Naman Shrestha
When the news of 25-year-old Regina Hicks’ disappearance and murder broke out in October 2001, the entire community of Willard, Ohio, was shell-shocked, while grief took over her loved ones. The case remained a mystery for more than two decades, until an unexpected witness finally told the truth to the authorities. ABC’s ’20/20: The Secret in the Water’ covers all the intricate details about the case and the decades-long investigation that followed, with the help of emotional yet insightful interviews with Regina’s family and friends.
Regina Hicks’ Remains Were Found Inside Her Car, Immersed in a Willard Pond
Born on September 13, 1976, Regina Rowe Hicks was the beloved daughter of Rollie B. Rowe and Lacella Patrick Rowe Holbrook. Although born in Norwalk, Ohio, she grew up in Willard, alongside her brothers, Charles Rowe and Chad Rowe, and stepsiblings, Lancan Edward Holbrook and Kimberly Holbrook, after her mother married Lancan Holbrook. Having spent all her life in Willard, she became a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW).
Seemingly, in the 1990s, Regina crossed paths with Paul Hicks, whom she married. The couple gave birth to a son, whom they named Montana Hicks. She was looking forward to watching her son achieve success in life, but her dreams came to an abrupt end. On October 18, 2001, around 8 pm, the 25-year-old mother of one was on her way to pick up her son when she and her white Chevrolet Camaro suddenly disappeared. Four days of search later, on October 22, her remains were discovered in the passenger seat of her car in a pond at Section Line Road 30 in Willard. The medical examiner performed an autopsy and found bruising on her head, but concluded that the cause of her death was drowning.
Regina Hicks’ Killer Was Also Charged With Arson and Insurance Fraud
As part of the investigation, the authorities interviewed Regina Hicks’ family and friends in order to trace her movements before she went missing on October 18, 2001. According to witness statements, she had visited her then-boyfriend’s residence and left in her car to pick up her son around 8 pm on the fateful night. After eliminating the boyfriend as a potential suspect, the detectives then dug deeper into Regina’s husband, Paul Hicks, with whom she had been separated. They learned that one day after her disappearance, Paul filed for divorce and sought full custody of their 4-year-old son, Montana Hicks. A portion of the documents stated, “Plaintiff should be designated the residential parent for the following reasons. The defendant has moved in with boyfriend. The defendant continues to use poor judgment, is not stable.”
During an interview with Paul, he not only attacked Regina’s character and called her an unfit mother, but he also suggested that she was suicidal. Due to a lack of evidence against him, the detectives could not charge him with the murder. About a decade and a half later, Paul found himself in trouble with law enforcement when his home on Stumpy Lane in Goshen, Ohio, was set on fire on June 15, 2015. The surveillance footage of the property captured two masked individuals entering the residence with gas cans, stealing property, and setting the house on fire. Initially, Paul alleged that his ex-girlfriend was responsible for carrying out the arson and tried pointing her out in the security footage.
Upon interviewing the girlfriend, the detectives cleared her as a suspect. However, further investigation revealed that Paul was trying to frame his ex-girlfriend, as he had hired another woman to wear a custom mask and a wig that resembled his ex’s face and hair. According to the detectives, Paul’s motive behind the arson was to gain custody of their child and get insurance money. It wasn’t until Paul Hicks turned himself in at the Clermont County Sheriff’s Office on January 16, 2019, that he was charged with two counts of aggravated arson, insurance fraud, and three counts of perjury. After taking a plea deal, he was found guilty of misdemeanor insurance fraud and sentenced to community control.
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The Killer’s Close Friend Played a Crucial Role in His Conviction
More than two decades later, Paul Hicks’ close friend, Steven Gates, came forward and provided the detectives with a shocking testimony, cracking the Regina murder case wide open. In exchange for immunity from prosecution, Steve told the investigators that on the fateful night of October 18, 2001, Regina had come to his property to pick up her son. As per his account, she and Paul got into a heated argument outside her vehicle. Excusing himself, Steven then allegedly returned to his home. Upon returning outside, Steven claimed he found Regina in the front passenger seat of her car and Paul outside the car. According to the witness, he suggested calling for help, but Paul told him that she was already dead.
Steven alleged that he then followed Paul as he drove Regina’s car into the pond, with her remains still inside. His testimony allowed the authorities to arrest Paul in Seneca County on April 22, 2025, after he was indicted on three counts of murder and one count of kidnapping. A few months later, on December 9, his jury trial got underway. The prosecution relied heavily on the testimony of Steven Gates, who took the stand and testified against his friend, Paul. They also told the jury that the defendant’s motive was money and control as he and Regina were on the verge of getting divorced. The prosecutor added, “The defendant is looking at a situation he could be paying child support while being laid off and he had to limit his financial exposure as well as get full custody.”
On the other hand, the defense argued that no physical evidence linked the defendant to the crime scene. They also challenged the credibility of Steven’s statements. Ultimately, on December 19, 2025, the jury found Paul Hicks guilty on three counts of murder and one count of kidnapping. Following the conviction, Regina’s cousin, Angela Rowe, stated, “We lost so much sleep over this, and it feels like we can finally breathe again. We are just overwhelmed and feeling so much joy, because we have been waiting for this moment for 24-years.” A few weeks later, on January 9, 2026, the convict was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for killing his ex-wife, Regina Hicks.
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