'Lover's Lane' suspect dies in custody in Nebraska, officials confirms

FULL: Harris County leaders hold presser on Lover's Lane cold case

Harris County leaders hold a press conference to discuss the recent arrest of Floyd William Parrott in the deaths of Cheryl Henry and Andy Atkinson in the 1990 "Lover's Lane" cold case.

HOUSTON - Floyd William Parrott has died while in custody at a prison in Nebraska, according to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.

Parrott had been arrested in Lincoln, Nebraska on March 25 by Houston Police Department officers and the FBI and charged with capital murder for the deaths of Cheryl Henry, 22, and Andy Atkinson, 21.

Authorities have not said what the cause of death was.

Floyd William Parrott (Courtesy of Houston Police Department)

Harris County DA's Office responds

What they're saying:

Samantha Knecht, Chief Prosecutor for the Cold Case Division gave this statement:

"Floyd William Parrott thought he could outrun the truth. He thought time would erase his past. But prosecutors and investigators never stopped working the Lovers’ Lane cold case.

Parrott murdered Andy and Cheryl, he violently assaulted others, and spent decades thinking he got away with it. We now know he thought he escaped justice while hiding out in Nebraska.

Since Parrott’s arrest, we can confirm new survivors have come forward, bravely reliving the horrors he inflicted in painful detail. After decades since some of these crimes, we had hoped to answer their courage with action.

We ache for Andy’s and Cheryl’s families who were denied their day in court. Our anger for what Parrott took from them is matched only by our determination to keep going. Yes, we are still working. Parrott’s death does not erase his crimes or end our motivation.  It does not bring comfort to the people he hurt.  Which is why we are in Louisiana right now seeking to close a cold case linked to Parrott. His survivors deserve accountability.

We keep the memory of Andy and Cheryl at the center of our work. To families still searching for answers in cold cases: never give up."

"Lover's Lane" cold case murders

The backstory:

Henry and Atkinson were found dead in a wooded area near Enclave Parkway on August 23, 1990.

Police say they had both been stabbed in the throat. Atkinson was found tied to a tree about 100 yards away from Henry, who officials report had been sexually assaulted.

They had last been seen the night before when Henry and her sister met Atkinson at a nightclub on Westheimer Road near South Gessner.

A missing person’s report was filed the next day when no one had seen Henry or Atkinson.

Police say a security guard doing random patrols found them later that day.

Parrott criminal history

According to court records, in May 1988, Parrott was arrested and put on probation for impersonating a peace officer out of Harris County. In December 1988, he was arrested and convicted for carrying a weapon in Harris County. He was arrested for impersonating a peace officer again in May 1990.

In 1996, a Houston Police Department report had Parrott as a suspect in a sexual assault case.