The Harris County District Attorney's Office confirmed on Tuesday that Floyd William Parrott died while in a Nebraska jail. Preliminary reports indicate that Parrott likely died by suicide in his cell, though the investigation is just beginning.
Parrott was accused of killing Andy Atkinson and Cheryl Henry after the two went out one night back in 1990. The couple had parked in a west Houston area that was known as Lovers Lane. Their bodies were found the next day. Cheryl had been sexually assaulted.
"Happy. I feel relieved," Andy's mother, Ann Fowler, who called ABC13 from her home in Fayetteville, N.C., said. "I feel it's what I wanted. I just wanted him to die. I'm sorry, I just wanted him to die, and not put everybody through the hell that he put our children through. So, I got my wish."
Shane Craig, Cheryl's younger sister, had similar feelings.
"I never want to hear the horrible things that happened to Cheryl or Andy," Shane, who was dreading the impending murder trial that would have been a toll on many family members, said. "It was going to be very hard. And now, we can keep Cheryl and Andy's lives private, and what they have gone through."
For 36 years, the brutal murders remained unsolved. Then, last month, a breakthrough: Parrott was arrested in Nebraska and indicted for the crime.
Records show Parrott was 28 years old at the time of the murders. The young couple was killed after they had spent time parked in the secluded area following a night out dancing.
Following his arrest in March, prosecutors said Parrott would ride around the Houston area in a fake cop car and allegedly committed other crimes.
READ MORE: 'Lovers' Lane Murders' suspect 'held himself out to be law enforcement,' may have more victims: DA
Officials said last month they were looking for people whom Parrott may have falsely pulled over before and after the 1990 murders, releasing images of him back then. They did not say if Parrott was acting as law enforcement on the night of the killings.
In 2008, investigators linked DNA from the crime scene to a separate rape case, but still could not identify a suspect.
Court documents show the break finally came in 2025, when, after revisiting the case, investigators received a tip naming Parrott. According to records, that tip -- combined with renewed DNA analysis and additional police work -- led to the charges.
Parrott was awaiting extradition from Nebraska to Harris County, but had "exercised his right to challenge," according to Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare.
Following his death, prosecutor Samantha Knecht, who has worked on the case for more than a decade, released 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."
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