Cold case: Teen missing for 52 years identified by Texas detective

Dallas police say 16-year-old Norman Prater, missing since 1973, has been identified after a photo linked him to a 1973 Aransas County hit-and-run victim; no suspect has been arrested.

Norman Prater, who was 16 when he was last seen in Dallas in 1973, has been identified, Dallas police announced. The missing-persons case stayed open for more than five decades and was the oldest such file in Texas. A photograph of an unidentified 1973 Aransas County hit-and-run victim was reviewed by investigators and reached Detective Ryan Dalby. With forensic analysis and family recognition, officials say the two cases match. Key facts: - Prater was reported missing to the Dallas Police Department on January 14, 1974, after last being seen in 1973. - A photo of an unidentified 1973 Aransas County hit-and-run victim was provided to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and later examined by Detective Ryan Dalby. - A forensic analyst aided the review and Prater's brother, Isaac, recognized distinctive facial scars and identified the victim as Norman Prater. - Dallas police announced the identification and said no suspect has been arrested; the circumstances around the 1973 hit-and-run remain under review. Summary: Identification of Norman Prater ties a decades-old Dallas missing-persons file to a 1973 Aransas County unidentified-victim case and gives the family answers after many years. The Dallas Police Department credited investigative and forensic work in reaching the identification. Undetermined at this time.