on Disney+ and Hulu the next day, examines the case.
You can also learn more about behind the scenes of each week’s episode by listening to the weekly series “20/20: The After Show,” hosted by “20/20” co-host Deborah Roberts, on Mondays in your 20/20 podcast feed.
Regina began dating Paul Hicks while in high school and eventually married him. He filed for divorce the day after the woman disappeared, according to court documents.
Courtesy of Vacation Photos – PHOTO: Regina Hicks is seen here in a high school yearbook photo.
Regina’s cousin Lisa Hersha says their relationship was toxic in a new exclusive interview with “20/20.”
“Before Paul, he was loud, happy, louder. Paul was making him quieter, smaller,” he said.
The night he disappeared, Regina had promised to pick up their son from a property owned by Paul’s best friend, Steve Gates.
But he would be found dead four days later with three blows to his scalp, according to authorities.
Authorities began investigating the suspects and sent Paul to a polygraph test, but the test did not proceed after Paul said he had taken three Xanax pills and two doses of Jim Beam before the exam.
Courtesy of Kelly Weitlauf – PHOTO: Regina’s estranged husband Paul Hicks was at the center of her mysterious disappearance in 2001.
Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation Special Agent John Saraya told “20/20” that the lack of direct evidence linking Paul Hicks to Regina’s death has made it difficult for the case to move forward.
“But there was nothing to definitively link him to the crime. There is no confession,” Saraya said. “It’s a tough case.”
While the murder case remains unsolved, investigators allege Paul carried out an elaborate scheme to frame arson charges at a property he owned by purchasing a wig and a custom-fit mask for another ex-girlfriend.
READ MORE: How a son stood up to his mother, who was found guilty of killing his stepfather
Hicks denied the allegations, but was eventually indicted on charges of aggravated arson, perjury and insurance fraud. He ultimately pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of insurance fraud and received probation. Other charges were dismissed.
The Regina Hicks murder case remained unsolved for decades until a cold case team from the Ohio Attorney General’s Office of Criminal Investigation took over the case and began re-interviewing key witnesses.
One of the witnesses, Steve Gates, was granted immunity in exchange for testimony about what he witnessed the night Regina disappeared.
Courtesy of the Ohio Attorney General’s Office – PHOTO: Steve Gates, the key witness in Regina’s disappearance, was granted immunity in exchange for testifying about the night she disappeared.
Gates told authorities that he had argued with Paul when he came to pick up Montana the night Regina disappeared.
Courtesy of the Ohio Attorney General’s Office – PHOTO: The retention pond in Willard, Ohio, where Regina Hicks’ sunken white Camaro was discovered four days after she was reported missing in October 2001.
According to Gates, he found Regina unconscious and Paul told him she was dead. Gates told investigators that Paul then drove the car into the pond and got out of the vehicle, leaving Regina behind to drown.
After 24 years, a lawsuit was filed against Paul Hicks Three murders and one kidnapping in 2025.
Courtesy of the Ohio Attorney General’s Office – PHOTO: Authorities pulled Regina Hicks’ white Camaro from the pond and eventually found her body in the pond.
When his trial began later that year, he pleaded not guilty, defense attorneys arguing that there was nothing at the crime scene linking Paul to the murder.
“The entire case is based on speculation and conjecture,” defense attorney J. Anthony Rich said during the hearing, adding that there was “zero forensic evidence” to substantiate the allegations against him.
However, the prosecution claimed that Paul killed Regina because he did not want to pay child support.
“Motif. Motif. Motif. That’s what it’s about here,” prosecutor Dan Kasaris said at the hearing. “Regina’s independence. Regina wanted child support. Regina wanted custody. Regina fought back. You don’t fight against Paul Hicks.”
But after a two-week trial, Paul was found guilty in every respect And He was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. He is appealing his conviction.
At the sentencing in January, Regina and Paul’s son, Montana, 28, released an impact statement in which he said he felt no sense of closure due to a “lack of evidence.”
The letter continued: “Now I need to hear what decision should be made about my father. Do I feel he should be punished? No, but everyone who commits a crime should pay the price. I lost my mother and now I’m losing my father.”
Regina’s cousin Hersha said she still remembers her warm character.
“You will feel protected around Regina. She would always make you feel safe, wanted and loved,” he said.
