Overview

Last seen: Official Texas DPS records give October 9, 1971, Pasadena, Harris County, Texas. Other case records place Waggoner’s disappearance around October 1, 1971, from the vicinity of the 2700 block of Lafferty in Pasadena.

Main circumstances: Waggoner disappeared at age 23. His car reportedly remained outside his apartment with the key in the ignition, while his suitcase, clothing and some money remained inside. Approximately two weeks later, his red Honda 350 motorcycle and helmet were discovered in woods near U.S. Highway 59 in San Jacinto County. He has never been located. Family members have questioned whether his disappearance could be connected to abuses later uncovered involving Sheriff James “Humpy” Parker and his deputies, although no such connection has been established.

Current status: Missing; unresolved. NamUs MP997 remains publicly available.

Detailed Case Breakdown

David Wayne Waggoner Disappearance: Texas Marine Veteran Missing Since 1971

David Wayne Waggoner was 23 years old when he vanished from Pasadena, Texas, in October 1971. More than five decades later, his disappearance remains unresolved, his NamUs case remains publicly listed, and authorities continue to classify him as missing. Texas records identify the case as involuntary, while other databases classify Waggoner as endangered missing.

There is an important discrepancy in the historical record concerning the precise date he disappeared. The Texas Department of Public Safety and The Charley Project list October 9, 1971, with The Charley Project stating that October 9 was the last time Waggoner spoke with his family. The Doe Network-derived accounts and several other case databases place his disappearance at or around October 1, 1971.

Who Was David Wayne Waggoner?

Waggoner was a young United States Marine Corps veteran who had served four years in the Marines. At the time he disappeared, he was unemployed after reportedly leaving his previous job several weeks earlier because he found the work boring. His family described him as close to his parents and sister and said his disappearance without warning was out of character. According to The Charley Project, relatives did not believe he was depressed or suicidal.

Waggoner was approximately 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighed about 160 pounds, although some case sources give a range up to 170 pounds. He had black or dark brown hair and brown eyes. Identifying characteristics included small vertical scars on both cheeks, a horizontal scar on his chin, partial hearing loss in his left ear, two previous skull fractures and a previously broken collarbone resulting from motorcycle accidents. He also wore dark-rimmed eyeglasses.

His date of birth is another point on which records disagree. Texas DPS lists November 14, 1947, while The Charley Project, Doe Network-derived records and several other case databases list November 11, 1947.

David Waggoner’s Disappearance in Pasadena, Texas

Secondary case records state that Waggoner lived in the vicinity of the 2700 block of Lafferty in Pasadena. His family had reportedly gone a period without seeing him before his mother went to his apartment and discovered that he was gone.

Several details inside and outside the apartment made the disappearance particularly puzzling. His automobile remained parked in front of his residence with the key reportedly still in the ignition. His suitcase, clothing and a small amount of money were also left behind. Accounts say the only property he appeared to have taken included what he was wearing, his wallet and a 9 mm pistol.

Those circumstances have long weighed against a simple planned disappearance. Waggoner’s family did not believe he intended to voluntarily cut off contact, and authorities have reportedly considered the possibility that he was taken against his will.

The Abandoned Red Honda Motorcycle

Perhaps the most significant physical clue surfaced roughly two weeks after Waggoner disappeared.

A hunter reportedly discovered Waggoner’s red Honda 350 motorcycle abandoned in woods off U.S. Highway 59 in San Jacinto County, approximately 70 miles north of Houston. Accounts place the discovery in the area of Coldspring and Shepherd, Texas. Waggoner’s motorcycle helmet was reportedly still with the motorcycle.

No confirmed trace of Waggoner was discovered with the motorcycle, and the discovery moved attention away from his Pasadena apartment and toward the Highway 59 corridor through San Jacinto County.

The Humpy Parker Theory

The location where Waggoner’s motorcycle was found later became especially significant because of documented misconduct involving then-San Jacinto County Sheriff James C. “Humpy” Parker and members of his department.

Parker and deputies were later prosecuted after allegations that young motorists traveling U.S. Highway 59 had been illegally detained, beaten or otherwise abused. The Charley Project notes that Parker’s group particularly targeted people such as motorcyclists and young men they regarded as counterculture figures. Parker and two deputies eventually received prison sentences in connection with abuses uncovered years after Waggoner vanished.

Because Waggoner was a young man traveling by motorcycle and because his motorcycle appeared along that same corridor, his family has questioned whether he could have encountered Parker or members of the sheriff’s department. The circumstances have kept the theory alive for decades.

No public evidence establishes that Parker or any of his deputies caused David Waggoner’s disappearance. The Charley Project specifically notes that Parker and his associates have never been linked to Waggoner’s case. The theory therefore remains a possibility raised by family members and researchers rather than a proven explanation.

Could David Waggoner Have Been a Victim of Dean Corll?

Another theory raised over the years concerns Houston serial killer Dean Corll, whose known murders occurred in the Houston area during the early 1970s.

Waggoner’s name has periodically been discussed among researchers because of his age, location and disappearance during Corll’s active period. A 2016 episode of The Vanished Podcast, which included an interview with Waggoner’s sister Diana, discussed both Corll and Humpy Parker as possibilities considered in connection with the case.

The Corll theory, however, has not been established by law enforcement, and publicly available records do not identify Waggoner as a confirmed Corll victim.

Evidence Available for Identification

Case material reproduced from the Doe Network and NamUs has indicated that dental records, fingerprints and DNA are available for Waggoner. That information is particularly important in an unresolved disappearance of this age because it potentially allows investigators to compare Waggoner with unidentified remains recovered elsewhere.

NamUs continues to maintain a public record under MP997, providing an established national reference for future comparisons and investigative information.

Latest Publicly Available Case Information

As of September 2026, no publicly announced law-enforcement breakthrough, identification, arrest or resolution was located in current official sources. David Waggoner remains listed by the Texas Department of Public Safety as an involuntary missing person, and his federal NamUs record MP997 remains publicly accessible.

There has nevertheless been recent activity in the missing-person research community. Missing People in America created a current case entry in January 2025 and lists an update dated April 21, 2025, still describing Waggoner as missing.

More recently, an August 13, 2026 update to the Websleuths discussion raised a possible comparison between Waggoner and unidentified remains discovered in Marietta, Georgia, identified in NamUs as UP51079. Participants noted similarities involving height, approximate build, eyeglasses and clothing style, while also acknowledging substantial uncertainties, including the unidentified man’s estimated age. This is a publicly proposed comparison, not a confirmed NamUs match or announced law-enforcement development.

The discussion illustrates why Waggoner’s available dental, fingerprint and DNA information remains valuable: credible unidentified-person comparisons can ultimately be evaluated through forensic evidence rather than visual resemblance alone.

Very Brief Case Summary

Last seen: Official Texas DPS records give October 9, 1971, Pasadena, Harris County, Texas. Other case records place Waggoner’s disappearance around October 1, 1971, from the vicinity of the 2700 block of Lafferty in Pasadena.

Main circumstances: Waggoner disappeared at age 23. His car reportedly remained outside his apartment with the key in the ignition, while his suitcase, clothing and some money remained inside. Approximately two weeks later, his red Honda 350 motorcycle and helmet were discovered in woods near U.S. Highway 59 in San Jacinto County. He has never been located. Family members have questioned whether his disappearance could be connected to abuses later uncovered involving Sheriff James “Humpy” Parker and his deputies, although no such connection has been established.

Current status: Missing; unresolved. NamUs MP997 remains publicly available.