TX TX - Houston, 'Swimsuit Boy' WhtMale 15-19, UP4547, Dean Corll victim, Aug'73

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Malley Winkle actually worked at the Candy shop with Corll and his mother. Malley and David Hilligeist disappeared together on the way to the swimming pool. Malley's mom said she was surprised to see David at her front door because apparently his mother didn't approve of his friendship with Malley. But David's younger brothers had both gone to the pool and he wanted to have a friend his own age to swim with.

It's interesting to read an account written so shortly after the murders, especially given that so much has developed since, particularly in terms of misidentification.
 
pokypuppy67 said:
Okay, there's a guy who went missing in 1972 who is not on the exclusions list. He was on vacation from Med School at Cambridge University in England. He was in California when he disappeared and was planning on going to Florida. He disappeared July 24th. His name is Dikran Knadjian. He was much heavier...I don't know if that would be discernible with decomposition. Most likely he died in Yosemite but Corll did say he killed people in CA.
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There are so many ways to get killed in Yosemite, that's really is likely he died there. Most people don't realize just how long it takes to hike up to the top of Half Dome (or to get back down those damn cables.) It's really easy to misjudge how quickly it gets dark and get lost in the mountains or swept away by the Merced river. Not to mention how cold it can get, even in July. The buses stop running to Happy Isles (the closest stop to the trailhead) hours before they stop running in the rest of the valley (which can leave people who aren't familiar with the area wandering around in the dark.)
 
There's actually a book that chronicles every unnatural death in Yosemite (that they know about) since its inception.

I, too, believe that Dikran probably died in the process of hiking to, or climbing up, Half Dome. I bring him up only because he is one of the few young men missing during the time of Corll that has not been tested. And he disappeared wearing an American culture shirt (red, white and blue with the word VOTE on it, which I found amusing), so it's not a stretch to imagine him decked out in a U.S. peace shirt. And possibly what they perceived as potential bi-raciality could have been his Armenian genetics. I know they suggested that he might be partially Hispanic. I guess it would come down to how they determined that.

I think he's a weak possibility, based on his size, location, and the circumstances of his disappearance. Just one that exists that hasn't been officially ruled out as Swimsuit boy.
 
pokypuppy67 said:
There's actually a book that chronicles every unnatural death in Yosemite (that they know about) since its inception.

I, too, believe that Dikran probably died in the process of hiking to, or climbing up, Half Dome. I bring him up only because he is one of the few young men missing during the time of Corll that has not been tested. And he disappeared wearing an American culture shirt (red, white and blue with the word VOTE on it, which I found amusing), so it's not a stretch to imagine him decked out in a U.S. peace shirt. And possibly what they perceived as potential bi-raciality could have been his Armenian genetics. I know they suggested that he might be partially Hispanic. I guess it would come down to how they determined that.

I think he's a weak possibility, based on his size, location, and the circumstances of his disappearance. Just one that exists that hasn't been officially ruled out as Swimsuit boy.
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Ugh. Remind to not look for that book. I had a frequent substitute teacher, who we all loved, die climbing El Capitan and I grew up in Merced (and had family who worked in the park and lived in Midpines, and more in Mariposa.) We were always aware of all the different (usually stupid) ways people could get themselves killed there.

I love how you’re looking outside the box, though. Especially that gap you discovered where there had been no known LOCAL deaths or disappearances. I think you’re definitely onto something there.
 
gayeld said:
Ugh. Remind to not look for that book. I had a frequent substitute teacher, who we all loved, die climbing El Capitan and I grew up in Merced (and had family who worked in the park and lived in Midpines, and more in Mariposa.) We were always aware of all the different (usually stupid) ways people could get themselves killed there.

I love how you’re looking outside the box, though. Especially that gap you discovered where there had been no known LOCAL deaths or disappearances. I think you’re definitely onto something there.
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I'm so sorry to hear that, Gayeld. I wouldn't want to look back on something like that either. I have a friend who lives in Merced. She wants to take me to the park sometime. We're both too out of shape to try climbing anything, though. Just reading about all the lives lost at Half-Dome, I don't have any desire to go there. Not to even walk through the gates.
 
pokypuppy67 said:
Okay, there's a guy who went missing in 1972 who is not on the exclusions list. He was on vacation from Med School at Cambridge University in England. He was in California when he disappeared and was planning on going to Florida. He disappeared July 24th. His name is Dikran Knadjian. He was much heavier...I don't know if that would be discernible with decomposition. Most likely he died in Yosemite but Corll did say he killed people in CA.

Sorry. I couldn't get his picture to link.



knadjian_dikran.html
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Wow. Dikran's resemblance to Swimsuit Boy is uncanny. I haven't mastered the side by side comparison photo thing yet, but here is Dikran's picture. What a handsome young man.
Dikran Knadjian.jpg
 
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carbuff said:
When you click on the attachment and then click on the photo, it enlarges quite nicely.

And that's an astonishing resemblance.
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Yes it certainly is. Nose, lips, chin, everything.
 
If we added some roundness to SBoy's cheeks he would look just like Dikran. They may not have been able to deduce his size very well due to decomposition. I see multiple reconstructions of faces where they are shown extremely thin, even gaunt, to somewhat chunky. Unless they are found wearing a certain size of clothing it is probably anyone's guess as to whether they carried extra weight or not.

Do we know the size of the clothing that was found with Swimsuit Boy? Dikran looked like a fairly big guy.
 
pokypuppy67 said:
I'm so sorry to hear that, Gayeld. I wouldn't want to look back on something like that either. I have a friend who lives in Merced. She wants to take me to the park sometime. We're both too out of shape to try climbing anything, though. Just reading about all the lives lost at Half-Dome, I don't have any desire to go there. Not to even walk through the gates.
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LOL! Don't let that stop you. The park is beautiful and there's so much to do and see there that doesn't involve climbing a mountain. Take the tram around the valley, walking around Happy Isles and Mirror Lake. DRIVE up to Glacier Point instead of hiking. Go see the Mariposa Grove (redwoods.) Watch the deer on the golf course at Wawona. Just stay on the paths and off the sides of mountains (and don't keep food in your car.)
 
gayeld said:
LOL! Don't let that stop you. The park is beautiful and there's so much to do and see there that doesn't involve climbing a mountain. Take the tram around the valley, walking around Happy Isles and Mirror Lake. DRIVE up to Glacier Point instead of hiking. Go see the Mariposa Grove (redwoods.) Watch the deer on the golf course at Wawona. Just stay on the paths and off the sides of mountains (and don't keep food in your car.)
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Lol at "don't keep food in your car." I can imagine that could only mean your car would be bear food?
 
Snoods said:
Lol at "don't keep food in your car." I can imagine that could only mean your car would be bear food?
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Something like that. One of the funniest things I've every seen was a convertible that a bear just peeled open like it was a banana. Pulled the top right off of it.
 
Snoods said:
Lol at "don't keep food in your car." I can imagine that could only mean your car would be bear food?
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Snoods, your mailbox is full. I've been trying to get hold of you. Check your mail. I really want to get your input on another case.
 
Awhile back I mentioned the unknown Corll victim that I believed I could identify, however I withheld his name at the time because of a particular piece of evidence. And because I wanted to give the detectives some time to investigate, thinking that it might be released to the public through the media. I was concerned about how it would be presented to the family. Apart from the traumatic news about how their loved one had died, the physical evidence comes with its own emotional impact.

This case may hinge, too, on digging up the long-buried remains in Houston; those boys who were never unearthed (not that I'd hold my breath waiting for that to happen). Because this is a case without a body. This is a missing boy who is unquestionably connected to Corll -- the boy in the photograph that a filmmaker, Josh Vargas, found among Wayne Henley's possessions a few years ago. The boy shown hand-cuffed to Corll's torture board.



What's different about this boy - and please understand that this identification is not officially verified - is that he wasn't FROM or IN Texas when he disappeared. He disappeared from Norfolk Virginia, from a bus stop on his way to school one morning. Specifically, it was March 12, 1973 during one of those eerie silent periods when there was no accounting for Corll's activities. It was at the front end of that four month dormant period, actually.

The boy's name is Darren Hillis. He was 14 years old. If you compare his missing photo with the boy in the Polaroid photo (despite its graininess) you will see the incredible resemblance. For one thing, he has a very unique head of hair which is identical in both photos. But even more telling is the pair of pants he is wearing in the Polaroid: red pants with white stripes...exactly as described in his missing file as the pants he was wearing when he disappeared.

In attempting to shore up his identity I enlarged the photo in Photoshop. Then I just sat and cried. The look of terror on his face is so sad. And he had enormous tears welled up in his eyes. I did make an observation from this, though, that may indicate timeline. And I apologize; I feel like a callous creep for observing anything other than human suffering in this horrendously sad photo.

Okay...this is just theory but I think that picture may have been taken in Corll's van immediately after Darren was abducted. In the polaroid, his tears are welled up in his eyes and are just about to spill but they don't appear to have rolled down his cheeks yet. And he's straining against the board which he would probably tire from fairly quickly. Plus, Corll was known to have curtains in his van along with torture equipment and there is a wavy line that could possibly be the bottom edge of curtains. I think this photo may have been taken right after the abduction. Once he started crying I don't think he would stop for a long time. And there would probably be a line down his cheeks from the tears. I think what we're seeing in Darren's face is the initial panic that set in after the momentary shock of being grabbed.

I hope the detectives follow through on this case and don't let it be covered up like all the others. I would love to see the public put some pressure on the Houston PD to finally bring closure to the rest of the families. And here's yet another family devastated by Corll who needs to have their boy brought home.

Last thoughts on this: That Darren disappeared from Virginia, so far from Texas -- and assuming that I am correct in identifying him -- means that young boys anywhere in the country could have fallen victim to Corll. He admitted to killing and burying boys in California. Does anybody know when he made that statement? Maybe he went on various trips to visit his perv buddies during those dormant periods in Houston. Disappearances during those times should probably be looked at with this in mind by anybody seeking to ID more candy-coated nightmare victims.

I can't figure out how to add a 2nd picture or I'd include the missing photo of Darren Hillis.
 

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This is the photo of Darren Hillis, the boy I believe is the most recent unknown Corll victim (I apologize; I couldn't find a corresponding UID thread).

I also couldn't find a way to post two attachments so the unidentified victim photo is in the previous thread. This is the missing photo.
 

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Snoods said:
If you're as fascinated by this case as I am, y'all should check out this article. Actually it's the comments under the article that I find interesting. Many of them are from the survivor, Rhonda Williams, and the sister of David Brooks, one of the murderers.

http://crime.about.com/b/2013/05/30/flashback-dean-corll-and-the-houston-mass-murders.htm
Click to expand...

For some reason, when I clicked on your link it sent me to William Bonin (another gay serial killer, albeit in California). Odd since the words in the link include "corll," "houston," etc.

Here's a link from the same website related to Corll, but doesn't have the interview with Rhonda
http://crime.about.com/od/serial/p/dean_corll.htm
 
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