Courtesy of Dallas Police
After almost 53 years, Dallas Police Department finally identified a teenager who went missing in 1973 after being last seen in East Dallas.
Norman Prater, 16, was reported missing in January 1973, and in July of that same year, there was a hit and run in Rockport, near Corpus Christi, in which an unidentified white man was killed, according to DPD Beat. The “John Doe” wasn’t identified for decades — until now, when he turned out to be none other than Prater.
DPD Det. Ryan Dalby was able to connect the two events. He found an updated photo of the hit-and-run victim and realized it was Prater, according to a FOX 4 report. Then, he was able to confirm the identity of “John Doe” using Prater’s brother, Isaac of Lewisville. It isn’t clear how Norman Prater got to Rockport (Dalby suspects he was hitchhiking) or who the hit-and-run driver was.
“This resolution stands as a testament to the Dallas Police Department’s commitment to the cases we pursue and the families we serve, no matter how much time has passed,” Dallas Police Chief Daniel Comeaux said in The DPD Beat report. “Det. Dalby’s dedication, skill and compassion have not only solved a historical case but have performed the most vital duty of our Missing Persons Unit: providing closure to a grieving family.”
This was DPD’s oldest missing persons cold case, according to the FOX 4 report.
