Dorothy Hilligiest was born on 12 May 1922 in Montebello, Virginia, USA. She was married to Fred Hilligiest. She died on 24 September 2010 in Houston, Texas, USA.
One of her sons, David William Hilligiest (B. July 30, 1957) is believed to be one of the victims of serial killer Dean Corll and is presumed to have been murdered on May 29, 1971. David and his friend Gregory Malley Winkle (B. January 24, 1955) vanished together while going to the neighborhood swimming pool. Their bodies were found in Corll's boat shed, along with 15 others.