TX TX - Unidentified victims of Dean Corll, Houston Serial Killer, 1970-1973

[kline]

Yeah if one of those kids had long hair to his shoulders parted on the side or the middle maybe a little facial scruff I doubt anyone would make the connection 30 odd years later even if they had seen one of the kids.
Not going by those reconstructions...they look like back up dancers for Hannah Montana.
Besides by all accounts Wayne Henley was drunk a good part of the time he was involved with Corll he was also a paint huffer so Im not surprised he wasnt much help sadly.
Its just too sad to think of some young person not only meeting such a horrific end but then the added indignity of their earthly body laying unclaimed in a morgue for thirty odd years. Its not right.

 

[J. Brannagh]

Has anyone ever gone back to that boat storage place and tried to look for more remains? It sounds like they didn't do a thorough job back then and they would still be there if that is the case. His chilling comment that he was trying to rent another storage shed because the other one was full just makes my blood go cold.

If they haven't done it... they should!

 

[J. Brannagh]

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1008umtx.html

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1010umtx.html

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1009umtx.html

and is this a possible match for 1009umtx

http://charleyproject.org/cases/p/prater_norman.html

I agree that he is a good match... the area between the nose and the upper lip appears to be similar in these two... a little longer than is common. it is a little hard to picture them as they were back in the 70s the way they made the composites is a little too current.

 

[KarlK]

Its just too sad to think of some young person not only meeting such a horrific end but then the added indignity of their earthly body laying unclaimed in a morgue for thirty odd years. Its not right.

Unfortunately such is the fate of many transients. Back in the early 1970's police didn't do much about teen boys reported missing by their families because they assumed these were runaways, or old enough to be on their own without parental consent (at the time 16 was usually considered old enough). They were right of course, but because of this young men could vanish from the surface of the earth without anyone looking for them for years, and not ever be entered in a missing person's database. Some male runaways in their mid teens could vanish for 10 years and then resurface safe and sound living a new life, and many families prefer to think that's what happened to their son/brother, and never take the steps that could see some unclaimed bodies identified. It's not every parent who wants to know for sure if their child is dead, some prefer lifelong hope to that kind of certitude.

Yeah if one of those kids had long hair to his shoulders parted on the side or the middle maybe a little facial scruff I doubt anyone would make the connection 30 odd years later even if they had seen one of the kids.

Yup, in 1973 someone sporting a crew cut was either serving in the military or a Mormon, in any case he would have stood out enough to be remembered by Corll's accomplices.

 

[J. Brannagh]

Has anyone heard if they have done any more searching in the boat storage shed? It sounds like there were more than likely more remains in there to be found. It seems to me they would still be there.

It would help if they had made the composites look more like they may have looked back then. Especially the side part which was most common it seemed.

I am anxiously awaiting the results of the DNA for the possible sisters in the article. It is a mixed wish for them though... they may have the closure of knowing what became of their brother but the same knowledge will be very painful, knowing what would have happened to him.

 

[kline]

One of the detectives voiced the firm opinion that he was certain thier were still bodies in that shed .
The detectives using jail trustees only dug for part of an evening and the next day.
They requested digging equipment from the city of Houston which was slow to comply and when it did was completly inadequate so the detectives and trustees had to do most of the digging by hand.
Once they reached a body count close to what Henley predicted (Who was only involved in the murders for the last 15 months before Dean Corlls death) they gave up.
Granted conditions were horrific with tempatures reaching well over 100 in that metal storage shed ,the smell would have been nearly unbearable and according to one detective toward the end they were sloshing around in mud made out of dirt shell and rotten blood.
Afterward the city dumped fresh dirt to replace what they had disturbed and apparently stall number 11 was open to be rented again.
In the months before his death Corll had put in a request with the lady who owned the storage yard to rent another stall.
He said his first one was full.

 

[J. Brannagh]

They really need to re-examine that shed...

Is there any way to check his history of renting other sheds...

Also the other two KNOWN locations...

Just the fact he had at least 3 locations reminds me of Gary Ridgeway... He was killing for over 30 years and had several locations, probably more than we even know.

I agree with the people that say it is WAY more than we know about. I think this is just the TIP of a very big iceberg.

One reason is that he had been successful in targeting Normal Kids, Not runaways, and hadn't been caught. May never have been caught had not Henley reached his limit.

He had been killing for over 20 years. If he was as prolific all through those years as he was at the end it is unreasonable to believe that these were his only victims.

For him to have the confidence to target the kids he did (rather than runaways and prostitutes who Gary Ridgeway considered disposable) seems to me to indicate he had a long term system going.

 

[kline]

Yeah,
I belive Henley's prediction for High Island beach in Galveston came up a few short.
I remember there was some resistance to further digging in that it was a nesting ground for some kind of rare bird.
Im certain there were more victims.And there is no way of knowing how long Corll was killing before David Brooks became aware of it.
Former employees at the Candy factory Corll ran remember him being awful busy with his shovel around the premises 'burying spoiled candy'(at night no less) he supposedly had a room there he later boarded over the floor and then poured cement. Authorities at the time pretty much made it clear that they had no intention of looking for more bodies,Chief Short was quoted as saying 'what difference does it make?'
Citing the fact that in his opinion they were a bunch of long haired little dope fiends "With records and nutty parents" who knew what they were getting into and citing the ongoing task of keeping up with the current case load as short staffed as the HPD was at the time.
(Short was an arch conservative who absolutely balked at the offer of federal grants that might have helped the situation of staffing)
Detectives and street cops clearly took thier cue from on high.
A grand jury later took officcial notice of the investigation saying it lacked imagination and coordination.
Which drew little more then a contemptous snort from Cheif Short.
Its good that times have changed an identifying these kids is now a priority.
Though it is sad that either in the boat shed or perhaps High Island Beach(possibly both) are other boys that never will be.

 

[Anubis]

Did they rule out Norman Prater? I thought he looks like one of the three unID'd. They shirt he was wearing was probably Corll's as Corll was in the Marines. He could have picked him up hitchhiking or met him anywhere in Dallas/Houston. One of the boys he killed was coming from Austin so it seems likely.

 

[kline]

From what I understand they have a strong lead on one of the boys,a teenager who disappeared from the Heights in the early seventies.
Theyve located his sisters in another Texas city and have DNA samples from them.The reults should be in any time.
Its funny I look at the recent effort that was taken to locate the remains of that one boy in California who was the victim of a serial killer in the 1960's where they thought his remains were buried adjacent to a freeway.
They used sonar, cadaver sniffing dogs and a massive excavation effort in an admirable but failed attempt to find this poor kids body involving several law enforcement agencies.
Yet in Harris County Texas its almost a sure bet that there are more bodies in Boat Stall number #11 and as far as I know nothing has been done.
Of course Im sure the prospect of having yet more of Dean Corll's unidentified victims on their hands is not something they would relish.Still...

 

[Saucey]

Hi I have been reading the boards for a while now but this is my first post. I came upon this thread this morning. Since I had never heard of this case I googled Dean Corll to try to get more information about it. The first link I found was to a wikipedia article with the following quote:

In October of 2008, Sharon Derrick with the Harris County Medical Examiner's Office identified ML73-3349 as Randall Lee Harvey, a teenage boy who just seemed to vanish from the streets of Houston on March 11, 1971. Harvey, who had been shot in the head, was wearing a navy blue jacket with red lining, jeans and lace-up boots. A plastic orange pocket comb was also found with his body.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dean_Corll

I know that wiki articles can be edited by anyone and I wouldn't have any idea how to verify is this information is correct, but based on the description of the clothing in the article it seems to be this person.
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1009umtx.html

 

[Ms Suzanne]

Hi

http://www.star-telegram.com/804/story/991730.html

 

[kline]

Thanks for that link Suzanne!
I had been waiting to hear the results of that DNA test.
This case is the first true crime case to catch my interest.
And its still one that im facinated by as well as one of the most horrific Ive ever heard of.
David Brooks had mentioned "The Tall Skinny Kid" in his original statement to police back in August of '73.
Sadly unless Im mistaken he was killed at the Schuller street address where according to Brooks,Wayne Henley's sadism and savagery in assisting Corll in the torture of these poor kids reached something of a peak.

 

[kline]

OK, I think Corll killed many many more victims than have been unearthed ( literally).

What happened to the marina land where the known victims' remains were found? Has any organized excavation ever been done since the 70's?

IMO, we only have a small piece of a large puzzle. Since Corll was murdered, we may never know where he traveled and who he killed before he picked up his two young accomplices.
They say the term " serial killer" wasn't coined when Corll killed. I think he got away with murdering his preferred victims- young white males- for many years. I read an article that said he may be responsible for as many as 200 " missing" boys from the 50s and 60s.
I doubt he ever preferred to work alone. But, the question is, did he kill his earlier accomlices ( his bait) like he was going to kill these two? If the earlier accomplices were killed, then talk about a cold trail.

I agree with whoever said that this man is probably worse than John Wayne Gacy. I think he got away with murders for over 20 years, maybe more.
JMHO, sadly.

Maria

According to more then one of the original detectives involved in the removal of bodies from Stall#11 at the boat storage facilty Corll rented from they thought it a certainty that more bodies remained.
The search was plagued by heat, stench and the inabilty or unwillingness of the City of Houston to provide them with adequate digging equipment .
It wasnt even remotely processed like a crime scene would be today.
Essentially detectives in their business suits and three of four trustees from the local drunk tank (Some of them quivering from DT'S) went in and started digging away first with shovels and then later a small crappy backhoe.
It got to the point where they were according to one of them sloshing around in mud made from dirt and shell and rotten blood and body fluids.
Reaching in and grabbing handfulls of bones and tissue and dividing them into aproximately equal piles.
After the second day the sickened and discouraged cops had reached the aproximate number of bodies that Henley had estimated for the stall and they gave up and called it quits.
A few days later they had a dumptruck full of fresh crushed shell and dirt come in and fill up the area that had been dug in the stall and they smoothed it over and left.

 

[anthrobones]

Why wasn't he listed as a missing person on Doe Network?

 

[kline]

Why wasn't he listed as a missing person on Doe Network?

Good Question.
Sadly im afraid there are probably many from the late 60's and early 70's who arent listed.
So many people during those times especially L.E. assumed "Oh well,They've done run off with their Hippie friends.Probably headed to California."
Ive come to the conclusion that although there are a few promising simularities to a few listed missings the other two Houston UID's probably arent on anyones list either.
Its hard to find clues as David Brooks' statement accounts for only about less then half of the victims as far as sparse details of the killings go and to my knowledge no one has ever set down and interviewed Brooks or Wayne Henley in any depth aside from the brief 'What the hell has been going on here,you little freak??" interview Detectives gave Henley on the morning after they shut down digging for the first night in the Boat stall.
Of course they shortly lawyered up and after their convictions neither one of them has been volunteering information not that appears that anyone has been asking until quite recently.

 

[KivaSupporter]

The victim was located August 8, 1973 in Houston, Harris County, Texas. He was identified in October 2008 as 15-year-old Randell Lee Harvey, missing since March 11, 1971. Harvey was 1 of 27 victims of Houston serial killer Dean Corll.

http://www.doenetwork.org Identified victims

 

[kline]

I thought it kind of strange that David Brooks identified Randel Harvey as 'The Tall Skinny Guy' in his statement.
He claimed he was a victim that 'Dean and Wayne got by themselves'
Yet Randal dissappeared in March of 1971 and Wayne Henley didnt become associated with Dean Corll until late that same year.

 

[Nyla4]

Hello, I'm new to posting here but have been a long time reader. Can anyone link to David Brooks's statement to the police? I would love to read it. Also Wayne Henley's statement. I've been having trouble finding info about them on the Internet. I also would love to hear all your opinions on what happened. (not the torture details) Just who was involved first Brooks and Henley and how did they get involved with Corll? Can you all believe that Henley want's parole! That makes me sick!

 

[kline]

Hello, I'm new to posting here but have been a long time reader. Can anyone link to David Brooks's statement to the police? I would love to read it. Also Wayne Henley's statement. I've been having trouble finding info about them on the Internet. I also would love to hear all your opinions on what happened. (not the torture details) Just who was involved first Brooks and Henley and how did they get involved with Corll? Can you all believe that Henley want's parole! That makes me sick!

You can find David Brooks statement in the book 'The Man With The Candy' by Jack Olsen.
Im pretty sure they have it on Amazon.
Henley's full statement has never been published to my knowledge though Author Jack Olsen paraphrases the basic content in the book.
John Gurwell wrote a book called 'Mass Murder in Houston'in 1974 personally I think its better then Olsen's but its been out of print for decades and hard to find unless you want to pay 50 bucks for a used copy on Amazon.
Those are the only two books on the subject to my knowledge.
Its hard to find info on the case even though it recieved massive publicity at the time.
Investigative reporters were not very welcome either by people in the Heights or by the powers that be in Houston.
Of course other attrocoites soon came along in the 70's and it kind of receded in peoples collective memories.
To answer your question David Brooks became friends with Dean Corll in the 60's as an elementary school child.
Dean began molesting him at an early age and paying him money.
Brooks supposedly found Dean in his home with two victims strapped to his 'torture board' Brooks said Corll bought him a car to insure his silence.
At some point Brooks started helping Dean obtain his victims and was present when many of them were abused and murdered.
At some point he introduced Wayne Henley to Corll(Henley says he believes he was an intended victim) instead Corll offered him 200 dollars for every boy he brought him.
Henley took him up on the offer and soon was participating fully in the Torture and Murder and burying of bodies.
Both boys spent much of their time with Corll who apparently kept them supplied with spending cash drugs and alchohol.
I seriously doubt either one of them will ever be paroled.