Abandoned or Orphaned? Dallas Burr's Search for Her Parents
Brian and Rachel Burr, pictured shortly after the birth of their daughter Dallas
Parents Vanished
Two years ago, Dallas Burr asked social media if they could help her reconnect with her estranged parents, Brian and Rachel.
Shortly before her third birthday, they left and never came home. Dallas and her older brother were soon told that their parents had abandoned them "on purpose." Years passed. She held out hope that they would come back or reach out to her.
On May 19, 2021, Dallas kickstarted the journey to find her parents and posted a TikTok video asking for help. She gave her name, where she was from, and her current age.
"I just want to meet them," Dallas kept clarifying.
As the days went by, she continued to document her journey. Several users on the platform had questions, so Dallas provided them with additional information.
In 2000, she and her brother were orphaned by the state of Texas; their maternal grandmother was granted full-custody. They moved to Ohio, but Dallas was able to keep in touch with a few of her relatives. As she grew older, however, none of them knew what to tell her.
"Nobody knows why they left," she told her audience. "The assumption is that they were young and just very overwhelmed [with raising two kids]." Then Dallas ended the video by saying, "I just want [my parents] to know that I forgive them."
Long-Awaited Answer
Last year, there was finally an answer.
Instead of an internet stranger who had used their "research magic," she was contacted by a cold case detective from Oklahoma. They informed Dallas that there was an unidentified couple that had been found in McAlester almost three decades ago. Forensic genealogy had pointed them to distant family members; someone eventually directed them to Dallas.
After the phone call, she went online and searched for the case details.
Dallas was greeted by the photos of a man and woman who bore similarities to Brian and Rachel. They had been sculpted out of clay and given wigs. Jane Doe smiled, baring a familiar pattern of teeth that Dallas had seen in photographs while growing up. John Doe had prominent cheekbones, a strong jawline, and several distinct tattoos.
Right away, Dallas Burr knew she was looking at her parents.
Facial reconstructions of the McAlester Doe Couple (1995)
DNA Match
She submitted her DNA for the John Doe. It was a match. She submitted her DNA for the Jane Doe. And while it took a bit longer than expected, it was another match.
"I've spent years looking for them," she clarified in one of her many TikTok videos. "I was convinced that they were still alive."
In 2019, Brian and Rachel's bodies were exhumed for DNA testing. But it wasn't until 2021 that the investigators reached a potential breakthrough. Using forensic genealogy, distant relatives were found in Oklahoma, then Texas. Once it was learned that the couple had two children, investigators took their search to Ohio and called Dallas.
She still remembers that one phone call. "I'm a detective from the Oklahoma cold case homicide department. We really need to talk. It's about your parents."
When she spoke with KFOR earlier this month, Dallas said: "It was the most earth-shattering moment of my life. I could never find anything [about them]."
All she had was the occasional story and several pictures. Around her 17th birthday, her paternal relatives were finally able to get in contact with her. Dallas mentions that she had cried almost every night since her pre-teen years. She just wanted to know where they were.
Strangers Helping
"I didn't have parental figures at all," Dallas posted in an update on April 12. "I just lived with people who were genetically related to me ... and that's about as far as it went in terms of a connection."
Since the identification of her parents, Dallas has continued to thank everyone who kept Brian and Rachel in their hearts.
She talks about how she went to different websites and forums; no matter who was covering the story, several online strangers were doing their best to make sure the McAlester Doe Couple would eventually get their names back. Dallas even mentioned a family down in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma, who helped maintain her parents' graves for years.
"All I had ever known was their names," she told her followers. "I didn't know anything about the case until the detective called me."
Dallas Burr (right) thought she'd find her parents with the help of TikTok, unaware that they'd been buried by the community of McAlester back in 1995
What Possibly Happened
While the timeline of events remains unclear, investigators (and web sleuths) have been able to piece together what may have happened.
In 1995 (presumably early March), Brian and Rachel Burr took a road trip to visit extended family. It's been implied that they made it to their destination—Dallas says they were last seen by one of their relatives in Pennsylvania. On their way home, the route likely took them through Oklahoma.
On April 9 of that same year, the decomposed bodies of Brian and Rachel (unknown at the time) were found near Crowder. Both victims had been shot in the chest. Based on their matching wedding bands, they were determined to be married.
Brian's watch was set an hour behind Oklahoma time, indicating that the couple had likely died before April 2 (which is when the clocks jumped forward for daylight savings). Furthermore, decomposition estimated that the two had perished in mid-March. They were likely murdered at another location; it's surmised that the killer(s) dragged their bodies into a wooded area near U.S. Highway 69.
Though several tips came in once pictures of the clay busts were released, Brian and Rachel were laid to rest as John Doe and Jane Doe, respectively. At their funeral, the citizens of McAlester pleaded with the public to come forward with information. Someone had to be missing them. A married couple doesn't just turn up dead with no one to claim them. But we now know, thanks to Dallas, that a missing persons report was never filed for either of them.
Several internet users have since speculated that the case didn't garner significant attention because it was quickly overshadowed by the Oklahoma City bombing. Some think that they were targeted by a violent carjacker. Others think that the couple knew the person who took their lives.
At the time of their passing, Brian was 23 and Rachel was 21.
Rachel and Brian allegedly took a road trip and never came home
Dallas Burr, TikTok
Closure and Anger
Dallas, now a mother of two boys, says that she still has a long list of heroes to thank.
She admits that, while this isn't the way she wanted—or expected—to find her parents, there's a tremendous sense of closure.
But the anger still lingers.
When Brian and Rachel were murdered, a chain reaction started. Dallas experienced a range of health issues growing up because she knew nothing about their medical histories. She and her brother were raised to be "caregivers" for their grandmother. And as her own sons started to grow up, Dallas noticed that they had some health issues, too.
She wants the person(s) responsible to know what they truly took from her: the opportunity to have a healthy, informed childhood where she was raised under the love of her young parents.
Dallas is currently writing a book about the ordeal and hopes to get it published within the next few years.
The double homicide of Brian and Rachel Burr remains unsolved.
Authorities are asking anyone with information about the case to contact OSBI at 800-522-8017 or email tips@osbi.ok.gov
© 2023 Taylor René
