Updated

A convicted kidnapper who may be linked to other violent crimes has been temporarily released from prison to help investigators digging outside Houston for the body of a teenager who disappeared in 1997.

An attorney for William Reece told The Associated Press on Friday that Reece is helping authorities locate the body of Jessica Cain. The 17-year-old disappeared after having dinner with friends. Her truck was later found abandoned in the Houston area.

Reece is serving a 60-year sentence for a 1997 kidnapping. He's also charged in Oklahoma with a 1997 killing and is a person of interest in a Texas college student's 1997 disappearance.

La Marque Police Chief Kirk Jackson says his department is helping the FBI, Texas Rangers and other agencies searching a site near Houston's Hobby Airport.