HOUSTON – The man accused in one of Houston’s most haunting cold cases is dead.
Floyd William Parrott, 64, died in custody just weeks after being charged with capital murder in the 1990 “Lovers’ Lane” murders of Cheryl Henry and Andy Atkinson. Investigators say Parrott died by suicide in his cell in Nebraska, days before he was set to be extradited to Texas.
KPRC 2 News reporter Corley Peel spoke with Atkinson’s stepsister, Francesca Del Rosso, about the devastating turn of events.
“It was really mixed emotions,” Del Rosso said.
She says Parrott’s death by suicide robbed the victims of the justice they deserved.
“Andy and Cheryl didn’t get to choose the way that their life ended. They didn’t get to choose that and he got to choose how his life ended,” Del Rosso said.
Henry and Atkinson had only been dating a few weeks when Henry disappeared after a night out in 1990. Days later, her car was found abandoned. A search of the area led to a grim discovery. Henry’s body was hidden under boards and Atkinson’s body found nearby, tied to a tree. Both victims had their throats slashed.
The case went cold for more than three decades until a recent DNA match linked Parrott to the murders. He was charged with capital murder last month and had been held in a Nebraska jail awaiting extradition to Texas.
Del Rosso said the family had been looking forward to seeing the case move forward in a Texas courtroom.
“We were looking forward to what was gonna happen on Thursday and finally getting him here to Texas, and then now it’s just kind of deflating to the momentum that’s kind of been building up to this. It’s just unfortunate,” she said.
Despite Parrott’s death, investigators say the work is not over. The Harris County District Attorney’s Office says new survivors have come forward and that efforts continue to connect Parrott to other possible crimes. Officials say they are still actively investigating other cases possibly linked to Parrott.
Del Rosso says she hopes the full story of what Parrott may have done over the past 36 years will eventually come to light.
“We hope the whole story comes together and that we’re able to understand more of what all he’s been doing over all these years,” she said.