Cold Case DNA Match Solves 36-Year-Old Houston Lovers Lane Double Murder

Decades-Long Mystery Finally Solved

After 36 years of investigation, Floyd William Parrott, 64, is charged with capital murder for the killings of Cheryl Henry, 22, and Garland "Andy" Atkinson, 21 . The breakthrough came from an unexpected source: a Houston police sergeant was looking into a tip that named Parrott, and the sergeant found a Houston police report from 1996 in which Parrott was named as the suspect in a sex assault .

The young couple's brutal murders shocked Houston in 1990. Henry and Atkinson — described by loved ones as young and in love — were last seen Aug. 22, 1990, after meeting at Bayou Mama's nightclub on Westheimer. Investigators said the couple later drove to a then-remote area near Enclave Parkway and Eldridge Parkway, often referred to as Lovers Lane in west Houston . The victims' car was found parked in a cul-de-sac on Aug. 23, 1990, police said. Henry and Atkinson, who had been dating for a few weeks, were found near the car, according to court documents. Both of their necks were cut with knives and they were tied up with rope, documents said, and Henry was raped .

At least 100 people were looked at as potential suspects over the decades, but Parrott was not one of them . The case remained cold despite extensive investigation by multiple agencies including the Houston Police Department, FBI, and Texas Attorney General's Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit.

DNA Technology Provides the Breakthrough

The critical breakthrough came through advanced DNA analysis. The DNA from the 1996 case was "recently placed" into CODIS, the national law enforcement DNA database, documents said, and that DNA was found to be a match to swabs from Cheryl Henry's sexual assault exam at her autopsy . This connection linked Parrott to both the 1990 murders and a separate sexual assault case.

Parrott had a disturbing pattern of criminal behavior that authorities now believe escalated to murder. Teare said Parrott impersonated law enforcement in the late 1980s, the 1990s and the 2000s. In May 1988, Parrott was arrested for impersonating a police officer, court documents said. He was again arrested for impersonating a police officer in May 1990, and he was out on bond when the June 1990 sex assault and the August 1990 murders occurred .

The timing is particularly chilling: In May of 1988, Parrott was arrested and later put on probation for impersonating a peace officer in Harris County. At that time, he provided a work address just over one mile from the "Lover's Lane" murder scene . When arrested, Parrott denied knowing Cheryl Henry, according to court documents .

Justice for Grieving Families

The arrest brings bittersweet closure to families who never stopped hoping for answers. Cheryl's mother, Barbara Craig, and Andy's father, Garland Atkinson, passed away in 2024 , just months before seeing their children's killer finally brought to justice.

"Cheryl was my best friend. We did everything together," Henry's younger sister Shane Henry, said at the news conference. "Hearing that the person responsible has finally been caught does not bring her back," she said, "... but it does bring a sense of relief knowing that justice is " .

Parrott lived in the Houston area for most of his life and left a few years ago, Teare said. He was arrested in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Wednesday and is awaiting extradition to the Harris County . This case demonstrates how modern DNA technology can solve even decades-old crimes, offering hope to other families still waiting for justice in cold cases across the country.