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A suspect arrested earlier this year in connection with the Texas “Lovers’ Lane” crime spree has died in custody before his trial.
Floyd William Parrott, 64, was found unresponsive in his Nebraska prison cell on Tuesday, in accordance with FOX 26.
His death occurred while he was awaiting extradition to Texas to face charges in the 1990 murders of Cheryl Henry, 22, and Garland “Andy” Atkinson, 21.
LANE’S ‘LOVER’ KILLERS SUSPECT BLACK TENS NABBED AFTER COUPLE FOUND DEAD IN CAR.
Floyd William Parrott, 26, is charged with first degree murder in the murders of Garland “Andy” Atkinson, 22, and Cheryl Henry, 22, according to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. (Houston Police Department)
Although authorities have not released Parrott’s cause of death, Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare said he told KHOU appears to have died by suicide.
“We are heartbroken for the families of Andy and Cheryl who were denied their day in court,” said Samantha Knecht, chief prosecutor of the Harris County Cold Case Division, in a statement, FOX 26 reported. “Our anger at what Parrott took from them is only matched by our determination to continue. Yes, we are still working.”
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Cheryl Henry, 22, was found dead in a parked car in Houston, Texas, on August 23, 1990, according to the Houston Police Department. (James Nielsen/Houston Chronicle)
Since his arrest, several survivors have contacted police to report new allegations of assault, and authorities have added that they are investigating a Louisiana cold case involving Parrott.
“Parrot killed Andy and Cheryl, tortured others, and spent decades thinking he had failed,” Knecht said. “Now we know he thought he was on the run from the law when he was hiding in Nebraska.”
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Garland “Andy” Atkinson, 22, was found dead tied to a tree in Houston, Texas, on Aug. 23, 1990, according to the Houston Police Department. (Houston Police Department)
“Since Parrott was arrested, we can confirm that there are young survivors who have bravely come forward and recollect the horrific things he did in painful detail,” he added. “After decades since some of these cases, we hoped to respond to their courage with action.”
Parrott was first taken into custody in Lincoln, Nebraska by members of the Houston Police Department and the FBI on March 25.
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A 1990 Crimestoppers poster shows Cheryl Henry and Andy Atkinson, victims of the “Lover’s Lane Murders” in Texas. Photo taken in Houston on May 14, 2008. (James Nielsen/Houston Chronicle)
His arrest came almost 36 years after the bodies of Henry and Atkinson were found in a wooded area near a remote road called “Lovers’ Lane” in Houston on Aug. 23, 1990 by a security guard who noticed the car had been parked in the same spot “for an extended period of time,” according to the Houston Police Department (HPD).
Henry’s body was found inside the car and Atkinson was found tied to a tree 100 yards away.
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Authorities determined that they had been stabbed in the throat, and an autopsy later revealed that Henry had been sexually assaulted.
For 36 years, the case remained unsolved until a DNA fragment from the alleged killer matched a sample previously submitted by Parrott in a 1996 sexual assault case that he said was a match, KHOU reported.
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Parrott had previously been arrested and sentenced to probation in Harris County for impersonating a peace officer in May 1988, authorities said.
In December 1988, Parrott was convicted of possession of a weapon in Harris County, and was later arrested again in May 1990 for impersonating a police officer.
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The Harris County Prosecutor’s Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
“Floyd William Parrott thought he could escape the truth. He thought time would erase his future. But prosecutors and investigators did not stop using the cold case of ‘Lovers’ Lane,” said Knecht, reports FOX 26. “We keep the memory of Andy and Cheryl as the main thing of our work. To the families who are still looking for answers in cold cases: never give up.”
