She was last seen purchasing gasoline at a convenience store a short distance from her fiances house. Report No: 85006264Victim: Cindy Heller, 23 years old Her children were with her. Carlas boyfriend at the time of her murder, Rodney McCoy, will appear on Datelines episode to talk about the night he saw his high school sweetheart for the last time. Months later, Hellers body was found nude in a pond on the TCU campus. Her body was found a few days later in a creek in southwest Dallas, stabbed to death. Report No: 81162009Victim: Nancy Bay, 23 years old Star-Telegram photo illustration of Melvin Knox. Location: 1029 E Powell Ave The officers entered the residence and observed the bodies of John and Mary Mitchell inside the house. Glen McCurley, 77, of Fort Worth, was . Police said Tuesday that McCurley is not Carla Walker was just 17 years old when she was abducted, held captive and eventually murdered. The area where he was found was an abandoned building which was known to be a hang out for transients. Sandra Bush, 21, left her southeast Fort Worth home at 6:45 p.m. without telling her family where she was going. Report No: 80327562Victim: Lorane Larkin, 50 years old On January 2, 1984, two males who were hunting found her body in the 4800 block of Decatur Road in Fort Worth. All rights reserved. When he entered the residence he found the victim deceased on the living room floor. On August 17, 1983, Mary Till went out on a date. Our law enforcers see death and evil everyday and sometimes that numbs them to actual or possible facts. When asked how he felt after the trial, Jim Walker said, Peaceful. Report No: 80224293Victim: Denise Lynn Hough, 20 year-old white female Location: 2001 Aden Rd On June 13, 1994, Robert Freeman was at a pay telephone in front of Julies Food Mart at 4621 Miller Avenue when he was shot and killed during an apparent robbery. His is the 113th cold case cleared since the department began increasing efforts in 2002 to reinvestigate unsolved . Nancy Bay worked at the Tempo Club. "It's one thing to work toward a goal and it's another to achieve it and this was a huge goal. Even if its not true closure, its a sense of closure., The most challenging aspect of their podcast was finding someone who knew the victim. In the picture, he said with a self-deprecating grin, My hair was dark. He pointed to his hair now almost completely white then, without as much bitterness as I would have thought, added, Its taken a toll.. It was later determined that the same firearm was used in both crimes. With a new, more aggressive attorney, Palazzolo hopes to go on the offensive and try to prove that district personnel repeatedly lied under oath about an attendance audit from the U.S. Department of Education at the first trial and that School Board President Jackson was implicated in that perjury charge. She died as a result of blunt force trauma. Report No: 94298004Victim: Eduardo Lopez, 18 years old The team believed Brown went unnoticed in 1985 because of his race. Sometimes it takes eyes and interests other than the law enforcement to make connections. Three journalists have teamed together to analyze the abduction and murder of seven young women in the mid-1980s. The officers entered the residence and found the body of George Shelby in the residence. The medical examiner also ruled that the killer injected her with morphine. On Feb. 16, 1974, McCoy and Carla attended the Western Hills High School Valentines Day Dance a night that should have been a quintessential teenage memory. There are a couple of others but, you know, at some point, we had to cut it off and say we can only really fully investigate this many cases and still make it understandable for our listeners., In 1985, Karin said, the Fort Worth Police Department opened a task force because there were so many murders and abductions happening of women that they needed a team of at least 35 investigators to focus on these cases.. What a great service yall provided for young (and even older) women in the TX community. Since 1994, Fort Worth Weekly has provided a vibrant alternative to North Texas often-timid mainstream media outlets by offering incisive, irreverent reportage that keeps readers well informed and the powers-that-be worried. Location: 4300 Carey According to the investigative journalist, the physical characteristics of the victims widened across a spectrum, varying in hair color, height, and even race. A little bit of shock, excitement, a little bit of fear," said Det. That changed on Aug. 24, the day after Tarrant County prosecutors showed footage of McCurleys interview with detectives Wagner and Bennett, in which he confessed to killing the 17-year-old. On March 30, 1985, patrol officers responded to the field at 2300 Cobb and found the body of Mary Taylor. No, she allegedly said, right away. We believe throughout the course of our podcasts and our investigation that its very likely that one man committed at least seven of the murders, Gary said. Punch in their information and see where they are. Report No: 85420666Victim: Rodney Rogers, 48 year-old white male Location: 1603 NE 28th On February 17, 1980, Maria Sorola and her husband were working at Joe and Lupes Bar at 465 S. Main Street. ", Mittleman said the two-year-old company works exclusively with law enforcement to convert "evidence to answers.". Police said she had been beaten, raped, strangled and tortured alive for two days after her disappearance. Before leaving the newspaper industry, Karin and Hughes were former reporters for the Dallas Morning News. Next month, the date for Palazzolos new trial will be set. Site by, N&D 3.1 // FWMFC, Spaceman & NTX Irish Festival. On September 27, 1980, Lorane Larkin was found deceased behind a vacant shopping center at 4800 E. Berry St. She died as a result of blunt force trauma. Location: 1300 Kuroki I didnt beat her up and all that kind of crap., He told detectives he got scared that she would tell on me., Im guilty, he says in the interview. At the time, he and the teachers coming forward were assured by both the superintendent at the time, Melody Johnson, and the districts diversity representative, Sharon Herrera, that there would be no retaliation. Later that morning, she called her workplace in Dallas and told an employee that she would be late for work. Julie Fuller and her parents had recently arrived in the United States from England. Report No: 88333359Victim: Carol Preslar, 28 years old She resided on Sanders Drive in Fort Worth. NBC 5 profiled the murder in 2017 during a series of cold case reports, Check Your Change! They found Sylvia Hynes critically injured. It was a natural transition from the military, in that 99% of what you do in the military is learn and teach others. It was later determined that she had been strangled. Report No: 85035596Victim: Zita Rogers, 70 years-old white female She died as a result of blunt force trauma. Eduardo Lopez approached the male. He has learned such new skills as how to grow hay and weld. The male directed the manager to the office, where the safe was located. Fort Worth police Detectives Leah Wagner and Jeff Bennett also spoke with NBCs Dateline for the episode. The front passenger door of the van opened and Sylvia Hynes was apparently pushed out of the vehicle, and fell on to the pavement. On November 17, 1983, Sandra Bush left her residence in her car. Six days later, on Sept. 16, police said they were notified the swabs matched the DNA found on Walker's bra. Report No: 86353704Victim: Jason Smith, 17 year-old white male At first, he claimed he saved Carla from McCoy and the two had consensual sex. A neighbor had seen the victim talking to an unknown male around midnight on Christmas Eve. The occupants of the Dodge Coronet car returned to the scene. He described the way Carla always made him smile, and how the two started dating in high school. Sandra Bush did not return to her residence. It seems they tried to destroy his reputation. Location: 1815 E Lancaster Ave Fort Worth police make arrest in Walker cold case from 1974. For the first hour of the three-hour interview, McCurley denied knowing Carla or having anything to do with her murder. Location: 6201 Dowdell On July 7, 2020, investigators collected trash from a bin in front of McCurley's residence and items from that bin were sent for analysis. Report No: 91688128Victim: Ladye Gallaher, 84 years old Report No: 84473964Victim: Kathryn Jackson, 32 years old McCurley was on the other side of the door. Nearly two months after Walker's disappearance and murder, McCurley was picked up and interviewed by detectives about the case. Mary Sorola died as a result of a gunshot wound. NBC 5 profiled the murder in 2017 during a series of cold case reports. In their podcast still , they dive into seven cold cases that span from 1983 to 1985, all closely related and occurring in North Texas. It was later determined that he died as a result of a gunshot wound to the head. On December 24, 1986, Jaime Trevizo and his friends were at a bar on North Main Street in Fort Worth. Report No: 80192785Victim: Sylvia Hynes, 27 year-old black female She had been shot in the head. Get email updates from the Fort Worth Police Department. On January 29, 1981, officers were dispatched to the Flea Market at 1815 E. Lancaster Avenue. On January 4, 1986, officers were dispatched to the residence at 1109 S. Jennings Avenue. They resided at the house at 4825 Mayfair. FORT WORTH, Texas - After nearly 40 years, a cold case has been solved.. Fort Worth police identified the man they believed killed an 11-year-old girl in June 1983. He later died at the hospital. Her body wasnt found until 1993 in a field in south Tarrant County. On October 6, 1989, patrol officers were dispatched to the residence at 2900 Rosen. The podcast focuses on finding peace of mind for those affected by the violent crimes. Location: 2204 Hurley Ave A man was arrested and charged in the 1974 killing of a Texas teenage girl after nearly 50 years of investigation and the advancement of DNA technology, police said Tuesday. On Christmas morning, 12/25/1980, Leon Scott Springfield went to the residence of his ex-wife to bring toys for the children. Her relative reported her missing. Report No: 94433192Victim: Felicita Olguin, 81 years old Report No: 82119399Victim: Thomas Orville Morison, 34 year-old white male In the video interview, McCurley told detectives he was drinking whiskey and beers that Saturday night and driving around the town. Palazzolos evaluation was changed by the district from Exceeds Expectations to Needs Improvement. As Shaw described it at the time, This is a classic tale of killing the messenger., To understand why those in power were so determined to retaliate against Palazzolo for, in their minds, damaging Arlington Heights reputation, we need to understand that, at the time, as the Weeklyreported, Principal Alexander ha[d] long been determined to avoid negative publicity about her school. She seemed obsessed with lifting the taint of the Academically Unacceptable rating the school received in 2009.. Report No: 86460840Victim: Oscar Olvera, 28 years old We try not to let that happen. Location: 200 Clinton Location: 3404 Park Ridge Location: 3000 Loving Location: 4300 Brentwood Stair Rd He felt compelled to fight for the teachers and students of Arlington Heights and present those complaints. In October, Palazzolo was sent a form email that said his profile did not move forward in the recruiting process because he had earlier resigned and explained that his current resignation code is do not rehire. Interestingly, the email contradicts contemporaneous reporting that Palazzolo was fired. After reaching out to him through the JPay systems email, there was no response. Around 10:30 p.m., an intruder broke in, raped her, and beat her to death. On October 6, 1985, officers were dispatched to 1600 Ballinger. She had been strangled. On November 18, 1983, her 1979 Chevrolet Monte Carlo was found at the bar located at 25th St and Refugio Ave. On January 2, 1984, two males who were hunting found her body in the 4800 block of Decatur Road in Fort Worth. This shows just how awful and wrongheaded this overly long vengeance crusade has been. One detective is assigned to the Cold Case Unit and investigates "cold" unsolved homicide cases on a full time basis. Report No: 96698152Victim: Monica Coleman, 22 year-old black female Location: 500 SPUR 280 On February 24, 1986, patrol officers were dispatched to 1257 E. Magnolia Avenue, on a report that there was a deceased person at that location. McCurley was the name of a possible suspect in Walker's case file. Cold Cases - 1970 to 1979 Report No: 71-A-91 Victim: Brandy Marie St. Romain, 25 year-old white female Location: 5100 Randol Mill On August 27, 1971, a construction worker found the body of Brandy St Romain lying in a drainage ditch at 5100 Randol Mill. An employee had found the body of Jerry Goodgion next to the loading dock. On November 20, 1996, Monica Coleman was found deceased at her residence: 1029 E. Powell. All of their ideas are related to criminal investigations. On April 3 of that year, according to an affidavit, he told detectives his Ruger had been stolen six weeks before, around the same time of Carlas murder. Five months after her killer was sentenced in a Fort Worth courtroom, Carla Walkers story will be featured on an episode of NBCs Dateline on Friday night. "It was a mixture of emotions. Though all the victims were young and attractive, the investigators decided that information was merely coincidental. Thirty-one years after the unsolved slaying of Lecia McGee, a key figure emerged. Location: 3604 Lipscomb The bodies of several females had been found in and around Fort Worth. She did not return to the room. Mr. Barraza then left the club. Victim's family says they forgive the suspect and are praying for his family but expect justice to be delivered. Her 1959 Pontiac sedan was found at 4500 W. Freeway. She resided about a block away. On February 18, 1992, Ginger Ross was found deceased in the living room of her residence. She never returned home. DNA evidence recovered from clothing and a bra worn by Carla Walker the night she was abducted was sent to a private lab in The Woodlands. Report No: 84518942Victim: Lacy Milton Hatchell, 31 years old But overall, I feel peaceful.. Fort Worth Police Department. She lived at the residence with a relative. We tracked where he was living at the time in relation to where the victims were taken, and he had ties to every single one of their locations in one way or another, Karin said. Sort All Cases By: Company Area | Male | Female | County | Year | Last Name Results: 13 Record (s) Found. Glen McCurley, 77, is in the Tarrant County Jail charged with the murder of Carla Walker, 17 . Peaceful., Were glad and happy, and I feel happy for our community, he said. Nobody paid attention to the fact that it didnt matter what race you were. Location: 2416 NE 28th St Report No: 72-A-1 After McCurley was sentenced, the courtroom was filled with people hugging one another and wiping their eyes. In September 1984, 23-year-old Catherine Davis returned to her apartment in southwest Fort Worth around midnight. Report No: 67-A-9Victim: Mildred May She majored in investigative reporting at the University of Missouri-Columbia and has a passion for bringing readers in-depth, complex stories on injustices. On June 12, 1980, officers were dispatched to 1800 E. Lancaster Avenue. Since the MCSO created the unit back in late 2017, they've resolved 14 cold cases from 1955 to 2012: 13 of them they believe are murders, and one they've ruled a drug overdose. Location: 1000 North Freeway Report No: 94402964Victim: Curtis Roberson, 24 years old An arrest has been made in a Fort Worth cold case that went unsolved for nearly half a century. When I heard that, I asked Palazzolo how he has been able to persevere for more than a decade at his quest to regain his position and to get what is justly coming to him despite the districts stonewalling. If you have information on an unsolved homicide case or need assistance in this area, please contact Detective Leah Wagner at 817-392-4307, Detective John Galloway at 817-392-4336, or Detective Jeff Bennett at 817-392-4308. Thank you for your keen work. Cold Case: Who Tortured, Raped and Killed Carla Walker? Police saw that there had been a struggle there and began searching for her. Davis body was found less than seven miles from her apartment. Texas Rangers Top 12 Cold Case Investigations Generally, cases are solved when the offender has been arrested and turned over to the court for prosecution. Lorane Larkin was reported missing on August 25, 1980. NBC 5 learned on Tuesday that DNA evidence recovered from clothing and a bra worn by Walker on the night she was killed was sent to Othram, a private lab in The Woodlands which uncovers genetic identities "through DNA, rootless hair and decades-old bones." She had been bound and strangled. Also, he has picked up how to breed, raise, and work cattle. Incredible., After Palazzolo made a formal complaint to the Texas Education Agency (TEA), which oversees primary and secondary education, and the Weeklypublished an expose (Powder Keg at Arlington Heights High, Aug. 11, 2010), the retaliation intensified. The officers found the body of Lester Cole lying in the parking lot, in front of his 1978 Chevrolet El Camino. She died as a result of a gunshot wound. Location: 3900 Samson Park I remembered reading about his case in 2010, but when faced with more than a decade of information, I knew I had to look deeper. When it was all laid out, said the then-head of the United Educators Association, a local group that represents educational employees, I thought this guy had gotten a really raw deal, so we agreed that the right thing to do was to work to get him his job back. We want to note that African American serial killers are not rare, Karin said. It was later determined that she had been strangled. Going through the Weeklys search engine, I found more than two dozen pieces over the years with such headlines as Its Official: Palazzolos Head Is on Johnsons Platter and Day Two: Joe Palazzolo V FWISD.. Fort Worth, TX Area Cold Cases Crime Map Neighborhoods Trends Analytics Cold Cases Missing Persons Daily Archive Name Marjorie Dabney Age Cause of Death Homicide Info Homicide Agency Lewisville Police Department View Source Name Baby Doe Age Cause of Death Homicide Info Homicide Agency Lewisville Police Department View Source Name Over the last four decades, police said it appears McCurley had led a relatively normal life, was married and had two children. Location: 3513 Stanley One of the complaints that really bothered him was the falsifying of attendance records. One of the things that the task force was initially looking at was the strange coincidence of how so many of these victims, including some that were not among the seven, were involved in one way or another to the fashion modeling industry. The investigation revealed that she had left the club and was supposed to go visit a friend. The district has gone to the Texas Supreme Court twice and lost both times. I guess for what happened to that little girl.. Her 1985 Ford Mustang was missing. The caller said even though she was aware of what was going on around her, a lot of people werent because media wasnt the same then as it is now. Man accused of murder in Fort Worth cold case confesses in video interview August 23, 2021 7:45 PM Crime Here's how Fort Worth police solved the Carla Walker cold case October 22, 2020 6:00 AM . The case gained renewed interest in March 2019 after detectives discovered a letter related to the murder and shared it on social media. In the first episode of still that aired in late January, the hosts discuss the murders out of chronological order. Joe Palazzolo did his job, and Fort Worth ISD fired him for that. Sylvia Hynes died at the hospital, due to trauma to the head. Wagner and Bennett worked tirelessly on Carlas case and utilized forensic genealogy and new DNA extraction technology to zero in on McCurley as Carlas killer. On February 4, 1967, a motorcyclist riding along the Trinity River found the body of Mildred May lying on the side of the levee. It was terrifying. On October 7, 1989, her car was seen traveling at 3500 Macie Avenue. Carla wore a powder blue dress and the flowered corsage McCoy had pinned to the fabric. The van and its occupants fled the scene. If somebody is hunting young, attractive women in this area, odds are pretty good that they may have been involved in modeling in some way or another in the mid-1980s, Karin said. The episode airs at 8 p.m. Central time. The Fort Worth Police Department's backlog tops more than 1,000 open cold cases, according to a department records officer. Rose Fromer was the owner of the night club. Some males armed with guns entered the shop and, during the course of a robbery, shot and killed Curtis Roberson. The trios research revealed that during the mid-1980s, six serial killers were operating in North Texas. Here she was, thrilled she might be able to reel in an overqualified candidate at the same time Fort Worth ISD was hemorrhaging teacher and administrator positions. PLEASE ask them to do a report on the Austin Yogurt Shop Murders. She did not return to her residence, where she lived with her husband. Fort Worth's cold case police detective Jeff Bennett . She lived alone in the apartment. Location: 1109 S Jennings Ave They could only identify the ones that they were able to link through DNA or confessions.. When they looked inside the purses, officials found the womans ID, so they went to her apartment. McCurley was one of those buyers. She had been strangled. She died as a result of a gunshot wound. When they checked in on him again on February 5, the journalists were shocked to discover that he had died the previous week. Report No: 91528811Victim: Kevin Hood, 22 years old The judge sentenced him immediately and the trial ended. If you dont expect them to go to class, [and] youre not going to do anything to make sure they go to class, his voice then trailed off. Never. Report No: 84211918 Victim: Manuel Vargas Soto, 22 years old Location: 1416 N Main St On June 3rd, 1984, Manuel Soto was inside the bar located at 1416 N. Main Street. She had been shot in the chest. "The word that came across my brain was 'finally,' after 46 years, five months and three days, we have a name, a face and are working toward a complete resolution," said Jim Walker. " Report No: 95660124 Victim: Jackie Myers, 32 years old Location: 6509 Plaza Parkway On December 9, 1995, Jackie Myers called 9-1-1 from his apartment at 6509 Plaza Parkway, and stated that he had been stabbed. In her spare time, she fosters kittens and drinks too much coffee. Five months later, her body was found in a field not far from her car. An arrest has been made in a Fort Worth cold case that went unsolved for nearly half a century.. Police said 77-year-old Glen Samuel McCurley was in custody Tuesday in connection with the 1974 . The officers found the body of Jason Smith lying in the parking lot behind the Owens Sausage business. Larry Shaw felt compelled to defend Palazzolo. After the dance, Carla and McCoy parked in the Ridglea Bowl parking lot so she could use the bathroom. It was determined that she died as a result of a gunshot wound to the chest. There was no social media, so news wasnt immediately distributed. On September 27, 1986, Oscar Olvera was found deceased on the street at 1100 W. Northside Drive. NBC 5s Scott Gordon reports how it used to develop a full DNA profile of a potential suspect. Report No: 86609341Victim: Jaime Trevizo, 25 years old A male ran up to the drivers side of the truck and fired several times toward the truck, shooting and killing Richard Hutchinson. For three years after he was fired, he had tried to land a position at other area school districts. North Texas' Black high school football coaches are making history. The sixth victim who was analyzed was 15-year-old Sarah Kashka in late December of 1984. It was later detemined that he had been stabbed in the chest. Report No: 85126017Victim: Mary Taylor, 36 year-old black female About this group We are a group of armchair detectives who like to discuss, research and investigate true crime here in Ft Worth, Possibly giving help to Law Enforcement in solving and support and closure to the friends and families of the 960 + cold cases here. Then she explained that the district is short on administrators and teachers. On February 3, 1995, Ruth Kearns was found deceased near a lot behind a vacant house at 2700 E. Vickery Blvd. He is a straight-arrow guy, a retired military man who did exactly what he was told to do by the district and got demoted for it. Those in charge dont want bad publicity or the truth to come out. Report No: 84419922Victim: Marilyn Hartman, 29 years old A very intriguing article. She resided on Sanders Drive in Fort Worth. She couldnt believe that after 35 years, somebody still cares about her sisters death.. After incarceration, Brown was linked to additional murders. McCurley pointed the pistol at McCoy and pulled the trigger three times. Location: 4800 E Berry St The male then placed the manager in a storage freezer, and fled the scene. She died as a result of gunshot wounds. She had been strangled. We appreciate the story getting out because our work and our goal is better served the more listeners that we have., We need listeners to get involved, Karin added. The lab, Othram near Houston, uses advanced technology that can test tiny samples of DNA and come up with a full genetic profile of the suspect, said Othram's founder David Mittleman. I recall hearing about it, she said, particularly the TCU homicide, and how girls that were going to college were being very careful, especially in parking lots at night, but it didnt stop me from going to nightclubs and hanging out with my friends.. Police believe the two were neighborhood friends, and Rodgers was found dead in the Knox's family home. Investigators said the abductor snatched the young woman from the passenger seat of her boyfriend's car in a bowling alley parking lot. Location: 7405 Meadowcrest Location: 3700 Craven He also credits living on his small ranch with helping him keep his sanity. A Marlboro cigarette butt. She never showed up for work. On March 19, 1992, officers were dispatched to 6001 E. Berry Street. Patrol officers responded to the scene and found Mr. Myers in the apartment. Cold Cases - 1960 to 1969 Report No: 67-A-9 Victim: Mildred May Location: 1000 North Freeway On February 4, 1967, a motorcyclist riding along the Trinity River found the body of Mildred May lying on the side of the levee. Regardless of the districts obsessive retaliation and false allegations, Palazzolo was awarded $2.4 million by a jury in 2014 for wrongful termination. The second murder took place in November of the same year. We saw newspaper reports where police had identified him as the primary suspect. The process cost tens of thousands of dollars, and Wagner and Bennett coordinated funds for the testing themselves through donations from the producers of The DNA of Murder, who ran an episode about Carla on the Oxygen show. Report No: 84001949Victim: Sandra Bush, 21 years old Trying to defame him, they levied inflammatory but spurious charges against him falsifying his initial application, violating district policy, creating a hostile work environment, violating the teachers code of ethics, and, worst of all, inappropriate touching of a student. He later died at the hospital, as a result of blunt force injuries. The investigation showed that Lester Cole worked at the Snack Bar, which was near where his body was found. She died as a result of blunt force trauma. So, a group of amateur sleuths wants to put their heads together to help find new leads. Location: 4700 Poppy Drive East Francisco Puentes died as a result of gunshot wounds.