Potential suspect in 1987 murder found

HENDERSON COUNTY – DNA evidence has led to the identification of a suspect in the 1987 murder of an East Texas man who was discovered dead beneath a bridge, following nearly 40 years of investigation. Rickey Herriage’s body was discovered under a bridge on Henderson County’s County Road 1500 on March 8, 1987. For decades, the case remained unsolved despite the deputies’ best efforts. As of 2025, authorities have identified Dallas Reynolds Casanova as a possible suspect based on DNA testing. The Henderson County Sheriff’s Office said Friday that Casanova, who was a resident of Henderson County at the time of the murder, passed away in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 2008.

When Sheriff Botie Hillhouse rekindled the investigation in 2019 by forwarding clothing evidence from the scene to Pure Gold Forensics in Redlands, California, the connections started. According to the sheriff’s office, that lab discovered DNA that had been uploaded to a law enforcement system, but no matches were discovered. Relentlessly, the sheriff’s office collaborated with a nonprofit organization called Season of Justice, which contributed a portion of the funds for cutting-edge DNA testing. For additional DNA analysis, The Woodlands-based forensic genomics firm Othram Inc. joined forces in 2022.

Additionally, the FBI Dallas Violent Crimes Task Force became involved and used their state-of-the-art genealogical methods in the case. All of the effort ultimately resulted in the identification of Casanova as a possible suspect. Investigators and Pure Gold Forensics verified that Herriage’s clothing contained Casanova’s DNA alongside Herriage’s own.