Unsolved 'Orange Socks' Murder Case Continues to Baffle Investigators 46 Years Later

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In AUSTIN, Texas, the most enduring unsolved mystery in Williamson County is the tragic case of a woman discovered dead on Halloween in 1979.

Her lifeless body was located in a ditch alongside Interstate 35 near Georgetown, not far from Austin. Clad in only a pair of orange socks, authorities were left without any means to identify her. For more than 40 years, she was referred to as “Orange Socks” by the detectives working the case.

The young woman who became known as “Orange Socks” during her murder investigation. (Courtesy: Williamson County Sheriff’s Office)

In a bizarre twist, notorious serial killer Henry Lee Lucas admitted to murdering “Orange Socks,” among numerous other killings nationwide, only to later retract his confession.

Four decades after her body was uncovered, a significant breakthrough came in 2019 when law enforcement in Williamson County revealed her identity as 23-year-old Debra Louise Jackson, also known as Debra Louise Larned, from Abilene. This discovery allowed her name to finally be etched onto her gravestone.

(Courtesy: Williamson County Sheriff’s Office)

However, the mystery of who strangled Jackson and abandoned her on that desolate road remains unsolved. This week on “Unsolved: Central Texas,” Avery Travis discusses the chilling case with Williamson County Sheriff’s Office Detective Mark McKinney, as they delve into the investigation that has haunted detectives for nearly half a century.

New episodes of Unsolved: Central Texas launch every Thursday at 1 p.m. on the KXAN+ streaming app. To download KXAN+, search KXAN on your preferred streaming device, including Roku, Apple TV, Samsung and Amazon Fire TV. You can also find all episodes of Unsolved: Central Texas on-demand in the KXAN+ Original Programs category anytime on KXAN+.