TX SWIMSUIT BOY JOHN DOE: WM/H, 15-20, found in boat shed in Houston, TX - 8 Aug 1973 - Dean Corll victim

[Romulus]

1010UMTX - Unidentified Male​

Reconstructions of the victim by LSU FACES; victim's clothing.

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

Physical Description​

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 form of spina bifida which may have caused him lower back pain or possibly affected his stride. However, it may not have produced any noticeable symptoms. He also had chronic irritation of sternal end of clavicles.

Identifiers​

Dentals: Available. Natural teeth with no fillings.
Fingerprints: Not available.
DNA: Available.

Clothing & Personal Items​

Clothing: Brown leather cowboy boots that were 12” in length and had the word “NEOLITE” on the heel; multicolored swim trunks 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 and had a large peace symbol and the letters “USMC” and “L84MF” on the back; and dark blue corduroys, size 32x30.
Jewelry: Knotted leather ankle bracelet.
Additional Personal Items: Unknown

Circumstances of Discovery​

This victim was one of 29 known victims of serial killer Dean Corll. His remains were located in Corll's boat shed in Houston, Texas on August 8, 1973.

The victims were all young males, ranging in age from 13 to 20. Police believe were assaulted and slain in a killing spree that began in 1972.

Dean Corll was a 33-year-old Houston Lighting & Power technician, who served in the United States Army and assisted with running his family's candy company.

Corll buried most of his victims in the shed. The location was disclosed to police after a teenager confessed to killing Corll.

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.

Henley told investigators about luring young boys to Corll's apartment, where Corll assaulted and killed them.

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.

This unidentified male is the last unidentified victim recovered from the scene. Two others, Randell Harvey and Michael Baulch, were identified in 2008 and 2010, respectively.

Investigating Agency(s)​

Agency Name: Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences
Agency Contact Person: Sharon Derrick
Agency Phone Number: 713-796-6774 or 713-796-6858
Agency E-Mail: N/A
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: Dr. Ginesse Listi
Agency Phone Number: 225-578-3906
Agency E-Mail: [email protected]
Agency Case Number: LSU 07-19-C

NCIC Case Number: U030020650
NamUs Case Number: 4547
NCMEC Case Number: 1109009

Information Source(s)​

1010UMTX

NamUs
TXDPS
NCMEC
LSU FACES
Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences
Wikipedia
Houstron Chronicle
Canoe News (6/13/08)

*CLICK THE REPORT BUTTON IF YOU'D LIKE THIS CASE MOVED TO THE GENERAL DISCUSSION AREA TO BE OPENED FOR COMMENTING.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Candy Man Victim: New Clues in Serial Killer Mystery

Half a century after this young man was murdered in Houston, Texas, the National Center for Missing...

www.missingkids.org

Candy Man Victim: New Clues in Serial Killer Mystery​

Half a century after this young man was murdered in Houston, Texas, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is releasing brand new imagery of John Doe 1973 in hopes it will lead to his identity.

Can you help solve this 50-year-old mystery?

Can you help us solve the final mystery?
Over the years, investigators were able to identify 27 of Corll’s known victims, giving each of “The Lost Boys” a name – except one.

In a new effort to bring awareness to his case, forensic artists at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children created this brand new reconstruction image of what he may have looked like in life.



According to police, this young man was one of 17 bodies discovered in the boat storage shed on Aug. 9, 1973. Investigators believe he was between 15 and 18 years old at the time of his death, and he had likely been deceased for 12 months or more prior to his recovery.

He was Caucasian, with possible admixtures including Hispanic, but investigators believe his outward appearance would have been primarily white. According to the medical examiner, he had brown hair, approximately seven inches in length. Examination revealed that he had a mild form of spina bifida, which may have caused him lower back pain or possibly affected his stride; however, it may not have produced any noticeable symptoms at all.

In addition to the facial reconstruction image, forensic artists at the National Center worked collaboratively with the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences to create brand new digital reconstructions of the items found with John Doe.

He was found with belted Catalina brand swim trunks with vertical red, turquoise, gold, and dark blue stripes. The swim trunks also had the letter “C” in the center of the wings on the silver buckle.



John Doe 1973 was also discovered with a khaki-colored long-sleeved ‘70s style shirt that tied in the front. The shirt had a large red, white, and blue peace symbol on the back. Although it was previously thought that the shirt contained the letters “USMC” inside the peace symbol, the National Center confirmed with the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences that the shirt contained the letters “USA” within the symbol.



The shirt also had the following writing underneath the symbol:

In addition to the above items, John Doe 1973 was also located with brown leather cowboy boots that went above the calf and had the word “NEOLITE” on the heel. Investigators also discovered a knotted leather ankle bracelet and dark blue corduroys with his remains.



Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences has ensured that Houston John Doe 1973 is uploaded into all national missing person databases and his DNA has been entered into the national DNA databases, CODIS, actively searching for a match since 2005. Forensic genetic genealogy has also been pursued, but to date, has not been successful at advancing the investigation.

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children encourages anyone who may have information on John Doe 1973 or the items he was discovered with to come forward. It only takes one person to see something, say something, and help us solve this 50-year-old mystery by giving this victim his name back.

“We remain hopeful that this young man’s family and friends are still looking for him,” said Carol Schweitzer, supervisor of NCMEC’s Forensic Services Unit. “He may have siblings, cousins, classmates, neighbors, or friends who have always wondered what happened to him. This young man’s friends and classmates would be in their late 60s to early 70s and we hope that this new imagery reaches them and helps bring in that one single lead needed to resolve this case.”

Have you seen this child?

Missing From: , . Missing Date: .

www.missingkids.org