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Suspect Arrested in Decades-Old “Lovers’ Lane” Murders in Texas
A major breakthrough has been made in a cold case that haunted Houston for more than 30 years. Floyd William Parrott, 64, has been arrested and charged with capital murder in connection with the brutal slayings of Garland “Andy” Atkinson and Cheryl Henry, both 22 years old, who were found dead inside a parked car in 1990.
The Harris County District Attorney’s Office announced that Parrott was taken into custody in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Wednesday, following a tip that sparked renewed investigation into the long-unsolved case. Parrott is currently awaiting extradition to Harris County.
The investigation gained momentum in late 2025 when authorities linked Parrott to a 1996 sexual assault case. DNA evidence from that case, once uploaded to the FBI’s CODIS database, matched samples from an unsolved sexual assault and from Cheryl Henry’s autopsy, according to court documents.
The young couple’s bodies were discovered on August 23, 1990, by a security guard who noticed their vehicle had been stationary for an extended period. The Houston Police Department reported that Henry was found unresponsive inside the car, while Atkinson was found tied to a nearby tree. Both had suffered fatal throat wounds, and an autopsy later confirmed Henry was sexually assaulted.
For more than three decades, the case remained cold, with police releasing a composite sketch of the suspect years after the murders but making little progress-until now.
District Attorney Sean Teare expressed relief and gratitude for the relentless efforts of investigators. “One of Houston’s most haunting and infamous cold cases has weighed heavily on the families and our community.
Our team pursued this investigation with dogged determination, working through hundreds of leads despite many setbacks,” Teare said. “Today is a good day for Cheryl and Andy’s families, as well as for justice.”
The Houston Police Department has not yet issued a formal comment on the recent arrest. Authorities continue to withhold further details on how investigators conclusively connected Parrott to the murders.
This arrest offers long-awaited hope for closure in a case that has lingered in the community’s memory for decades.