New revelations emerge about Houston's Candyman serial killer Dean Corll
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- For more than half a century, chilling questions have lingered: Were there more victims of Houston's notorious "Candyman," Dean Corll, the serial killer whose crimes predated even the term "serial killer" and if so, who are they?
On a recent Tuesday night, family members, friends, and true crime enthusiasts crowded into Murder By The Book bookstore to get answers.
"There's still a reason to tell this story because there are still people like this out there, and teenagers need to know," said investigative journalist Lise Olsen in an interview prior to the launch of her new book "The Scientist and the Serial Killer."
On that Tuesday night, the packed room was to celebrate its release, a read that took four years of Olsen's life to investigate, research and write.
Debra Christy, who was in the audience, lived with the story her whole life.
"I heard the stories, you know, like the searching," she said.
Christy's uncle was Donnie Falcon, long-believed to be one of was one of Corll's victims, but never identified until recently.
Falcon moved to Houston from Corpus Christi in 1971 at age 16. That August, he vanished without a trace
"We never could find him," Christy recalled. "Some people said he joined the mafia. Everybody had a story."
TEXAS TRUE CRIME: The Candyman Murders
During that same time, dozens of teenage boys and young men were disappearing in Houston. Police often dismissed these cases as runaways, until August 8, 1973. That day, 17-year-old Elmer Wayne Henley fatally shot Dean Corll inside a Pasadena home, revealing a string of horrific crimes.
Corll, infamously nicknamed "The Candyman" because of his family's candy business, along with Henley and another accomplice, David Brooks, kidnapped, sexually tortured, and murdered more than two dozen boys and young men in the early 1970s. Following Corll's death, Henley and Brooks led authorities to mass graves at three sites: a beach at High Island, woods near Lake Sam Rayburn, and a boat storage facility in southwest Houston where 17 bodies were found.
In total, 27 victims were identified.
"Wouldn't we be so grateful to know the truth, even if it's horrible?" asked Dr. Sharon Derrick.
Derrick is a forensic anthropologist and the "scientist" referenced in Olsen's book title. For over 20 years, Derrick has painstakingly worked to identify remains from the mass graves, starting during her tenure at the Harris County Medical Examiner's Office.
"We are going to provide some very old identifications that should have been done by police many years ago," Derrick said.
Her work, driven by a mix of obsession and compassion, led to the identification of Donnie Falcon's remains, bringing long-awaited closure to his family.
"I have no doubts," Christy, whose mother lived long enough to see her brother identified, said. "It meant the world to my mother. I remember when his body came home. She hugged it and cried and was so happy. It had been almost 45 years."
Olsen's book uncovers even more identifications, including some the Medical Examiner's Office still does not officially recognize, such as the so-called "Swimsuit Boy." The book also exposes Corll's ties to an international pornography ring and highlights the lost potential of his many victims.
"What a high price people paid," Olsen reflected.
For Olsen and those who packed the bookstore to hear her speak, the story of Dean Corll remains deeply relevant.
"It needs to be told to the next generation," Christy emphasized. "Watch out for that Candyman, because they're out there."
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