I’ve watched a lot of true crime shows, my particular favorite being vintage Forensic Files episodes. It has cultivated a paranoia in me that if I go hiking or jogging, I will find human remains. Intellectually, I know that is highly unlikely, but plenty of these shows start that way. And one of those shows focuses on a crime that happened very close to Lubbock.
In 1993, a couple of guys illegally hunting stumbled upon a grisly discovery- a human skull, a few other bones, and a white high heel. Not wanting to get in trouble, they held onto that information for a while before fully cooperating with Lubbock authorities.
What the hunters found was a human being. A skull that held a brain full of dreams, loves, memories, and a hope for the future- from some accounts, a hope for a new baby. And, tragically, that hope was dashed, along with a woman who was far too young to die.
Belynda Kay Tillery
When a human skull is found, the priority is to find out who it belonged to, usually a person who was reported missing. Dental records tend to be unique from individual to individual, and in the 90s, not too many people had their DNA on file. The skull found in Yellow House Canyon was compared with over sixty missing persons, and none matched…