But police soon realized that wasn't the start of a case. It was the horrific end to a years-long plot by Dean Corll, the Candyman, to torture, rape and kill dozens of boys and young men across the area.
"This killing was never going to stop until Elmer Wayne Henley killed him," said Pasadena Police Sgt. James Anderson.
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In the latest ABC13 "Texas True Crime" episode, Jessica Willey takes you inside the stomach-turning Candyman mass murders, terrifying a city and shocking the nation at a time before the term "serial killer" was ever coined.
At least 28 victims and countless loved ones left grieving, a dedicated anthropologist who spent years bringing the victims home and is still searching for answers for the final unidentified victim, and the big question nearly 50 years later: are there more bodies out there?
A new search for possible victims is underway and it has the blessing of the only victim's parents who are still alive.
"I think if there's a chance of overturning a stone to find more answers for people that are missing their child or children, use it definitely," said James Dreymala, the father of 13-year-old Stanton Dreymala, who was the last victim, and the first whose remains were found.
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Watch ABC13 Originals, including Texas True Crime, on your favorite streaming devices, like Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and GoogleTV. Just search "ABC13 Houston."