Zionsville, IN (November 12, 2025): Season of Justice is proud to announce that grant funding provided for advanced forensic testing has helped the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office identify the individual responsible for the 1987 homicide of Rickey Herriage, bringing long-awaited answers to his family and community.
On March 8, 1987, 29-year-old Rickey Herriage was found deceased in Henderson County, Texas after being shot multiple times. For nearly four decades, investigators worked tirelessly to uncover the truth behind his death. In 2019, Sheriff Botie Hillhouse submitted several items of evidence to Pure Gold Forensics for DNA analysis. From that testing, analysts successfully isolated an unknown DNA profile from a piece of clothing, which was uploaded to CODIS for comparison.
After several years without a match, Sheriff Hillhouse sought additional forensic support. In 2022, Henderson County Sheriff’s Office received a grant from Season of Justice to fund further DNA analysis through Othram Labs. Once a genetic profile was developed, the Sheriff’s Office partnered with the FBI’s Dallas Violent Crimes Task Force to apply Forensic Genetic Genealogy in hopes of identifying the suspect.
Thanks to the dedication and collaboration of all involved, investigators were able to identify the person responsible for taking Rickey Herriage’s life nearly 40 years ago, finally bringing resolution to a case that has long weighed on the hearts of those who knew him. The suspect died in 2008, in New Orleans, LA.
Season of Justice is honored to support the investigative efforts of Sheriff Hillhouse and the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, and extends our deepest gratitude to the teams at Othram and the FBI for their partnership. This case exemplifies the powerful impact that collaboration and innovation can have on solving cold cases. We also thank our generous donor community, whose continued support makes crucial testing like this possible. Together, we can solve cold cases.