During our interview, Elmer Wayne Henley made a point of denying that he created this type of art, but clearly that’s not true.

Not only did Texas grant a serial killer full immunity for at least seven more murders (in exchange for nothing, by the way) and then vanish the hypnosis tapes, but they also allowed him to paint an adorable pink painting mocking all 27 victims of the Houston Mass Murders.

The piece features a pink Texas silhouette covered by 27 little skulls. Aren’t they cute? What about the drops of blood that make it pop? And the accent pickaxe and shovel at the top certainly make a statement. Last but not least, there is the stenciled name of Henley’s mentor and master—Dean A. Corll, the “Candy Man.” Bravo, Texas!

Doesn’t this Texas-sponsored masterpiece just scream remorse? What about the time and care it took to stencil his master’s name, Dean A. Corll, “The Candy Man”? What a loving gesture. Wonder how much he was paid per skull this time.

For someone who’s claimed to be a victim of his master’s control, this artwork certainly paints a different story.

To find out what lies beneath the artwork, I sat across from Henley myself. What unfolded in those three hours didn’t just add to the history books. It shattered the official narrative.

Armed with police photographs the killer had never seen, I pushed Henley until he threw down the gauntlet, exposing a web of bombshell claims that authorities have spent decades keeping quiet.

Originally published as two separate chronological volumes, this definitive combined edition brings the entire three-hour interview together under one roof for the first time in Houston Mass Murders: The Elmer Wayne Henley Interview: (Serial Parts 4 & 5). This special edition stands alone.

Packed with grainy case photographs and chilling direct revelations, it strips away decades of silence and lays out the hidden mechanics of the Harris County justice system, moving from why Henley chose to kill—forsaking the chance to save eighteen boys—to vanished district-attorney hypnosis tapes, secret immunity agreements, and yet another misidentified teenage boy.

The cover I designed is a puzzle. The text is the key. Turn the page and see what the official story left in the dark.

READ NOW!

📁 Researcher’s Note: My primary source file, Houston Mass Murders - 1973: Pasadena Police Department Investigation File (Companion Resource), is available for Immediate Download.

© 2026 Barbara Gibson. All rights reserved. Strictly no AI or SI training or unauthorized reproduction permitted.

In 2010, I stepped inside a maximum-security prison for a rare three-hour interview with one of America’s most notorious serial killers, Elmer Wayne Henley Jr., seeking his help to name the last two unidentified victims of Dean Corll.

I expected the safety of a plexiglass barrier. Instead I found myself standing completely unprotected, face-to-face with an unhappy Henley. Pen pals had been mailing him copies of my stories, and the moment his shackles dropped he took control of the room. As the heavy gates slammed shut, he turned the tables and demanded to know if he had just been indicted for another murder.

What unfolded in those three hours didn’t just add to the history books. It shattered the official narrative. Armed with police photographs the killer had never seen, I pushed Henley until he threw down the gauntlet, exposing a web of bombshell claims that authorities have spent decades keeping quiet.

Originally published as two separate chronological volumes, this definitive combined edition brings the entire three-hour interview together under one roof for the first time in Houston Mass Murders: The Elmer Wayne Henley Interview: (Serial Parts 4 & 5). This special edition stands alone. Please note: If you have already purchased and read Serial Parts 4 and 5 individually, you do not need to purchase this combined edition.

Packed with grainy case photographs and chilling direct revelations, it strips away decades of silence and lays out the hidden mechanics of the Harris County justice system, moving from why Henley chose to kill—forsaking the chance to save eighteen boys—to vanished district-attorney hypnosis tapes, secret immunity agreements, and yet another misidentified teenage boy.

The cover I designed is a puzzle. The text is the key. Turn the page and see what the official story left in the dark.

READ NOW

When I began this journey in 2010, I was only looking for the license plate number of Dean Corll’s Corvette. But after my first interview with forensic anthropologist Dr. Sharon Derrick, I realized the investigation into the remaining unidentified victims was riddled with contradictions — issues that would require extensive research to fully understand. A much bigger problem was at hand.

I originally published Houston Mass Murders – 1973: A True Crime Narrative so you could have a complete account of the police and medical examiner’s investigation as it unfolded in 1973. Now I’ve released my breakthrough research findings in a serialized format: Houston Mass Murders: A Serial Investigation. Breaking this work into a serial allows me to share the critical photographic evidence supporting my conclusions without the cost-prohibitive delivery fees of a single massive volume on Amazon.

Each installment delivers bite-sized, image-backed pieces of intensive research. Together, we will re-examine this monumental case, correct decades-old errors, and answer lingering questions that have haunted it for decades.

In Serial Part 1 of Houston Mass Murders: A Serial Investigation, I lay out the groundwork of my original 2010 research, pulling back the curtain on decades of administrative errors and missed leads:

• A Mother’s Hope: In 2009, Mrs. Erma Sickman still lit a candle every morning for her missing son Steven—but a devastating DNA revelation would soon change everything.

• The Missing Lead: How a single vanished clue from an unrelated 1973 murder pulled me into the Dean Corll case in April 2010.

• Missing Police Files: The shocking moment I realized Dr. Sharon Derrick was missing the core Pasadena PD files and photographs—and what happened when we viewed my copies on a 6-foot screen.

• Lost Evidence: The key witness who refused to speak, and the Harris County agency mistake that halted critical DNA testing.

• DNA 101: The crash course in mitochondrial versus nuclear DNA that completely reframed how we look at the surviving siblings of the victims.

• Age Markers: The critical biological milestone Dr. Derrick taught me to look for—knowledge I would later use to challenge official records.

• Unidentified Bodies: The truth behind the High Island and Sam Rayburn victim maps, proving why two boys remained completely unidentified despite modern science.

• Tainted Composites: Dr. Derrick’s stunning admission about the Sam Rayburn composite (Unknown #22) and a piece of evidence that was simply cut out of the picture.

• Circumstantial IDs: The 2006–2007 jailhouse interviews with David Brooks that led to a highly controversial circumstantial identification.

• Skipping Henley: Why the medical examiner’s office had no intention of interviewing Elmer Wayne Henley, despite admitting they didn’t even possess his original statements.

• The Blood Discrepancy: The glaring contradiction in the Corll crime-scene photos regarding the total lack of blood on the floor despite six gunshots.

• The Sam Rayburn Contradiction: How a “missing” 1973 statement I later uncovered and sent to Dr. Derrick blew the official identification of Michael Baulch completely wide open.

• Answering the Call: Why science stalled, forcing the medical examiner to request the public’s help—and how my 2010 research finally answered that call.

The recorded interviews, original Pasadena PD crime scene photos, and primary source maps behind these breakthroughs are all laid bare inside the text.

→ Join me in the search for the Lost Boys, beginning with Serial Part 1, Houston Mass Murders: A Serial Investigation. Serial 1 is free to read on Kindle.

Following my discovery that the Houston police caused the misidentification of Michael Baulch—an error the Medical Examiner’s office suppresses to this day—I reviewed the case files of the only four 1973 misidentifications ever publicly admitted: David Hilligiest, Malley Winkle, and brothers Donald and Jerry Waldrop. While Dr. Joe publicly blamed a grieving father for these mistakes, my analysis of the autopsy and police reports proves that both HPD and the Medical Examiner were directly responsible.

Evidence Withheld
According to a police report, identification cards bearing the names and Heights address of the Waldrop boys were recovered from grave number 8 inside the boatshed. Detectives phoned Mr. Everett Waldrop in Georgia and confirmed the cards belonged to his missing sons.

That information alone should have made their identification the easiest of all twenty-seven victims, but Houston police apparently didn’t share it with Dr. Joe. Instead, the medical examiner released the wrong bodies from grave number 5 and publicly blamed Mr. Waldrop for the mistake.

Police Silence
The public battle that broke out between Dr. Joe and the grief-stricken father, while police remained silent, left a permanent, uncorrected injustice—especially since police and autopsy reports prove the father was telling the truth.

Dr. Joe told the press he released the bodies based on clothing, dental work, and stature described by Mr. Waldrop. The father was perplexed and outraged because he was told by police the ID cards were found in the clothing of his sons. He never actually saw the bodies.

What the medical examiner—who was also a licensed attorney—did not disclose to the press was that the clothing identified by the father had been furnished by Houston police with the wrong bodies from grave number 5. HPD’s report completely omits this itemized list of clothing.

The Photos
The two green snapshots in the posted image document the nature of the unsupervised boatshed dig, capturing a newspaper photographer taking pictures of a lower jawbone that had been completely singled out from the remains. While it is unknown if the jawbone was ever returned to the correct body, the autopsy report suggests it was not.

To find out exactly how Donald Waldrop’s clothing and jawbone from grave 8 wound up commingled with the wrong remains in grave 5, and how these errors impacted all nine victims recovered on August 9, 1973, read Houston Mass Murders: A Serial Investigation - Serial 2.

When I began writing about the Houston Mass Murders in 2010, I was an investigative reporter chasing cold cases from the early 1970s—young women murdered or vanished in the Houston area. I kept coming back to one name in particular: sixteen-year-old Kimberly Pitchford.

She vanished on January 3, 1973, within a five-mile radius of Dean Corll’s last known address in Pasadena. Two days later her partially nude body was found floating in a ditch fifteen miles away. She had been strangled with a thin strand of rope—Corll’s signature method.

Buried in her police file was a witness report: a green 1968 or 1969 Corvette seen near where she was last seen. Dean Corll drove a green 1969 Corvette.

That tenuous lead came with something priceless—a license plate number. But when I tried to trace it, the records had vanished. The plate had been recycled years earlier. Undeterred, I ordered Corll’s probate file. What I discovered only deepened the mystery: his Corvette had been completely stripped to a bare hull. No VIN. No license plate. No trace.

The more I dug, the more questions multiplied. Kimberly wasn’t the only one. Two other young women with ties to the Heights disappeared during the same narrow window.

The deeper I went, the clearer it became: this might not be only about the twenty-seven known male victims.

The stripped Corvette was just the beginning. To see the archival research, forensic breakdowns, and raw human stories behind these forgotten cold cases, join the hunt for answers.

Start reading Houston Mass Murders: Serial Part 1 on Amazon — available now and free to read on Kindle.

Over the past several years, many of you have followed my research into the Houston Mass Murders case through my book and the ongoing serial investigation. Your support and questions have been greatly appreciated.

As I continue working through the series (and yes, Serial 6 is in the works), I’ve spent considerable time returning to the original source material. Today I’m excited to finally release something I’ve wanted to make available for a long time: the official Pasadena Police Department Investigation File (August 1973) as a curated companion resource.

This is not another retelling or narrative. It is the actual 181-page working investigation file used by Pasadena PD detectives in 1973. I have carefully organized it with a clickable table of contents, logical sequencing, section dividers, and grouped photographs to make it far more usable for anyone wanting to examine the raw evidence.

Inside you’ll find original reports, diagrams, statements, evidence logs, and the critical roadmap that guided investigators to the victims.

For those following my work closely, this file has already proven valuable. It allowed me to:

• Correct a decades-old error identifying victim Michael Baulch (Serial Part 1)

• Corroborate Elmer Wayne Henley’s statement on where Mark Scott (another misidentified victim) was truly buried (Serial Part 4) — something I was able to confirm after interviewing him in person

• Uncover two more misidentified victims whose records remain uncorrected by the state (Serial Part 3)

If you’ve read Houston Mass Murders – 1973: A True Crime Narrative or any of the Serial Investigation parts and ever wished you could look at the same primary documents I use, this is the companion resource I built for readers like you.

➡️ View the full product page and purchase here: Houston Mass Murders - 1973: Pasadena Police Department Investigation File (Companion Resource)

The file is a 167 MB PDF enhanced with a clickable table of contents, bookmarks, chapter/section dividers, and multiple sub-sections for easier navigation and research use. It is available for immediate download.

One month ago, on November 7, Elmer Wayne Henley’s parole was denied until 2035—a victory we earned together. But the deeper work continues.

That’s why, today, I’m continuing my serialized investigation with a renewed focus: letting the documented facts speak for themselves so the last boys can finally get the truth they deserve.

In the first five parts (available right now), my research has already uncovered details many never expected to see:

• During my first in-person interview with Dr. Sharon Derrick, she told me she did not have the 1973 Pasadena PD files or photographs—the very records that contain Henley’s original victim statements and burial locations. I brought my copies; we reviewed them together.

• A Harris County agency misplaced a victim’s body, preventing DNA testing.

• Multiple confirmed misidentifications among the original 27 victims—including Michael Baulch, listed for 40 years as Unknown #2 from the boatshed when he was actually Unknown #22 in Sam Rayburn forest.

• Research in Serial Part 3 also shows two additional Sam Rayburn victims were misidentified—errors that remain uncorrected to this day.

• “Extra bones” and mismatched measurements in a High Island grave that point to a possible 29th victim—and questions about why the search stopped despite credible leads to more burials (now lost beneath floodwaters).

• In my two-part prison interview with Henley—the first in-depth one in decades—he revealed a 1987 immunity agreement from the Harris County DA tied to six hours of hypnotically refreshed confessions, confirming misidentifications he had argued about since the 1970s.

These findings come straight from recorded interviews, documents, and photographs included in the serials.

If you haven’t started yet, or if it’s time for a re-read with fresh eyes, here’s the complete set so far:

Serial Parts 1–5 – Available Now
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FT75NBP9

(Latest: Serial Part 5 – the explosive second half of the Henley interview)

Thank you for walking this road with me. The boys deserve every bit of light we can shine.

With gratitude,
Barbara Gibson

P.S. Reply anytime—your thoughts and questions keep this moving forward.

Source & Full Documentation
All evidence in this post is from my original research in:
Houston Mass Murders: A Serial Investigation (Serial Parts 1–5)
by Barbara Gibson
Published October 2025
Available exclusively on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FT75NBP9

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How many Houston Mass Murders victims remain unidentified?

A: As of 2025, one boy still waits for his name — my research in Serial Parts 1–5 documents two lingering misidentifications from Sam Rayburn and “extra bones” from High Island that point to an additional victim.

Q: What did Dr. Sharon Derrick admit about the 1973 files?

A: In my 2010 interview, she said she did not have the Pasadena PD files or Henley’s statements — I brought my copies.

Q: Were Dean Corll victims misidentified in 1973?

A: Yes — my research proved multiple errors, including Michael Baulch (Unknown #22, Sam Rayburn) and Mark Scott (Unknown #15) and two others recovered from Sam Rayburn that remain uncorrected.

Q: What are the “extra bones” in the Houston Mass Murders case?

A: Discovered in 1973 during autopsy of the Delome/Baulch High Island grave — a second pelvis, sacrum, extra forearms, and more — clear evidence of a 29th victim as of May, 2010.

In the early 1970s, Houston was rocked by one of the most chilling serial killing sprees in American history, orchestrated by Dean Corll with the complicity of Elmer Wayne Henley, Jr., and David Brooks. Known as the Houston Mass Murders, this case left dozens of young boys dead and a city haunted. Decades later, in 2010, three victims remained unidentified, their stories buried in a maze of missing evidence and conflicting records.

In Houston Mass Murders: A Serial Investigation, Serial Part 1, available now on Amazon, I share the results of my years-long quest to uncover the truth, revealing new clues that could help give these boys their names.

A Glimpse into the Investigation:

The Houston Mass Murders case is a labyrinth of horror and heartbreak, with over 27 confirmed victims and countless questions still unanswered. Dr. Sharon Derrick, a forensic anthropologist, has spent years conducting DNA tests and combing through skeletal remains, and archival records to identify the final three victims, but the gaps in evidence are troubling. A mismatched jawbone could hold the key to one boy’s identity, while the misplaced headless body of a teenage boy, found near NASA in 1971, defies easy answers. Adding to the mystery, Elmer Wayne Henley’s own statements—detailing his victims and their burial sites—offer a haunting roadmap, yet they’ve been overlooked until now. In Serial Part 1, I reveal how my research uncovered these statements and a critical misidentification that could change this case forever.

What’s Next:

Serial Part 1 is just the beginning of this ongoing investigation. With five parts released so far, each chapter peels back another layer of the Houston Mass Murders, blending forensic science, archival research, and raw human stories. Get Houston Mass Murders: A Serial Investigation, Serial Part 1 on Amazon now to follow my journey and uncover the truth behind this chilling case.

Delve into a riveting, bite-sized serialized investigation of one of Houston’s most notorious cases. In Houston Mass Murders - A Serial Investigation, true crime author Barbara Gibson picks up where her first book, Houston Mass Murders - 1973, left off, seeking answers to the enduring mystery surrounding the unidentified teenage boys killed by Dean Corll, Elmer Wayne Henley, Jr., and David Brooks between 1970 and 1973.

Written in a gripping first-person narrative, this serial invites you to sit beside the author as she interviews forensic anthropologist Dr. Sharon Derrick, victims’ families, and later, even Henley himself, uncovering new clues and heart-wrenching insights. From a breakthrough in 2010 that revealed the misidentification of two victims to the persistent mystery of the last unnamed boy, Gibson’s relentless pursuit of truth shines a light on hidden details some would rather keep buried.

This serial builds on the foundation of her first book, which is essential for understanding the full scope of these horrors. Join Gibson on this emotional journey to honor the lost boys and help lay the final victim to rest.

In Serial Part 1, a quest is launched by a mother’s prayer, Gibson discovers a haunting clue, and an in-depth interview with Dr. Sharon Derrick reveals challenges and triumphs, along with disturbing truths that threaten to prevent future identifications of the lost boys. Could a killer’s confession hold the key?

In Serial Part 2, Gibson uncovers forgotten files, chilling evidence, and overlooked stories that expose cracks in the 1973 investigation. Could “extra bones” found on High Island be the twenty-ninth victim? Each clue draws us closer to the victims’ truths as we await DNA results for the lost boy known only as Unknown #22 for forty years.

In Serial Part 3, Gibson dives deeper into the shadows of Houston’s darkest case, unearthing haunting clues in the Sam Rayburn forest that challenge the identities of two lost boys. A second interview with Dr. Sharon Derrick unveils long-awaited DNA and CODIS-MP results, as she shears through red tape to exhume a coffin containing two brothers. A victim’s sister shares a gut-wrenching story of her brother’s murder, her fierce resolve driving Gibson toward a daunting confrontation. As a KHOU interview thrusts the case into the local spotlight, could these revelations finally unmask the last unknown boys—or tear this decades-old case apart?

In Serial Part 4, Gibson braces for a tense three-hour drive to a high-security prison to confront Elmer Wayne Henley, Jr. Guided by Skip Hollandsworth’s insights on navigating Henley’s volatile nature, she prepares to question the killer about Unknown #2 and Unknown #16, the boys still nameless from the boatshed. With just one hour to uncover truths that could name the lost boys, Gibson faces a chilling question: can she coax a serial killer, eyeing parole, to reveal secrets that crack this decades-old case, or will his words deepen the mystery?

In Serial Part 5 (Henley Interview, Pt. 2 of 2), Gibson’s prison interview with Elmer Wayne Henley, Jr. intensifies, shattering myths about Dean Corll and laying bare why Henley chose to kill, forsaking the chance to save eighteen boys. A new misidentified victim and a decades-old promise from the Harris County DA raise troubling questions. Can Gibson’s probing questions to Henley upend decades of flawed DNA evidence, or will justice for the lost boys and others remain buried?

Explore the available parts and stay tuned as the investigation continues to unfold with more revelations to come.

Welcome, truth-seekers, I’m Barbara Gibson, and this my first Substack newsletter. If you’re here, you know the Houston Mass Murders—a 1970s horror that claimed 28 teenage boys, left one nameless, and broke families forever. I’ve spent years digging into the case of Dean Corll, Elmer Wayne Henley, Jr., and David Brooks, and with Henley’s parole hearing this October, I rushed to publish my five-part serial, Houston Mass Murders – A Serial Investigation, to arm you with the facts before it’s too late. Thank you for joining me—your support keeps the urgent search for justice alive.

The Houston Mass Murders aren’t history; they’re a living wound. Families relive the grief with every parole hearing, and one boy still waits for a name. My first book, Houston Mass Murders – 1973: A True Crime Narrative, sets the stage, but the serials pull you deeper: from a grieving mother’s faith sparking a cold-case chase, to forensic breakthroughs and buried clues in Texas soil, to the gut-wrenching confrontation with Henley himself. Each part is a quick, urgent read packed with my hard-won research—no fluff, just revelations that demand attention. With the parole board deciding Henley’s fate this month, there’s no better time to dive in and join the fight.

Act Now: Submit a Protest to Henley’s Parole Board

Henley’s hearing is this October, and your voice matters. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice Victim Services is accepting public comments to influence the board. Send an email to victim.svc@tdcj.texas.gov with the subject line: Re: Elmer Wayne Henley, Jr. TDCJ #00241618 SID #01924387.

Include the offender’s full name and TDCJ or State ID (SID) number so they can file it correctly. Share how the case has impacted you, your concerns for community safety, or why parole would reopen old wounds—personal stories carry more weight than form letters. There’s still time to submit before the hearing, so act today. Your words could tip the scales.

Join the Mission

The serials are your toolkit—read them on Amazon to understand the case’s urgent flaws and why parole can’t happen. Start with the book: Houston Mass Murders – 1973. Then binge the serials: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5.

This newsletter is my way to connect and amplify—reply with your thoughts on the case or why you’re here. With a small but growing community, every share counts. Later, paid subscribers will get exclusives like case reflections and reader Q&As, but for now, it’s all about the mission: truth, justice, and no parole.

Let’s make a difference. Share this, read the serials, and protest today. Together, we honor the boys and protect the future.

Sincerely,

Barbara Gibson, Author, Houston Mass Murders: A Serial Investigation

P.S. New subscriber? Hit reply with a quick note about what drew you to this case—I’m all ears and grateful. Houston Mass Murders - 1973: A True Crime Narrative, and Houston Mass Murders: A Serial Investigation - All 5 Serials.

Step inside a gripping, real-life crime story that changed the city of Houston forever. The HoustonMass Murders – 1973, by crime writer, Barbara Gibson, delves into the minds of three notorious killers – Dean Corll, Elmer Wayne Henley, Jr., and David Brooks – who, between 1970 and 1973, lured twenty-seven unsuspecting teenage boys into a deadly trap. Gibson's book takes an unflinching look at the horrific events of 1973 and brings to life the heart-wrenching personal stories of the victims, their families and the perpetrators, through a narrative that is both powerful and haunting. Prepare to be both provoked and intrigued as you experience the Houston Mass Murders through the eyes of those who lived the horror.

READ NOW!