1987 East Texas Murder Solved by DNA Testing

(KNUE-FM) There was a DNA breakthrough that points to a potential suspect who could be responsible for an East Texas murder that took place back in 1987. It’s been almost 40 years, and finally, a family is starting to get answers to questions they’ve had for so long.

Nearly 40 Years Without Answers

According to CBS19, back in 1987 there was an East Texas man who was found dead under a bridge, but thanks to this DNA breakthrough they have named a suspect in the case.

This tragic story began back on March 8, 1987 when the body of Rickey Herriage was found under a bridge on County Road 1500 in Henderson County. Law enforcement for years tried to identify who was behind the murder, and for decades they couldn’t come up with any answers.

DNA Testing Identifies Potential Suspect

Recently, DNA testing has identified Dallas Reynolds Casanova as the potential suspect. He was living in Henderson County at the time of the murder but did die back in 2008 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The case had gone cold until Sheriff Botie Hillhouse sent clothing samples from the crime scene to a Forensics company in Redlands, California back in 2019. That DNA lab wasn’t able to come up with any matches at the time.

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Cold Case Reopened and Reviewed

In 2022, a forensic genomics company in The Woodlands analyzed the DNA further and ultimately identified Casanova as the potential suspect. As DNA from Casanova was on Herriage’s clothing.

While it would have been nice for someone to face the consequences of this horrible crime, it’s still nice to know that our East Texas law enforcement officers never stop working to find answers for these cases.