Remains of missing man identified 17 years after he vanished from Rosharon

ROSHARON, Texas (KTRK) -- Officials have positively identified the remains of a man 17 years after he vanished.

Robin Mangrum, from Liverpool, Texas, was 34 years old when he was last seen on Aug. 9, 2005, at a convenience store on FM-1462 in Rosharon.

Almost 15 years later, on Feb. 19, 2020, hunters found human skeletal remains in a wooded area at the intersection of FM-1462 and FM-521 in Rosharon, according to the Brazoria County Sheriff's Office.

The remains were sent to the University of North Texas' Center for Human Identification and were compared to DNA samples from Mangrum's family.

Glenda Walton can still recall the last time she saw her son, and the memory brought her to tears.

"The last time I seen (sic) Robin was August 23, 2005. On a Sunday. I'll never forget that Sunday," Walton said.

The center positively identified the remains as that of Mangrum on Sept. 7, 2022, deputies said.

"Addressing the two-year lab delay," Sgt. Clint Lobpries said, "We're not the only ones sending that type of information up to that University. We went through the COVID-19 pandemic. There's a lot of factors that would play into that delay."

Investigators still don't know exactly how he died, but Lobpries said they don't have any evidence of foul play.

Walton said additional information was comforting, but it doesn't change what happened to her son. He struggled with drugs and divorce, but she said he always smiled around his family.

"I still think that one of these days he'll come home, but I know he ain't. I know he ain't (sic)," Walton said.

She is now planning to travel back to Brazoria County to collect Mangrum's remains, which will be cremated instead of buried.

"Y'all think these last 17 years has been rough. I said, 'Wait until I get him back in my arms.' That's going to hurt," Walton said.

Anyone with any additional information into the disappearance of Mangrum is asked to contact the Brazoria County Sheriff's Office at 979-864-2392 or Crime Stoppers at 800-460-2222 and reference case #0508-1282.

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