Post by Jay7777 on Sept 20, 2023 1:16:37 GMT
I can't believe this case hasn't been solved yet!
www.khou.com/article/news/crime/lovers-lane-murders-cheryl-henry-andy-atkinson/285-f7a1d731-1d3c-44bc-a95e-7b5dfb1513d1
truecrimediva.com/cheryl-henry-andy-atkinson-lovers-lane-murders-houston/
sleuthbetold.com/2022/01/25/andy-atkinson-and-cheryl-henry/
Today, we are talking about an infamous case commonly referred to as the Lover’s Lane Murders. Let’s dive in.
On August 23rd, 1990, a security guard from a nearby office building saw a white Honda Civic in an isolated cul-de-sac off of Enclave Parkway in Houston, Texas. The scene seemed odd to him, so he looked in a purse that was in the car and used the contact information in it. The contact information he found was for the parents of 22 year old Cheryl Henry, who had been reported missing earlier that day. I’m not sure if Cheryl’s parents called the police at this point or if it was the security guard, but regardless, they arrived shortly after Cheryl’s family.
Now, I do want to clarify that the majority of sources say that it was a patrol officer that found the car and decided to run the plates because the scene was concerning to him. They say that when the plates were run, the patrol officer learned that the car belonged to 21 year old Andy Atkinson, who had been reported missing along with his girlfriend, 22 year old Cheryl Henry earlier that day. However, there is a websleuths forum for this case where one of Cheryl’s family members has been very active and clarified a lot of information. One of the things they have corrected is this account of identifying the car.
All right, back to the story.
Andy and Cheryl had last been seen the night before, August 22nd, 1990, on a double date with Cheryl’s sister, Shane. They spent the evening at Bayou Mama’s Club in Houston, Texas before the pairs went their separate ways. After parting ways with Shane and her date, Cheryl and Andy made their way to a spot in West Houston commonly referred to as Lover’s Lane. This was a common spot that young couples would go to when they wanted privacy as it was an undeveloped area that didn’t get much traffic. Again, we have some conflicting information between what is commonly reported and what the family member on websleuths has said. Apparently, even though this case has become known as the Lover’s Lane murders, this supposed Lover’s Lane was actually more for drinking and socializing.
Cheryl Henry and Andy Atkinson
Cheryl Henry and Andy Atkinson (source: womenincrimeink.blogspot.com/2008/05/lovers-lane-unsolved-murders.html)
Before we continue, I want to tell you a little bit about who Andy and Cheryl were. Andy had been living in Houston for just a few weeks as he had just graduated from college in North Carolina. It is speculated that he moved to Houston after graduating to be closer to his father who lived in Houston. He was an aspiring model and had been dating Cheryl for about two weeks. Cheryl was home for the summer, taking a break from classes at Stephen F. Austin State University. She was an older sister to 5 siblings and was working at a club while she was home. She was a hard worker and known for being kind and welcoming.
Ok, let’s jump back in.
Neither Cheryl or Andy showed up to work the next morning and their families didn’t hear from them. This was unlike the couple, and the families acted quickly, contacting police as soon as they realized something might be wrong. Since the families were so quick to file missing persons reports, when the patrol officer ran the plates on Andy’s car the police were able to take action immediately.
Now that we know how the car ended up on Lover’s Lane, let’s talk about what police found after identifying it. The couple was nowhere to be seen, but police were still able to learn a lot from the scene. The seats were reclined and there was a cassette tape in the deck of the car stereo. There was also a pair of women’s shoes as well as a handbag on the floorboard. This led police to believe that the couple had gone there to make out. What was strange though, was that the key was in the ignition, in the auxiliary position. As if this scene wasn’t concerning enough, there were also traces of fresh blood.
At this point, police were taking this very seriously, and they actually brought a scent dog out to help. They searched the nearby area and found a golf club and three golf balls that seemed to be pointing towards something. Following this, police found Cheryl’s body about 200 yards away from the car. She was lying face down under several planks of a rotting cedar fence. Her hands were tied behind her back with a hemp rope, her clothes had been cut from her body, and her underwear was bunched up in a pocket of her jeans. There was also a $20 bill found by her body. She had been sexually assaulted before having her throat slashed. There were three ragged slash marks, so I can only imagine how painful this would have been for Cheryl.
This was a gruesome scene and police still had not found Andy. He would not be found until the next morning, about 50-100 yards away from Cheryl. He was fully clothed and tied to a tree. He was sitting up with his back to the tree and like Cheryl, his throat had been cut. Unlike Cheryl though, his throat had been cut so severely that he was nearly decapitated. He was found with money on him, so police ruled out robbery as a motive.
Police collected DNA from the crime scene and tested it against several suspects, but none were a match and each one ended up getting eliminated. While the case continued to be worked on, there wouldn’t be any significant leads for 17 years. This puts us in 2008, when police tested DNA from a sexual assault case against the DNA found on Cheryl and got a match. The sexual assault victim was fortunately able to work with police to draw up a composite sketch of the suspect. She also said that the man had “a very forceful, military-type stance about himself.” Police speculate that this could suggest a law enforcement or military background.
So, what made the police compare these samples? They realized that just two months before Cheryl and Andy were murdered, a 30 year old exotic dancer was sexually assaulted in her home. The assailant was waiting for the woman in her home and when she walked in she was greeted by him saying, “Where’s Randy?,” who was her boyfriend. He then proceeded to sexually assault and rob her.
The woman had worked at a topless bar called GiGis and Cheryl had worked at a similar bar nearby called Rick’s Cabaret. It is also said that Andy’s father owned a strip club where he would occasionally work. This seems like too much to be a coincidence, so police suspect that the suspect may have frequented or worked at local strip clubs.
While this DNA lead didn’t happen until 2008, there were other things that popped up here and there. One of these was a letter investigators received in March of 2001. In block letters, it said “If you want to know who killed C. Henry and A. Atkinson, it will cost $100,000.” It gave specific instructions that investigators were to reply in the classifieds section of the March 12, 2001 Houston Chronicle. In it, it also said, “a lawyer will be hired to make sure u play straight.” Police decided to take the note seriously as it was sent at such an odd time. It had been 11 years since the murders and at the time the case wasn’t getting any publicity. Investigators did as the note said and included a number for either the note sender or a lawyer to contact investigators. Sergeant Belk, one of the officers on the case, said that they all kept tight-lipped about the note just in case it was real to see if they would get a response. Unfortunately, it was too good to be true and the note writer never
At this point, it’s been 32 years since Andy and Cheryl were murdered and even with all the information and evidence we have, the case remains unsolved. Over the last few years, there have been talks about the potential of using familial DNA on the DNA found on Cheryl. Unfortunately, according to the family member I mentioned earlier on websleuths, while this has been requested, it doesn’t seem like it is going to happen anytime soon. The family was told that familial DNA is something that wouldn’t be visited as an option until all other leads have been exhausted. I’m not really sure what leads they still need to exhaust after 32 years, but that’s what they have told the family. Funding isn’t the issue either, as the family has offered to pay and even reached out to one of the companies that has been a big player in the advancement of familial DNA, Parabon. Parabon told them it would cost less than $5000, which the family was more than willing to pay to see if anything could come of it.
If you know anything about who killed Andy and Cheryl or if you recognize the man in the sketch (which, as always, will be posted on our social media) you can contact the Houston Police Department Cold Case Squad at 713-308-3618 or if you prefer to submit a tip anonymously Crimestoppers at 713-222-TIPS.
www.khou.com/article/news/crime/lovers-lane-murders-cheryl-henry-andy-atkinson/285-f7a1d731-1d3c-44bc-a95e-7b5dfb1513d1
truecrimediva.com/cheryl-henry-andy-atkinson-lovers-lane-murders-houston/
sleuthbetold.com/2022/01/25/andy-atkinson-and-cheryl-henry/
Today, we are talking about an infamous case commonly referred to as the Lover’s Lane Murders. Let’s dive in.
On August 23rd, 1990, a security guard from a nearby office building saw a white Honda Civic in an isolated cul-de-sac off of Enclave Parkway in Houston, Texas. The scene seemed odd to him, so he looked in a purse that was in the car and used the contact information in it. The contact information he found was for the parents of 22 year old Cheryl Henry, who had been reported missing earlier that day. I’m not sure if Cheryl’s parents called the police at this point or if it was the security guard, but regardless, they arrived shortly after Cheryl’s family.
Now, I do want to clarify that the majority of sources say that it was a patrol officer that found the car and decided to run the plates because the scene was concerning to him. They say that when the plates were run, the patrol officer learned that the car belonged to 21 year old Andy Atkinson, who had been reported missing along with his girlfriend, 22 year old Cheryl Henry earlier that day. However, there is a websleuths forum for this case where one of Cheryl’s family members has been very active and clarified a lot of information. One of the things they have corrected is this account of identifying the car.
All right, back to the story.
Andy and Cheryl had last been seen the night before, August 22nd, 1990, on a double date with Cheryl’s sister, Shane. They spent the evening at Bayou Mama’s Club in Houston, Texas before the pairs went their separate ways. After parting ways with Shane and her date, Cheryl and Andy made their way to a spot in West Houston commonly referred to as Lover’s Lane. This was a common spot that young couples would go to when they wanted privacy as it was an undeveloped area that didn’t get much traffic. Again, we have some conflicting information between what is commonly reported and what the family member on websleuths has said. Apparently, even though this case has become known as the Lover’s Lane murders, this supposed Lover’s Lane was actually more for drinking and socializing.
Cheryl Henry and Andy Atkinson
Cheryl Henry and Andy Atkinson (source: womenincrimeink.blogspot.com/2008/05/lovers-lane-unsolved-murders.html)
Before we continue, I want to tell you a little bit about who Andy and Cheryl were. Andy had been living in Houston for just a few weeks as he had just graduated from college in North Carolina. It is speculated that he moved to Houston after graduating to be closer to his father who lived in Houston. He was an aspiring model and had been dating Cheryl for about two weeks. Cheryl was home for the summer, taking a break from classes at Stephen F. Austin State University. She was an older sister to 5 siblings and was working at a club while she was home. She was a hard worker and known for being kind and welcoming.
Ok, let’s jump back in.
Neither Cheryl or Andy showed up to work the next morning and their families didn’t hear from them. This was unlike the couple, and the families acted quickly, contacting police as soon as they realized something might be wrong. Since the families were so quick to file missing persons reports, when the patrol officer ran the plates on Andy’s car the police were able to take action immediately.
Now that we know how the car ended up on Lover’s Lane, let’s talk about what police found after identifying it. The couple was nowhere to be seen, but police were still able to learn a lot from the scene. The seats were reclined and there was a cassette tape in the deck of the car stereo. There was also a pair of women’s shoes as well as a handbag on the floorboard. This led police to believe that the couple had gone there to make out. What was strange though, was that the key was in the ignition, in the auxiliary position. As if this scene wasn’t concerning enough, there were also traces of fresh blood.
At this point, police were taking this very seriously, and they actually brought a scent dog out to help. They searched the nearby area and found a golf club and three golf balls that seemed to be pointing towards something. Following this, police found Cheryl’s body about 200 yards away from the car. She was lying face down under several planks of a rotting cedar fence. Her hands were tied behind her back with a hemp rope, her clothes had been cut from her body, and her underwear was bunched up in a pocket of her jeans. There was also a $20 bill found by her body. She had been sexually assaulted before having her throat slashed. There were three ragged slash marks, so I can only imagine how painful this would have been for Cheryl.
This was a gruesome scene and police still had not found Andy. He would not be found until the next morning, about 50-100 yards away from Cheryl. He was fully clothed and tied to a tree. He was sitting up with his back to the tree and like Cheryl, his throat had been cut. Unlike Cheryl though, his throat had been cut so severely that he was nearly decapitated. He was found with money on him, so police ruled out robbery as a motive.
Police collected DNA from the crime scene and tested it against several suspects, but none were a match and each one ended up getting eliminated. While the case continued to be worked on, there wouldn’t be any significant leads for 17 years. This puts us in 2008, when police tested DNA from a sexual assault case against the DNA found on Cheryl and got a match. The sexual assault victim was fortunately able to work with police to draw up a composite sketch of the suspect. She also said that the man had “a very forceful, military-type stance about himself.” Police speculate that this could suggest a law enforcement or military background.
So, what made the police compare these samples? They realized that just two months before Cheryl and Andy were murdered, a 30 year old exotic dancer was sexually assaulted in her home. The assailant was waiting for the woman in her home and when she walked in she was greeted by him saying, “Where’s Randy?,” who was her boyfriend. He then proceeded to sexually assault and rob her.
The woman had worked at a topless bar called GiGis and Cheryl had worked at a similar bar nearby called Rick’s Cabaret. It is also said that Andy’s father owned a strip club where he would occasionally work. This seems like too much to be a coincidence, so police suspect that the suspect may have frequented or worked at local strip clubs.
While this DNA lead didn’t happen until 2008, there were other things that popped up here and there. One of these was a letter investigators received in March of 2001. In block letters, it said “If you want to know who killed C. Henry and A. Atkinson, it will cost $100,000.” It gave specific instructions that investigators were to reply in the classifieds section of the March 12, 2001 Houston Chronicle. In it, it also said, “a lawyer will be hired to make sure u play straight.” Police decided to take the note seriously as it was sent at such an odd time. It had been 11 years since the murders and at the time the case wasn’t getting any publicity. Investigators did as the note said and included a number for either the note sender or a lawyer to contact investigators. Sergeant Belk, one of the officers on the case, said that they all kept tight-lipped about the note just in case it was real to see if they would get a response. Unfortunately, it was too good to be true and the note writer never
At this point, it’s been 32 years since Andy and Cheryl were murdered and even with all the information and evidence we have, the case remains unsolved. Over the last few years, there have been talks about the potential of using familial DNA on the DNA found on Cheryl. Unfortunately, according to the family member I mentioned earlier on websleuths, while this has been requested, it doesn’t seem like it is going to happen anytime soon. The family was told that familial DNA is something that wouldn’t be visited as an option until all other leads have been exhausted. I’m not really sure what leads they still need to exhaust after 32 years, but that’s what they have told the family. Funding isn’t the issue either, as the family has offered to pay and even reached out to one of the companies that has been a big player in the advancement of familial DNA, Parabon. Parabon told them it would cost less than $5000, which the family was more than willing to pay to see if anything could come of it.
If you know anything about who killed Andy and Cheryl or if you recognize the man in the sketch (which, as always, will be posted on our social media) you can contact the Houston Police Department Cold Case Squad at 713-308-3618 or if you prefer to submit a tip anonymously Crimestoppers at 713-222-TIPS.
