Texas Detective Solves State's Oldest Missing Persons Case, 52 Years After Teen Was Last Seen Walking with His Friends By Escher Walcott

The oldest missing persons case in Texas has finally been solved thanks to an incredible breakthrough.

On Jan. 14, 1973, Norman Prater was reported missing to the Dallas Police Department (DPD), the authorities said in a Tuesday, Jan. 6 release on Facebook. The 16-year-old was last seen walking with his friends in East Dallas, Fox 4 Dallas-Fort Worth reported.

Later that year, on July 9, an “unidentified white male was killed in a hit-and-run incident” on Highway 35 in the Texan city of Rockport, in what appeared to be an unrelated incident at the time, according to the release. 

The body of the victim remained unidentified for 52 years — until the DPD’s Detective Ryan Dalby re-examined the case and “was able to establish a potential link between the two seemingly separate incidents,” the police statement added.

This was made by possible by a new photo of the unidentified victim found in late 2025 by the Aransas County Medical Examiner’s Office. They then passed this onto the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, who then gave it to Dalby, Fox 4 Dallas-Fort Worth reported.

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According to the outlet, Dalby and a forensic analyst with the Texas Rangers believed the photo likely resembled Norman. To confirm this, they contacted his older brother, Isaac Prater, and he positively identified the hit-and-run victim as his missing brother.

“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 a statement.

“Detective 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,” he continued.

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“After 50 years of uncertainty, Mr. Isaac Prater has now received answers regarding his brother’s disappearance,” added the DPD release, which stated that no DNA evidence was available to assist the investigation.

“The DPD extends its deepest sympathies to the Prater family and commends the interagency cooperation and investigative perseverance that made this resolution possible,” the department concluded.

PEOPLE has contacted the Aransas County Medical Examiner’s Office for comment.