Regina Rowe Hicks was 25 years old at the time of her death in October 2001. She lived in Huron County, Ohio, and was known by family and friends as a young mother focused on building a future for herself and her son. At the time, she was employed at the University of Georgia earlier in her life and had returned to Ohio, where she remained closely connected to her family.
Her personal life had entered a period of change. Regina and her husband, Paul Hicks, were separated and moving toward divorce. Testimony later presented in court described a relationship marked by conflict, particularly surrounding custody of their young son. Despite those tensions, prosecutors said Regina was moving forward and was in a new relationship, which became a key point in understanding the circumstances leading up to her death.
- “The Secret in the Water”: 20/20 Examines the Regina Hicks Cold Case May 1 2026
- Who Is Paul Hicks & Where Is He Now? 2026 Update & Profile
Contents
The Night Regina Disappeared
On the evening of October 18, 2001, Regina left her boyfriend’s home in her white Chevrolet Camaro. She planned to pick up her 4-year-old son, but she never arrived. When she failed to return or make contact, concern quickly grew among her loved ones.
Her disappearance triggered an urgent search effort. Family members and local authorities tried to piece together her last known movements, but there were few immediate answers. The uncertainty surrounding her whereabouts created fear that something serious had occurred.
Four days later, on October 22, 2001, Regina was found inside her car, which had been submerged in a pond along Section Line Road 30 in Willard, Ohio. She was discovered in the passenger seat, and the condition of the scene raised immediate questions for investigators.
Evidence Suggesting Foul Play
An autopsy revealed that Regina had bruising on her head, which indicated she may have been assaulted before her death. Authorities did not believe the circumstances pointed to an accident. The position of her body in the passenger seat, combined with the location of the vehicle, suggested that someone else had been involved.
Prosecutors later argued that Regina had been rendered unconscious before being placed in her car. According to their theory, the vehicle was then driven into the pond, where Regina died from drowning. These details formed the basis of a case that would take decades to bring to trial.
At the time of the discovery, however, there was not enough evidence to support criminal charges. The case remained open but unresolved, leaving Regina’s family without clear answers.
A Long Fight for Answers
For more than two decades, Regina’s death remained one of the region’s most enduring cold cases. Her family continued to seek justice, maintaining their belief that her estranged husband was responsible.
The case gained renewed attention years later when investigators revisited the evidence and reexamined witness accounts. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation worked with local authorities to build a case that had not been possible in the early 2000s.
In April 2025, nearly 24 years after Regina’s death, Paul Hicks was indicted and arrested. The development marked a turning point for a case that had long been defined by unanswered questions.
What Happened to Regina Hicks
During the 2025 trial, prosecutors presented a detailed account of Regina’s final moments. A key witness, Steven Gates, testified that Regina arrived at his property on the night she disappeared and that he saw her arguing with Paul Hicks outside her car.
Gates told the court that after briefly going inside, he returned to find Regina unresponsive in the passenger seat of her vehicle. He said Hicks told him she was already dead and then drove the car toward the pond, with Gates following behind. Gates testified that he watched the car enter the water.
Prosecutors argued that this sequence showed a deliberate act rather than an accident. They said Regina was placed in a position where she could not escape and was left to drown.
Justice After 24 Years
In December 2025, a jury found Paul Hicks guilty of three counts of murder and one count of kidnapping. The verdict came after a trial that relied on witness testimony, timeline evidence, and a reconstruction of events from October 2001.
On January 9, 2026, Hicks was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. The sentence reflected the severity of the crime and the length of time it took to reach a conclusion.
For Regina’s family, the conviction brought a measure of closure after decades of uncertainty. Her case stands as an example of how cold case investigations can still lead to accountability, even many years after a crime has occurred.
More “The Secret in the Water”
- “The Secret in the Water”: 20/20 Examines the Regina Hicks Cold Case May 1 2026
- Who Was Regina Hicks & What Happened to Her? 2026 Update & Profile
- Who Is Paul Hicks & Where Is He Now? 2026 Update & Profile