Corey Lynn Brooks, 21, was last seen on June 19, 1998, at a family reunion in Fort Bend, Texas. After playing basketball with relatives, he borrowed his mother's house keys to take a shower at her home and was never heard from again. Although Brooks had a history of disappearing for periods, he always maintained contact with his family. Concern grew, and he was officially reported missing on January 31, 1999.
The case was reopened in 2003 after investigators and Brooks's mother received several anonymous tips alleging he had been murdered. The callers claimed Brooks was shot during a fight and his body was disposed of in the Brazos River or buried in Orchard, Texas.
The investigation into Brooks's disappearance took a significant turn in December 2005 with the disappearance of 12-year-old Teketria Buggs. Teketria was the stepdaughter of Brooks's cousin, Steven Carrington, and vanished from the same rural home on Johnson Road in Orchard where Brooks was living when he went missing. On December 15, 2005, Teketria's remains were discovered in the Brazos River; she had been strangled and stabbed to death. Shortly after, Carrington was arrested on unrelated domestic violence charges.
While incarcerated in mid-December 2005, Steven Carrington confessed to murdering his cousin, Corey Brooks, in 1998. He admitted to shooting Brooks in the head during an argument over money, wrapping his body in a blanket, and dumping it into the Brazos River with the help of another man. On the day of Teketria's funeral, Carrington also confessed to her murder. In February 2008, Carrington pleaded guilty to the murders of both Corey Brooks and Teketria Buggs, as well as an unrelated sexual assault of a juvenile relative. He was sentenced to 40 years in prison for Brooks's murder and 57 years for Teketria's death. Despite his confession, Corey Lynn Brooks's remains have never been recovered.Last Seen: Jun 19, 1998
