Reconstructions of the victim by NCMEC and LSU FACES; victim's clothing (some images are enhanced).
Reconstructions of the victim by NCMEC and LSU FACES; victim's clothing (some images are enhanced).
Date of Discovery: August 9, 1973
Location of Discovery: Houston, Harris County, Texas
Estimated Date of Death: 1 year or longer
State of Remains: Skeletal
Cause of Death: Homicide
Estimated Age: 15-20 years old
Race: White with possible Hispanic admixture
Sex: Male
Height: 5'2" to 5'7"
Weight: Unknown
Hair: Brown; 7" long
Eye Color: Unknown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Mild spina bifida, which possibly caused lower-back pain and affected how he walked; it may have alsobeen asymptomatic. He also had chronic irritation of sternal end of clavicles.
Dentals: Available. Natural teeth with no fillings.
Fingerprints: Not available.
DNA: Available.
Clothing: Brown leather cowboy boots that were 12" in length and had the word "NEOLITE" on the heel; multicolored Catalina brand swim trunks with vertical red, gold, and dark blue stripes with a belt that had gold-colored wings and the letter "C" on the silver buckle; a khaki long-sleeved t-shirt that tied in front with a large peace symbol containing the letters "USA" (previously listed as "USMC") and "L84MF" handwritten below the peace sign on the back; and dark blue corduroys, size 32x30.
Jewelry: Knotted leather ankle bracelet.
Additional Personal Items: Unknown.
On August 8, 1973, Elmer Wayne Henley, then 16, told authorities he had shot and killed a man at the man's Pasadena home after hours of drinking and glue-sniffing. Upon arriving at the scene, the body of Dean Corll, 33, was discovered.
Dean Corll was employed as a Houston Lighting & Power technician, who served in the United States Army and assisted with running his family's candy company, leading to his nickname, "The Candy Man."
Henley told investigators about luring teenage and young adult males to Corll's apartment, where Corll assaulted and killed them.
The victims were all young males, ranging in age from 13 to 20. They had been either abducted or lured to the location, where they were subsequently tortured and sexually assaulted before they were killed. Police estimated the killing spree spanned from 1970 to 1973.
Henley was convicted in connection with six of the deaths and sentenced to concurrent 99-year prison terms. He led police to the bodies, buried in shallow graves at Corll's southwest Houston boat shed, along a Galveston beach and near Lake Sam Rayburn.
An accomplice, David Owen Brooks, then 18, admitted he helped Henley lure victims for Corll. He received a 99-year sentence in one slaying. He died in prison in 2020.
This unidentified male is the last unidentified victim recovered from the scene. Several others killed by Corll and his accomplices went unidentified for years, with the latest identification taking place in 2011. They were nicknamed the "Lost Boys."
The handwriting on the back of the victim's shirt could possibly be affilliated with the armed forces, potentially honoring a loved one who served or died during the Vietnam war.
His DNA was successfully extracted and entered into the CODIS database in 2005, which has since yielded no matches. In 2020, investigators selected this case for genetic genealogy research, previously with the DNA Doe Project. A different, unspecified agency is now handling the case.
In 2018, it was publicly released that a tip was submitted, along with a photograph, regarding the unidentified male possibly being "Bobby French," a teenager bearing somewhat of a resemblance to the victim's facial reconstructions. As of August 2023, French has yet to be excluded as a potential identity, as investigators have had difficulty locating surviving family members.
Agency Name: Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences
Agency Contact Person: Julie Fleischman or Deborrah Pinto
Agency Phone Number: 832-927-5000, 832-927-5001, or 1-713-796-6858
Agency E-Mail: Deborrah.Pinto(at)ifs.hctx.net
Agency Case Number: ML73-3356
Agency Name: Texas Department of Public Safety
Agency Contact Person: N/A
Agency Phone Number: 512-424-5074
Agency E-Mail: N/A
Agency Case Number: U0312016
Agency Name: LSU FACES Lab
Agency Contact Person: Teresa Wilson or Maria Allaire
Agency Phone Number: 225-578-4761 (Wilson) or 225-578-4775 (Allaire)
Agency E-Mail: faces(at)lsu.edu
Agency Case Number: LSU 07-19-C
NCIC Case Number: U030020650
NamUs Case Number: 4547
NCMEC Case Number: 1109009
NamUs
TXDPS
NCMEC
LSU FACES
Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences (archived)
DNA Doe Project
Wikipedia
Houston Chronicle (8/9/1973)
Houston Chronicle (8/11/1973)
Houston Chronicle (12/1/2011)
KHOU (8/8/2018)
KHOU (8/7/2023)
Canoe News (6/13/08)
Added: 10/22/07; Last Updated: 8/15/23
Questions or comments? Please contact appropriate member of the Area Team
** Listed information may be estimated.
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