HOUSTON – The man accused in one of Houston’s most haunting cold cases has died in custody.
The Harris County District Attorney’s Office confirmed Tuesday that Floyd William Parrott, 64, died while being held in Nebraska.
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Parrott killed himself in his jail cell in Nebraska, a source with Houston Police Department confirmed to KPRC 2’s Robert Arnold.
KPRC 2 is working to determine Parrott’s cause of death.
Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office in Nebraska has only confirmed that Parrott died, saying it will not be providing any further information today.
Parrott was expected to be extradited to Texas to face a capital murder charge.
The charge centered around the 1990 killings of Cheryl Henry, 22, and Garland “Andy” Atkinson, 21 — a case long known as the “Lovers’ Lane” murders.
His death came weeks after a major break in the decades-old investigation, which renewed hope for answers and accountability more than 35 years after the killings.
Last Wednesday, officials with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office held a press conference announcing the charges and confirming plans to extradite Parrott to Texas.
“It gives me so much pride to be able to say, ‘We got him,’” District Attorney Sean Teare said.
After Parrott’s arrest was announced in March, Henry’s sister told KPRC 2’s Bryce Newberry the news was overwhelming and difficult to process after so many years.
“It’s hard to see that it’s real after 35 years of nothing,” she said.
Information on the murders
Henry and Atkinson had been dating at the time of their deaths in August 1990.
Henry was last seen after a night out with her sister and Atkinson. When she failed to show up for work the next day, her family reported her missing.
On Aug. 23, 1990, a security guard found a white Honda Civic parked at the end of a cul-de-sac near the 1300 block of Enclave Parkway. Henry’s purse was still inside the vehicle, along with her identification.
A search of the nearby wooded area led to a grim discovery.
Investigators found Henry’s body hidden under wooden boards, in what appeared to be an attempt to conceal it. Roughly 200 yards away, Atkinson’s body was found propped against a tree, where he had been tied.
Autopsies later determined both victims died from sharp-force injuries to the neck.
Court records allege Atkinson was tied up and killed first. Investigators believe Henry was then restrained, sexually assaulted, and killed.
Suspect’s arrest
The case remained unsolved for nearly 36 years before new developments emerged.
Investigators say a tip, followed up in late 2025, led them to Parrott as a potential suspect.
That tip ultimately connected to DNA evidence through the national CODIS database.
Authorities said DNA from a 1996 sexual assault case, in which Parrott was identified as a suspect, matched evidence collected during Henry’s autopsy.
Another DNA link was also made to a separate sexual assault reported in June 1990.
Those connections helped investigators build the case that led to Parrott’s arrest.