Air Force veteran identified from DNA 37 years after his death in Tarrant County
A man whose remains were found in Tarrant County in 1987 has been identified using DNA technology more than 37 years after his death, according to a news release from Texas DNA lab Othram.
The man, Shirlee Lewis Henkel, was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and died at the age of 45, according to the release. His body was found in October 1987 with a watch and a “distinctive” ring about five days after he died.
Henkel had been living in a night shelter and using a fake name to obtain food and medical treatment.
At the time, officials released sketches of Henkel and photographs of the watch and ring, but he went unidentified, according to the statement. In 2008, his details were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System.
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office sent forensic material to Othram, which is near Houston, in 2024. Othram scientists extracted DNA from the material and created a genome sequence they used to search genealogical databases.
Investigators found Henkel’s family, who had held a funeral service for him in 1994 in his native Iowa, according to the statement.
“The family in this case did everything possible to find their loved one and get resolution, and now because of advanced DNA technology, they have that,” said Kristen Mittelman, Othram’s chief development officer. “This case seemed unsolvable for almost 40 years, and now law enforcement in Texas and his family in Iowa have answers.”
Othram has collaborated with Fort Worth law enforcement in the past: The laboratory helped lead police to the killer in a 1974 murder case.
This story was originally published June 27, 2025 at 5:01 PM.
