Detectives get a break in the "Orange Socks" cold case murder

The only name given to her, was "Orange Socks."

"Orange Socks was located on October 31, 1979 on I-35 north of Georgetown"

A passerby found her nude and bruised body in a concrete culvert on that Halloween day. For almost 40 years, nobody has claimed her leaving detectives wondering not only who she is, but also who killed her. 

"Henry Lee Lucas, he confessed to more than Orange Socks and it was proven to be incorrect,” said Sgt. John Pokorny, Williamson County Sheriff’s Office.

In the spring, FOX 7 spoke to the man who was the county district attorney in 1979, he said Lucas confessed to a lot of things, sometimes for the attention.

“He recanted on almost all his confessions after the trial. Nobody knows how many people he killed. He certainly didn't kill everybody he claimed to have killed. I would estimate at least 100 folks,” said Ed Walsh, lawyer and former district attorney.

When Sheriff Robert Chody took office, he vowed to better address the county's cold cases. After taking another look at the orange socks case, investigators have a break. 

"With testing of all the evidence and trying to identify her, the lab indicated they found a presence of another contributor to her DNA sample,” said Pokorny.

That means, DNA from another person was at the scene. So who is this other person? Authorities believe advances in DNA testing can eventually give us that answer. It could officially rule out the now deceased Henry Lee Lucas, or rule him "in."

"This news was a big turn of events for us, it gives us high hopes that we will identify her and hopefully a suspect," said Pokorny.

As they await lab results, detectives continue to sift through any and all evidence, as they feel it is their duty to seek justice for everyone, including victims like Orange Socks.

"Our job is to be a voice for her and that's why we are looking forward to identifying her,” said Pokorny.

If you have any information on this case, contact the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Unit at 512-943-5204.