Capital Murder Charges Filed on Donald Lee Hassler

Donald Lee Hassler, a convicted felon, is now facing a capital murder charge and a warrant has been issued for his arrest in connection to the disappearance and suspected murder of Sheryl Siddall, 57, who has been missing from her Horseshoe Lake Estates home on the 500 block of CR 2859 in north Liberty County since Sept. 18.  

Siddall was first reported missing by her niece, and when deputies went to her home to check on her welfare, they found blood on the kitchen floor and on cabinets that made them suspect foul play in her disappearance. To this date, and despite exhaustive searches, she has not been found. Searches around her community and in the lake behind her home have turned up no sign of her.  

According to LCSO Capt. David Meyers, investigators do not believe that Siddall left of her own accord. Her belongings, including her wallet, purse, ID and vehicle, were still at her home. Her phone, which last pinged on a cell phone tower near her home on Sept. 11 before falling silent, has not been located.  

Hassler, an acquaintance of Siddall, was at the home when the deputies arrived, and he has remained as the prime suspect in her disappearance. He was initially booked in the Liberty County Jail on a charge of Felon in Possession of a Firearm, a violation of his parole. A total of eight firearms were collected during the investigation, including some found inside a box trailer belonging to Hassler and inside his pickup truck.  

After his arrest, Hassler pleaded the fifth and has not been forthcoming with information about Siddall’s disappearance. He was held without bond while the search for Siddall continued. He will go before a magistrate in the next day or so on the new charge.  

“We still want to find Siddall, and we will not give up until we do!” said Meyers. “We want to help bring some sort of closure to her family. They are already in talks of having a memorial service for her soon.”  

Liberty County Sheriff Bobby Rader would like to thank the agencies that assisted in the search for Siddall, including Texas Rangers, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Baytown Police Department, Baytown Fire Department Dive Team, Harris County Sheriff’s Office, Crosby Fire Department, Texas Search and Rescue (cadaver dogs), Texas EquuSearch, and the Liberty County District Attorney’s Office.