DNA Evidence Solves Houston's Notorious 1990 Lovers Lane Murders After 36 Years

A Breakthrough After Decades of Silence

Floyd William Parrott, 64, has been formally charged with capital murder for the 1990 killings of Cheryl Henry, 22, and Garland "Andy" Atkinson, 21 in what prosecutors call one of Houston's most haunting cold cases. After nearly 36 years, an arrest has been made in the killings that have haunted families and investigators for decades .

The victims' car was found parked in a cul-de-sac on Aug. 23, 1990, with Henry and Atkinson, who had been dating for a few weeks, found near the car with their necks cut and tied up with rope, and Henry was raped . The couple was last seen Aug. 22, 1990, after meeting at Bayou Mama's nightclub on Westheimer before driving to a then-remote area near Enclave Parkway and Eldridge Parkway, often referred to as Lovers Lane in west Houston .

Today, that area is a developed business corridor with parking garages and mid-rise buildings — a stark contrast to how isolated it was at the time . When the murders happened near what is now Houston's Energy Corridor, the area was undeveloped and considered remote, and investigators later learned from a past arrest report that Parrott worked about a mile away .

DNA Technology Cracks the Case

In late 2025, a Houston police sergeant was looking into a tip that named Parrott, and found a Houston police report from 1996 in which Parrott was named as the suspect in a sex assault, with DNA from the 1996 case found to be a match to swabs from Cheryl Henry's sexual assault exam at her autopsy . DNA from a 1996 sexual assault case, in which Parrott was identified as a suspect, matched evidence collected during Henry's autopsy, and another DNA link was also made to a separate sexual assault reported in June 1990 .

At the time, DNA testing was still developing and costly, and it took 17 years before that evidence was tested, with investigators saying the DNA matched evidence connected to the Lovers' Lane killings . At least 100 people were looked at as potential suspects over the decades, but Parrott was not one of them .

A Pattern of Deception

Parrott impersonated law enforcement in the late 1980s, the 1990s and the 2000s, was arrested for impersonating a police officer in May 1988 and again in May 1990, and was out on bond when the June 1990 sex assault and the August 1990 murders occurred . Prosecutors said Parrott had a history in the 1980s and 1990s of impersonating law enforcement, and that months before the August 1990 killings, investigators say he drove a vehicle outfitted with law-enforcement-style equipment including police lights .

Parrott lived in the Houston area for most of his life and left a few years ago, and was arrested in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Wednesday and is awaiting extradition to the Harris County . Parrott is now fighting extradition to Texas, and during a court hearing this week, he said he didn't want to willingly go back to Texas .

Justice and Healing for Families

Henry's younger sister Shane Henry said at the news conference that "Cheryl was my best friend. We did everything together," and "Hearing that the person responsible has finally been caught does not bring her back, but it does bring a sense of relief knowing that justice is " . Andy Atkinson's stepsister, Francesca Del Rosso, said she was overwhelmed when she learned an arrest had finally been made: "I fell to the floor and just started crying. I couldn't believe it. The day finally came" .

Prosecutors believe there are more victims out there, with District Attorney Sean Teare saying "If you met him once, if you met him at a club, let us know. Because over the next months, we are going to get a complete picture of what this individual was doing in our community for decades" . The breakthrough demonstrates how advances in DNA technology and persistent police work can finally deliver justice, even when decades have passed since the crime.