'Orange Socks' killer haunts detectives 46 years after woman found dead

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.

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