FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) – The story of 17-year-old Carla Walker, a high school cheerleader from Benbrook kidnapped and killed in 1974, has been told and retold.

It’s a mystery her family never gave up trying to solve.

“There were really dark times watching the pain my mom went through,” said her brother Jim Walker, who was only 12 when she disappeared.

Carla Walker (courtesy: Justice for Carla Walker Facebook page)

Wiping away tears, Walker expressed gratitude Tuesday to Fort Worth Police for the arrest of a suspect, 77-year-old Glen McCurley.

“The word that came across my brain was finally, finally, ” he said. “This is a resolution that’s been prayed for.”

Glen Samuel McCurley (credit: Tarrant County Jail)

The night Carla disappeared, she and her boyfriend went to a Valentine’s Day dance at Western Hills High School.

They ended up the parking lot of what was then the Ridglea Bowling Alley.

That’s where police say a man now believed to be McCurley opened their passenger side door, pulled Carla out, told her boyfriend, “I am going to kill you,” and shot at him.

Her boyfriend was treated for a head wound that appeared to come.

Carla’s body was found three days later in a culvert near Lake Benbrook.

In the bowling alley’s parking lot, near Carla’s purse, police discovered a magazine for a .22 Ruger pistol.

Detectives at the time questioned many various suspects, including McCurley, who came under suspicion because he lived nearby and owned a .22 Ruger pistol.

They learned he was off work the day of the attack and his wife out of town, but they had no other information linking him to the crime.

“There just wasn’t enough information at the time,” said Fort Worth Detective Leah Wagner.

In 2019, she and Detective Jay Bennett with the Cold Case Unit reopened the case.

Working with Othram, a private DNA lab in Houston, they succeeded in getting a full DNA profile off Carla’s clothing, something they’d been unable to do in the past.

When it failed to match to any DNA in CODIS, the national database operated by the FBI, they turned to GEDMATCH, a database used for genealogy research.

It was able to determine the DNA came from the McCurley family, narrowing the possibilities to three possible brothers.

Detectives then used DNA from trash taken from outside Glen McCurley’s home to confirm it was a match.

“The satisfaction of being able to give the walkers the answers they’ve been looking for almost 47 years is almost un-describable,” said Det Bennett.

McCurley is now charged with capital murder, and Carla’s family says it has an ending for her story.

“We have a name and face, and we’re moving forward. Complete resolution,” said Walker.

Police say in 46 years, McCurley never moved out of the area, continuing to live his life, with his wife and children.

They say he had no known connection to Carla and believe he targeted her at random.

LOS ANGELES (CBSDFW.COM) – A Dallas man was charged in connection with the murder and sexual assault of a Boyle Heights teen whose body was found in Malibu, California nearly 25 years ago.

Authorities credit DNA evidence for leading them to Jose Luis Garcia, 42.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department arrested Garcia on murder charges in the violent 1996 rape and murder of Gladys Arellano on Wednesday.

Arellano’s body was found in a Topanga Canyon ravine on Jan. 30, 1996. She was beaten, sexually assaulted and strangled to death, the sheriff’s department reports. No suspects were identified at the time and the case went cold.

• Read More On CBS Los Angeles

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ARLINGTON (CBSDFW.COM) — He was shot and killed while leaving to take his dog for a walk 10 years ago and police have never found his killer. Now, Arlington investigators are asking for help solving the cold case homicide of George Hawkins.

Hawkins was gunned down on October 26, 2010 but Arlington police say their work has never stopped. “The Arlington Police Department is committed to finding his killer and providing justice to his family. As the anniversary of his death approaches, we ask for the public’s help in generating new leads that could result in clues to help solve this case,” officials said in a statement.

(credit: Arlington Police Department)

The then 52-year-old Hawkins left his home at the Sutter Creek Apartments, in the 2200 block of Plum Street, heading out to take his Shih Tzu dog named ‘Jasmine’ for a walk before work. It was just before 8:00 a.m. when neighbors reported hearing gunshots and later found Hawkins lying in a breezeway. He never made it to the hospital.

After following through on what they say were ‘multiple leads’ over the years, investigators don’t think robbery was a motive for the shooting.

“We are hopeful that someone who may know something will come forward with the information we need,” said Interim Police Chief Kevin Kolbye. “We ask the public to help us solve this case by shining new light on the incident.”

Hawkins had worked for the U.S. Postal Service for almost 30 years.

Anyone with information about the murder of George Hawkins or has any knowledge about the suspect/suspects is asked to call police at 817-459-5691. Tipsters who wish remain anonymous can contact Tarrant County Crime Stoppers at 817-469-TIPS.

PECOS, Texas. (AP) – Police in western Texas have identified a girl who drowned in a hotel pool in 1966 as a 17-year-old native of Kansas.

Jolaine Hemmy, of Salina, Kansas, drowned on July 5, 1966 at the Ropers Motel in Pecos, police said Tuesday.

She was staying with a man at the hotel when her body was found. The man, who police did not identify, was in the couple’s room when she drowned but left while emergency responders were trying to revive her, Pecos police said.

Police reopened the cold case last year and her body was exhumed in August 2019, The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported. Pecos is about 400 miles west of Fort Worth.

The coronavirus pandemic slowed work on the case but Hemmy was eventually identified through DNA, Pecos Police Chief Lisa Tarango said.

Police recently traveled to Kansas to inform Hemmy’s family of the identification, Tarango said.

The teen’s death remains under investigation.

Pecos police worked with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification to verify Hemmy’s identification.

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FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — In September 2020 Fort Worth police announced that an arrest had been made for the 1974 murder of Carla Walker, who was 17 years old when she was abducted, tortured and killed. On May 6 prosecutors said they wouldn’t seek the death penalty against the now 78-year-old man accused of the crimes.

The Tarrant County district attorney’s office has submitted documents seeking life imprisonment without parole for Glen McCurley, who was arrested on a capital murder charge.

Glen Samuel McCurley (credit: Tarrant County Jail)

District Attorney Sharen Wilson said they determined “justice would best be served” by a sentence ensuring McCurley “will spend the rest of his days in prison.”

Walker’s family supported the decision, she said.

Police had said the Fort Worth high school student was with her boyfriend in a car outside a bowling alley after a Valentine’s Day dance on February 17, 1974, when a man pistol-whipped the boy and abducted her. Searchers found her sexually assaulted and strangled to death three days later near a lake near where she had been abducted, prosecutors said.

McCurley’s attorney, Steve Miears, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: “We are continuing our investigation of the case.”

The case had gone unsolved for 46 years before investigators reopened it in 2019. Police linked it to McCurley through advancements in DNA technology.

McCurley is jailed on a $500,000 bond while awaiting trial.

(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

AUSTIN (CBSDFW) – The former landlord of a Llano County woman who was reported missing in 2006 is now charged in her death.

Jimmy Wolfenbarger, 57, of Lubbock, was indicted in Llano County on one count of murder in the November 2006 death of Holly Simmons, 46. (credit: Texas Dept. Public Safety)

On May, 3, 2021, Jimmy Wolfenbarger, 57, of Lubbock, was indicted in Llano County on one count of murder in the November 2006 death of Holly Simmons, 46, of Buchanan Dam. Simmons was reported missing by her 17-year-old daughter on Nov. 28, 2006, after she dropped her off at the school bus stop the previous morning. Simmons was never seen alive again.

For years, investigators with the Llano County Sheriff’s Office and the Texas Rangers worked the case, trying to bring closure. Immediately following Simmons’ disappearance, her house on Cortez Trail was thoroughly examined for evidence. Neighbors, coworkers and associates were also interviewed by investigators.

Then, on July 7, 2009, a recreational diver found a submerged aluminum boat at the bottom of Inks Lake. Simmons’ body was in the bottom of the boat. Concrete bags had been placed over her, which had become waterlogged and hardened. The Texas Department of Public Safety Dive Team assisted the Llano County Sheriff’s Office in recovering the boat and Simmons’ remains.

In 2016, the Texas Rangers Unsolved Crimes Investigation Program reviewed the case extensively, ultimately assigning it to a Texas Ranger to reinvestigate with the Llano County Sheriff’s Office. Following a five-year investigation, Wolfenbarger was named a suspect. Wolfenbarger, Simmons’ landlord, lived near her home in an RV park at the time. He often had disputes with Simmons regarding one of her two daughters. The District Attorney’s Office for the 33rd and 424th Judicial District also helped bring the case to a successful conclusion.

Wolfenbarger was jailed in the Lubbock County Detention Center on May 12, 2021, with bail set at $2 million. He has since posted bond and been released.

Anyone with information in this case, or any other case, is asked to please come forward. To be eligible for cash rewards, tipsters MUST provide information to authorities by calling the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477). All tips are anonymous. Individuals can also submit information through the Texas Rangers’ Cold Case website or by phone to the Missing Persons Hotline at 1-800-346-3243.

ARLINGTON (CBSDFW.COM) — It’s been more than a year since a 21 year old man, who was trying to sell a handgun, was shot and killed in Arlington and police are hoping the public can help with new leads that will lead them to his murderer.

It was in August of 2019 when Nicholas Coffman and a friend drove to Deaver Park, in the 5800 block of Kelly Elliott Road, with the intention of selling a gun. The pair had communicated with a potential buyer on social media and arranged to meet in-person.

(credit: Arlington Police Department)

When Coffman arrived another vehicle with 4-5 people inside was already in the parking lot waiting. Coffman got out and spoke briefly with one of the passengers in the waiting car. He was then told to go around to the other side of the vehicle. As he followed the instructions another passenger in the vehicle shot him in the abdomen.

Coffman’s friend immediately drove him to a nearby hospital, but he died from his injuries.

After racing from the scene, the suspects drove to the 5600 block of Espanola Drive and fired multiple shots at Coffman’s home. Two of his family members were inside at the time but neither were injured.

“Detectives have investigated this case thoroughly and remain committed to bringing those involved to justice,” said Chief of Police Al Jones. “While our team has identified people who were in contact with Mr. Coffman the night of his death, we still need the public’s help to find his killer.”

(credit: Arlington Police Department)

Home surveillance cameras captured the suspect vehicle driving by Coffman’s home. The suspect vehicle is described as a smaller, dark-colored, four-door sedan, possibly a Dodge Avenger.

Coffman’s family released a statement that said, in part, “Imagine sitting in your living room and bullets flying through your house just inches from where you were sitting. Being told your son’s been shot and you need to get to the hospital right away. Not being able to see or be with him and after what seemed like an eternity, being told he did not make it. Heart wrenching pain that our family would not wish on anyone. Family would not be allowed to see him until his wake five days later because his body was considered evidence.”

Members of Coffman’s family also said they believe the person who murdered ‘Nick’ not only knew him but knew where he lived. They believe the 21 year old was “set up with the sole purpose to harm him.” They say someone knows something, saw something, or has heard something about the murder and are encouraging them to speak out.

Anyone with information about the shooting or has information about the suspect car or the individuals inside is asked to please call Detective Gildon at 817-459-5691. Tipsters can also remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers of Tarrant County at 817-469-TIPS (8477).

BIG SPRING, Texas (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — New developments in the case of a Texas teenager reported missing more than a decade ago. Authorities have arrested a man for the death of 13-year-old Hailey Dunn.

Texas Rangers arrested Shawn Casey Adkins on a murder charge, said Texas Department of Public Safety spokesman Sgt. Fred Biddle. He said Adkins was arrested near Big Spring, a city about 300 miles west of Dallas. Biddle said he could not immediately provide more details on the case.

Adkins was booked into the Howard County Jail. From there he was transferred to the Mitchell County Jail where he was being held Wednesday on $2 million bond.

Jail records do not list an attorney for Adkins.

Hailey Dunn was reported missing in December 2010. She and her mother, Billie Dunn, lived in the small West Texas town of Colorado City at the time and Adkins, who was dating Hailey’s mother, was named as a person of interest.

Hailey’s body was discovered in April 2013 in a remote area near a lake about 30 miles northwest of Colorado City. Authorities have not released a cause of death.

Adkins told The Associated Press shortly after Hailey’s disappearance that he was not involved and that he was praying for her safe return.

Authorities have not said what led police to arrest Adkins, and Biddle referred questions to prosecutors in the 32nd Judicial District Attorneys Office.

District Attorney Richard Thompson said in a statement that Adkins’ arrest was the result of a “multi-county and multi-agency effort.” He declined to provide further information, saying the case is still under investigation.

(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

CORINTH, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) – Amanda Clairmont, 21, was shot to death four years ago in a vacant parking lot alongside Interstate 35E in Denton County. Now the Corinth Police Department has released new photographic and video evidence linked to her homicide on November 19, 2017.

Amanda Clairmont (courtesy: Instagram)

A photograph investigators said is tied to the case was enhanced, along with surveillance video from their original versions. They have narrowed down the made and model to either a 1999-2002 Red/Maroon Chevrolet Silverado Extended Cab or a 1999-2006 Red/Maroon GMC Sierra Extended Cab pickup truck.

Do you recognize this truck? (credit: Corinth Police Department)

Investigators obtained the photograph and video from a local business located in Corinth. But due to the distance the cameras are located from the service road, were too blurry to provide any use for identification of the suspect vehicle. The video evidence was repeatedly sent off to numerous partnering agencies for review and possible enhancement as technology advances.

(credit: Corinth Police Department)

Investigators said after leaving Denton and up until the time Clairmont pulled into the vacant parking where she was killed, she did not make or receive any calls, texts or use any social media apps on her cell phone. Clairmont was in the Fry Street bar area in Denton shortly before her homicide. The investigation has determined that she pulled into the parking lot to speak to one or more people in the red truck. Her car was dark in color. Clairmont was a student majoring in Business at the University of North Texas. She was working as a makeup artist at Nordstrom in Frisco at the time of her death.

Denton County Crime Stoppers is offering an increased reward of $20,000 for information leading to the arrest/conviction of the suspect(s) responsible for the homicide of Amanda Clairmont. Persons with information are asked to contact Denton County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-388-TIPS(8477) or at dentoncountycrimestoppers.com. Callers can remain anonymous.

"If the people we love are stolen from us, the way to have them live on is to never stop loving them." I LOVE YOU AMANDA

— David Clairmont (@DavidClairmont) November 20, 2017

FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) – Some 47 years after a murder that frightened people in Fort Worth, the accused killer is on trial.

Glen McCurley on trial (CBS 11)

Seventeen-year-old Carla Walker’s murder in 1974 went unsolved until advanced DNA techniques broke the case last year.

Carla Walker (courtesy: Justice for Carla Walker Facebook page)

The trial is something investigators have waited for, as some said they have continued to think about it and work on the case even after they retired.

Several of them were on the witness stand Friday, August 20 at Glen McCurley’s murder trial.

Glen Samuel McCurley (credit: Tarrant County Jail)

McCurley is the man accused of kidnapping Walker, pulling her right out of a car, assaulting her and later strangling her.

McCurley was interviewed back in the early days of the investigation because he owned the model of pistol that was used in the crime, but he wasn’t charged at the time.

RELATED: ‘Finally, Finally’: Suspected Killer Of Fort Worth Teen Carla Walker Arrested For Capital Murder 46 Years Later

Some of the most emotional testimony Friday came from Walker’s boyfriend at the time, Rodney McCoy.

McCurley is accused of beating him with that pistol and he could only watch as Walker was pulled out of the car.

McCoy: “Carla turned her face to me and I can visualize, and said, ‘Rodney, go get dad. Go get my dad’.”

Attorney: “Was that the last thing you remember Carla saying?”

McCoy: “The last words I heard from Carla.”

Many of the original pieces of evidence, including the clothes Walker was wearing, still exist.

It was DNA on that clothing that was eventually sent to Texas company, Othram, for advanced testing.

They developed a DNA profile that was then linked to genealogy data to McCurley’s family.

McCurley pleaded not guilty Friday, with defense attorneys suggesting early on the evidence could have been contaminated or there could have been other suspects police missed.

FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) – Two families tied together by a nearly 50-year-old murder came together outside the courtroom Monday, August 23, after an emotional second day of testimony in a cold case trial in Fort Worth.

Prosecutors played video of a 2020 police interview with Glen McCurley, where they confronted him with the fact they had evidence tying him to Carla Walker’s death in 1974.

Glen McCurley interviewed by Fort Worth detectives (credit: Fort Worth PD).

“If you all know all that why didn’t you come get me back then or something,” he asked Detective Leah Wagner.

“Because they didn’t know,” she responded. “But we do.”

The video showed McCurley later breaking down in tears, admitting he had pulled the 17-year-old out of a car, had sex with her and then choked her when he got scared.

After court recessed for the day, members of both families spoke in the hallway outside the court, acknowledging the weight of the evidence that had been heard.

That evidence was the main focus early Monday, with an expert from the Serological Research Institute explaining how they had developed DNA profiles from Carla Walker’s clothing.

Carla Walker (courtesy: Justice for Carla Walker Facebook page)

Investigators had previously tried to developed DNA as recently as 2007 but were unable to get a usable result.

Othram Labs out of the Woodlands explained how they further developed a DNA sequence that could be compared to genealogy data.

John Fondon said he worked through the night, eventually finding the DNA they had matched what appeared to be cousins of the person they were looking for, with the family name of McCurley.

Fondon and Othram CEO David Mittleman called police early on the morning of July 4, to deliver the lead to investigators in Fort Worth.

“And, that was a very emotional moment,” Detective James Bennet testified in court. “Because I felt like I was hearing something detectives had wanted to hear for the last 46 years.”

The trial is scheduled to continue Tuesday morning.

Glen McCurley murder trial (CBS 11)

BEDFORD (CBSDFW.COM) — After more than 35 years police in Bedford know who murdered Janet Elaine Love in her apartment — now they want to know if her assailant had more victims.

It was on April 24, 1986 when Love was found dead in her apartment off of L. Don Dodson Drive by two co-workers. During the investigation, police were able to determine an unknown person had entered the 32-year-old’s apartment, sexually assaulted her, and fatally shot her.

Investigators followed up on leads through the years, but a suspect could not be identified. Fortunately, a DNA profile had been collected from the scene, processed, and later entered in the FBI Combined DNA Index System (CODIS).

It wasn’t until the end of 2020 when Bedford police learned of a DPS grant called the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative Project. The grant uses funds from the U.S. Department of Justice to conduct forensic genetic genealogy testing of DNA samples from unknown offenders that are linked to sexually related homicides.

With the help of a genealogist and public records, detectives were able to use the DNA profile to piece together a family tree of the suspect. After coming up with the suspect’s name, detectives then requested the help of two family members to confirm the suspect’s identity through a kinship analysis conducted by the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification.

In September, police identified Ray Chapa as the person who took Janet Love’s life. Chapa lived in a neighboring apartment complex less than 1,000-feet away from the Delta Airlines ticket agent at the time of the homicide.

“Chapa had no known ties to the victim and was never considered a suspect until DNA technology revealed the truth,” Bedford Police Chief Jeff Williams said. “We are 100 percent sure this is the person who committed this terrible crime.”

But the information came too late for prosecution. In January 2021, Chapa passed away from a terminal illness. Detectives are now working with the FBI to look at other possible offenses he could be connected to across the country. In addition to North Texas, Chapa also lived in Chicago and Montana.

Both the families of Janet Love and Ray Chapa have asked for privacy at this time.

Investigators believe Chapa may be connected to additional crimes. If you have any additional information, please call the Bedford Police Department at 817-952-2647.

COLORADO CITY, Texas (CBSDFW.COM/AP) – The ex-boyfriend of the mother of a 13-year-old West Texas girl reported missing more than a decade ago has been indicted for murder in the girl’s death.

The Mitchell County grand jury indicted Shawn Casey Adkins, 36, of Big Spring, Texas, on a murder count in the death of Hailey Dunn.

Adkins has been in Mitchell County Detention Center since his arrest last June with bonds totaling $1.25 million.

Shawn Casey Adkins (credit: Mitchell County Sheriff’s Office)

The Colorado City Middle School student and cheerleader was reported missing in December 2010.

Dunn’s body was found in April 2013 in a remote area near a lake about 30 miles northwest of Colorado City.

The indictment alleged that Adkins killed the girl by hitting her in the head with an unknown object.

Authorities had said Adkins, the former boyfriend of Dunn’s mother Billie Dunn, had been considered a person of interest since the girl’s disappearance.

Adkins told The Associated Press shortly after the girl’s disappearance that he was not involved and that he was praying for her safe return.

Colorado City is home to about 4,500 residents and is situated 40 miles (65 kilometers) west of Big Spring and about 210 miles west of Fort Worth.

(© Copyright 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

DENVER (CBSDFW.COM/KCNC) – A serial killer identified by Denver police as the man responsible for at least six murders has ties to the DFW Metroplex.

Denver police have identified who murdered five women more than 40 years ago: Joe Michael Ervin. Four murders were unsolved and the families of those victims have lived with uncertainty for decades.

(credit: KCNC)

DPD revealed in a news conference on Friday morning that DNA evidence and genealogy helped investigators link the cold cases together.

Investigators also revealed that Ervin has ties to North Texas.

Ervin’s criminal history began in October of 1969, when a Tarrant County Grand Jury indicted him for the August 8, 1969 murder of Rodney Gene Bonham, 21, at the since-demolished Berry Bowl off of East Berry Street in Fort Worth. Ervin was 17 at the time.

Ervin fled to Colorado after the Bonham’s murder. He was apparently arrested multiple times as a suspect in several rape and murder cases, but was allowed to post bond on two separate cases.

Colorado police did not connect Ervin to the Texas arrest warrant for two reasons. First, Ervin’s birth year had been entered incorrectly into the National Crime Information Computer system. Second, Ervin had adopted the surname “Erwing” after fleeing to Colorado.

Those mistakes would cost multiple women their lives.

Police say Ervin killed four women between 1978 and 1981. Those four female victims are as follows:

• Madeleine Furey-Livaudais, 33. She was stabbed to death at her home on Poplar Street in Denver on Dec. 7, 1978
• Delores Barajas, 53. On Aug. 10, 1980, her body was found lying in the street on the 500 block of East 17th Avenue after being stabbed to death.
• Gwendolyn Harris, 27. On Dec. 21, 1980, her body was found lying in the street near East 47th Avenue and Andrews Drive in Denver’s Montbello neighborhood after being stabbed to death.
• Antoinette Parks, 17. On Jan. 24, 1981, Adams County deputies found her body in a field near 64th Avenue and Broadway. She had been stabbed multiple times.

The killings stopped when Debra Sue Corr, an Aurora police officer, pulled Ervin over in June 1981. Ervin used her own to gun to kill her in what was the first line-of-duty death for the Aurora Police Department.

Soon after that, Ervin took his own life while in custody on murder charges. He was buried in an Arlington cemetery.

Initially, investigators were working on each cold case separately. Eventually DNA evidence helped them link the four victims to the same killer. Next, they used DNA to find a living family member of the suspect.

Next, they exhumed the body of the suspect from an Arlington cemetery and used DNA to confirm he had killed the four women.

In a news release, Denver police described that sequence of events as follows:

• Between 2013 and 2018, these four cases were linked together by DNA evidence, and three separate searches for familial links in Colorado occurred during this time.
• The Denver Police Crime Laboratory began in-house Investigative Genetic Genealogy (IGG) work in 2019, which led to a positive ancestry link to Texas.
• A familial search was conducted in Texas in the summer of 2021, which resulted in the identification of a close biological relative of the yet unidentified suspect.
• Investigators identified Joe Ervin as a potential suspect, and an exhumation of his remains was conducted in Texas in late 2021 to obtain DNA samples for direct comparison to the crime scene evidence.
• The identity of Joe Ervin as the suspect in these four related murders was confirmed through DNA analysis in January of 2022.

The daughters of Furey-Livaudais and the brothers of Parks were present for the announcement on Friday and spoke to reporters. They said they were experiencing a rollercoaster of emotions after finding out who killed their family member.

(© Copyright 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The CNN Wire & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company contributed to this report.)

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – On February 18, a 60-year-old Dallas man was arrested and charged with the 1984 capital murder of Mary Jane Thompson, a case that had gone cold for decades.

Dallas County Criminal District Attorney John Creuzot announced that the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office, in collaboration with the Dallas Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, arrested Edward Morgan for the 1984 capital murder of Mary Jane Thompson.

Nearly 38 years ago to the day, Thompson, 21, was found dead behind a Dallas warehouse on Irving Boulevard. She had been sexually assaulted and murdered on Feb. 13, 1984. Her assailant has remained at large ever since.

In 2009, DNA technology had advanced far enough that Dallas Police reopened the case. Testing was completed on swabs from the autopsy, and an unknown male DNA profile was identified but never matched to a specific suspect. The case went cold again.

In 2018, Dallas Police Cold Case Homicide Detective Noe Camacho reopened the case and worked with the Dallas County DA Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) team on new types of forensic testing techniques. In 2020, the FBI joined the investigation task force.

The case was submitted for forensic genetic genealogy analysis (FGG), the same technology used to catch The Golden State Killer. Through FGG, Morgan of Dallas was identified as the suspect. This week, DNA testing confirmed he matched the unidentified profile from the swab taken in the 1984 autopsy.

Edward Morgan faces one count of capital murder and is being held in the Dallas County Jail.

“This case is yet another example of the incredible collaborative effort between the Dallas Police Department, the FBI, and the District Attorney’s SAKI Cold Case team.  Working together, we continue to solve the most difficult cold cases that Dallas has ever seen,” said Dallas County Assistant District Attorney and SAKI Chief Leighton D’Antoni. “I look forward to working with all our local law enforcement agencies to utilize the advancements in forensic testing techniques to identify, arrest, and prosecute the most dangerous predators hiding among us. We never, ever forget about these cases, our victims, and their families.”

Assistant District Attorney Leighton D’Antoni, who worked on the case, thanked law enforcement agents and investigators for their hard work.

“I especially want to highlight the fantastic work done by the FBI Dallas Violent Crimes Task Force and Dallas Police Department Detective Noe Camacho. They both spent countless hours over multiple years working diligently on what, at times, seemed like an impossible case to solve.  It is not every day we are able to solve a 38-year-old cold case capital murder. It takes a singular dedication and authentic commitment to justice to see it through. The people of Dallas are very lucky to have them helping to protect our community,” D’Antoni said.

The Dallas County District Attorney’s Office thanked D’Antoni, Investigators Tammy Goodman and Jon Wakefield, DPD Detective Noe Camacho, the FBI Dallas Violent Crimes Task Force, and the DPD CRT Team for their work as well.

AUSTIN (CBSDFW.COM) – The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) is hoping an increased reward will help them get the information they need to solve a cold case involving the 2020 murder of Andrea Stinson, of Granbury.

A reward of up to $6,000 is now being offered for information that leads to the arrest of those responsible. The usual reward amount is $3,000.

(credit: Texas Department of Public Safety)

Investigators say it was on November 15, 2020 when Stinson was found fatally shot in the shed next to the house she shared with her boyfriend in Granbury. Suspicions rose when Stinson, 31, was supposed to pick up her three young children that afternoon and failed to show up.

Stinson sometimes went by the name of Andrea Brinlee. Officials say her boyfriend, and other friends and family members, have cooperated with law enforcement.

Police say they are still looking for leads in the case and that no one has been excluded as a suspect.

Anyone with information regarding Stinson’s murder is asked to come forward. To be eligible for cash rewards, tipsters must provide information to authorities by calling the Crime Stoppers hotline at 800-252-TIPS (8477). All tips are anonymous. Individuals can also submit information through the Texas Rangers’ Cold Case website or by phone to the Missing Persons Hotline at 800-346-3243.