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In the early 1970s, a shocking number of young men went missing in and around Houston, Texas. It only stopped in August 1973, when a man named Dean Corll was shot to death in his home by 17-year-old Elmer Wayne Henley. A search of Corll’s home and property found the remains of some 27 missing boys and men, including individuals as young as 13. Henley, along with 18-year-old David Brooks, had been one of Corll’s assistants, helping to kidnap, torture, and kill the older man’s victims. Corll — later known as the Candy Man killer — reportedly threatened to kill Henley and his friends, prompting his murder.
Nearly all the victims have been identified, with the exception of one 15 to 18-year-old boy who died around 1972 and is currently referred to as John Houston Doe. In 1983, a 28th victim was uncovered (and later identified in 2009). When interviewed, Henley maintained that there were even more victims out there, perhaps 20 or more. Investigators agreed, but searches have turned up little evidence, even when the property of Corrl’s final home was excavated.
Further complicating matters is the fact that many missing boys and young men from that era were dismissed as runaways by police, who did not necessarily devote much effort to tracking down people they assumed did not wish to be found. Many decades later, families are left wondering if their missing loved ones may have been a victim of Corll.
