Henderson County, TX - After nearly four decades, the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office has announced a breakthrough in the 1987 cold case murder of 29-year-old Rickey Herriage, bringing long-awaited answers to a case that had remained unsolved for over 30 years.
On March 8, 1987, Rickey Herriage’s body was discovered beneath a bridge on County Road 1500 in Athens, TX (Henderson County). He had been shot to death after a night out at a club. Despite initial investigative efforts, the case went cold, leaving the community and Herriage’s family without closure.
In 2019, Sheriff Botie Hillhouse reopened the investigation, sending clothing evidence from the scene to Pure Gold Forensics in Redlands, California. The lab successfully extracted a DNA profile, which was entered into the national CODIS database, but initially yielded no matches.
Determined to pursue every lead, the Sheriff’s Office partnered with the nonprofit Season of Justice, which provided partial funding for advanced DNA testing. In 2022, Othram Inc., a forensic genomics company in The Woodlands, Texas, joined the investigation to perform additional DNA analysis.
The FBI Dallas Violent Crimes Task Force also assisted, applying genealogical techniques that ultimately identified a potential suspect: Dallas Reynolds Casanova. Casanova had lived in Henderson County at the time of Herriage’s death and later died in 2008 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Further testing confirmed Casanova’s DNA on Herriage’s clothing, alongside Rickey’s own DNA, directly linking him to the crime.
Sheriff Hillhouse praised the collaboration between multiple agencies, including Pure Gold Forensics, Othram Inc., the FBI, and Season of Justice, for their roles in finally resolving the case.
“This case would not have been solved without the relentless dedication and collaboration of everyone involved,” Hillhouse said. “We are grateful for the support from our partners and proud of the determination shown by our team. Most importantly, this breakthrough provides long-awaited answers to Rickey Herriage’s family.”
Although a suspect has been identified, the motive will remain a mistery.
