HOUSTON, TX — Police arrested Floyd William Parrott, 64, in Nebraska on capital murder charges in connection with the 1990 killings of Cheryl Henry, 22, and Andy Atkinson, 21, after DNA evidence linked him to the cold case that haunted Houston for 36 years.
The breakthrough came after investigators received a tip in late 2025 naming Parrott as a possible suspect in what became known as the “Lovers’ Lane Murders.” A detective reviewing a 1996 sexual assault report found that DNA collected from that case matched evidence from Henry’s autopsy, according to court records. Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare announced the arrest Thursday, calling it “one of Houston’s most haunting and infamous cold cases.” Parrott was arrested Wednesday in Lincoln, Nebraska, by Houston Police Department officers and FBI agents.
Henry and Atkinson were found dead on August 23, 1990, in a wooded area near the 1300 block of Enclave Parkway after spending the evening at Bayou Mama’s nightclub on Westheimer Road. Henry’s sister had joined them earlier but left before the couple departed together. When Henry failed to show up for work the next day, her family filed a missing person report with police. A security guard conducting routine patrol spotted Henry’s white Honda Civic parked at the end of a cul-de-sac and noticed the car hadn’t moved for several hours. “The best phone call of my career was Wednesday night when I got to call the family members on this case and let them know that we had arrested someone,” said Assistant District Attorney Samantha Knecht, who leads the cold case division.
Officers discovered Henry’s body underneath wooden boards in what appeared to be an attempt to conceal it, according to court records. Atkinson was found nearly 200 yards away, tied to a tree with his hands bound behind his back with rope. Another rope wrapped around Atkinson, the tree and across his neck. Both victims died from sharp force injuries to their necks, possibly from a knife, according to autopsy reports. Investigators believe Parrott sexually assaulted Henry before killing both victims by cutting their throats. Blood evidence was found on the inside of the driver’s door handle of Henry’s car, where the driver’s seat was fully reclined and the rubber floor mat was displaced. The car key remained in the ignition when officers arrived at the scene.
Court records show Parrott had an extensive criminal history in Harris County before the murders, including multiple arrests for impersonating a peace officer. In May 1988, he was arrested and placed on probation for impersonating a peace officer, providing a work address just over one mile from the murder scene. He was arrested again in December 1988 for carrying a weapon – a blue steel revolver that was later returned to him and matches the description given by a June 1990 sexual assault victim. Parrott was arrested a third time for impersonating a peace officer in May 1990, then released on bond before the August murders occurred. DNA from another sexual assault case in June 1990 also matched Parrott, though he was unknown to that victim at the time. Public records indicate Parrott owned property in New Caney until 2020 before relocating to Nebraska.
The case remained unsolved despite hundreds of leads and DNA samples collected over three decades, with more than 100 persons of interest examined during the investigation. The breakthrough came when DNA from Parrott’s 1996 sexual assault case was recently uploaded to CODIS, the national Combined DNA Index System, which flagged a match to evidence from Henry’s sexual assault examination. Teare said authorities believe there may be additional victims, noting that Parrott “held himself out to be law enforcement” and may have falsely pulled over other people. “We get to ask the public about this guy. If you met him once, if you knew him at all, reach out,” Teare said during a Friday news conference. Officials released photos of Parrott from 1990 and asked anyone who recognizes him to contact the cold case division at 713-274-5640.
Henry’s sister Shane attended the news conference and thanked investigators for their persistence over more than three decades. “Cheryl was my best friend. We did everything together. They used to call me ‘little Cheryl’ because I would follow her everywhere,” she said. “To hear that the person who is responsible had been caught doesn’t bring her back and it doesn’t erase the pain our family has lived with all these years, but it does bring a sense of relief knowing that justice is moving forward.” The Henry family released a statement saying they were “overwhelmed with emotion” after nearly 36 years without answers. Both Henry’s mother, Barbara Craig, and Atkinson’s father, Garland Atkinson, died in 2024 before seeing the arrest. Shane Henry told reporters the news felt “unreal” after 35 years of no developments in the case.
Parrott is currently in custody in Nebraska awaiting extradition to Harris County Jail, though he has exercised his right to challenge the extradition process. When arrested, Parrott allegedly told police he had never met Henry. Teare said prosecutors will seek to deliver “truth and justice in the courtroom” but did not provide additional details about the case or timeline for proceedings.
