Steven Thacker Suspected of Killing Again

Sunday, January 2nd 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Missouri authorities believe Steven Thacker has killed again. On Thursday, Mayes county prosecutors charged Thacker with first degree murder for the death of Laci Hill of Bixby. Saturday evening, Polk County, Missouri authorities found a body in the area where they were conducting an intense manhunt and a car has been stolen.

Missouri, Oklahoma, and authorities from several surrounding states are on the lookout for Steven Thacker. The Missouri highway patrol believes Thacker killed a 24 year old man sometime between 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. at a home near Aldrich. A family member came home at that time and also discovered a car was missing. Authorities say he's had several hours to run, so he could be in several states, including Oklahoma.

Thacker is 6' 3" and weighs 210 pounds with blue or hazel eyes and brown hair. Authorities believe he is driving a brown or burgundy, 1985, Oldsmobile Cutlass. It's a two door with Missouri plates 540-J-B-J.

Thacker's been on-the-run since at least last Tuesday. It all started when the FBI named him as a suspect in Laci Hill's disappearance. The Bixby woman went missing just before Christmas. Hill told a friend someone answered a classified ad for her pool table and was coming over. She was never heard from again. Security video at Wal-Mart in Pryor later showed Thacker using Laci Hill's credit cards to buy gifts.

His wife says she had no idea why Thacker had so much cash to spend. On Wednesday, authorities found Hill's purse in an out building Thacker owns in Mayes County. Her body was found a short time later. That same afternoon, they believe Thacker ditched his wanted car in a drug store parking lot in Springfield, carjacked another Grand Am with two people. He let them go, crashed the car and headed out on foot.

Dogs, helicopters and dozens of police have been scouring two Missouri counties searching for Thacker.