Dallas detective links Norman Prater to 1973 hit-and-run, solving 52-year case

People reports the Dallas Police Department announced on Tuesday, Jan. 6 that detectives have solved the case of Norman Prater, a 16-year-old who vanished in 1973 and was last seen walking with friends in East Dallas. Prater was reported missing on Jan. 14, 1973, and on July 9 of that year an "unidentified white male was killed in a hit-and-run incident" on Highway 35 in Rockport; the body remained unidentified for 52 years.

Dallas-based Detective Ryan Dalby re-examined the matters after a new photo of the unidentified victim was found in late 2025 by the Aransas County Medical Examiner's Office, which passed the image to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and then to Dalby. Dalby and a forensic analyst with the Texas Rangers believed the photo likely resembled Norman, and his older brother, Isaac Prater, positively identified the victim.

Key Topics

World, Norman Prater, Isaac Prater, Ryan Dalby, Dallas Police Department, Texas Rangers