Credit: NCMEC
Between 1970 and 1973, Dean Allen Corll—also known as the Candy Man—murdered at least 28 boys and young men in the Houston area. Corll’s reign of terror ended on Aug. 9, 1973, when his teenage accomplice turned on him, fatally shooting Corll before he could kill another two people.
In the aftermath of Corll’s death, 17-year-old Elmer Wayne Henley and Corll’s other accomplice, 18-year-old David Brooks, agreed to disclose all the facts to law enforcement. They led investigators to four locations, each containing remains of missing boys and young men. A rented boat shed held the remains of 17 victims, four other victims were buried in woodland near Lake Sam Rayburn, one victim was buried on a beach in Jefferson County, and at least six victims were buried on a beach on the Bolivar Peninsula.
Over the years, investigators have been able to identify 27 of these victims—all except one. For the last five decades, the sixteenth body found in the boat shed has only been known as John Doe 1973.
Now, in an effort to bring renewed awareness to the case, forensic artists at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) created a new reconstruction image of what John Doe 1973 may have looked like in life.
The remains of John Doe 1973 were in an advanced stage of decomposition at the time of his discovery, leading investigators to believe he was murdered at least 12 months earlier, possibly more. They also believe he was likely killed in the summer months, based on his apparel.
The medical examiner at the time confirmed John Doe 1973 was Caucasian, with possible admixtures including Hispanic, but investigators believe his outward appearance would have been primarily white. According to the medical examiner, he had brown hair, approximately 7 inches in length. The examination revealed he had a mild form of spina bifida, which may have caused him lower back pain or possibly affected his stride; however, it may not have produced any noticeable symptoms at all.
John Doe 1973 was found wearing belted Catalina brand swim trunks with vertical red, turquoise, gold, and dark blue stripes. The swim trunks had the letter “C” in the center of the wings on the silver buckle. At the time of his murder, he was also wearing a khaki-colored long-sleeved ‘70s style shirt that tied in the front. The shirt had a large red, white and blue peace symbol on the back. The shirt also has hand-written letters underneath the symbol.
Even more apparel was found with John Doe 1973, including brown leather cowboy boots that went above the calf and had the word “NEOLITE” on the heel. Investigators also discovered a knotted leather ankle bracelet and dark blue corduroys with his remains.
In addition to the facial reconstruction image, forensic artists at NCMEC worked collaboratively with the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences to create brand new digital reconstructions of the items found with John Doe. Although it was previously thought that the shirt contained the letters “USMC” inside the peace symbol, NCMEC confirmed with the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences that the shirt contained the letters “USA” within the symbol.
“We remain hopeful that this young man’s family and friends are still looking for him,” said Carol Schweitzer, supervisor of NCMEC’s Forensic Services Unit. “He may have siblings, cousins, classmates, neighbors, or friends who have always wondered what happened to him. This young man’s friends and classmates would be in their late 60s to early 70s and we hope that this new imagery reaches them and helps bring in that one single lead needed to resolve this case.”