Behind the curtain of Fort Worth's cold case unit
Fort Worth has approximately 1,000 unsolved homicide cases dating back to the 1950s. Each case has a folder, which is filed by date. These files wrap around a storage room at the Fort Worth Police Department — the “cold case” room.
Each folder is a person whose killer was never brought to justice. Each person has a family that never got answers.
Many cases may never be solved, but through the years, FWPD has continued tirelessly working by utilizing the most current technology that has transformed investigating procedures.
According to the Texas Attorney General’s office and FWPD, as of 2020, there were over 270,000 unsolved homicides in the United States, about 20,000 unsolved homicides in the state of Texas, and approximately 1,000 in Fort Worth.
This map displays 20 local cold cases — just 2% of cold cases in Fort Worth:
Determining a case has gone "cold"
So, how does a case become "cold"? When a homicide occurs in Fort Worth, it gets assigned to an active homicide detective in FWPD. Active homicide detectives do everything in their power to solve the case. While they are often successful, sometimes cases can not be solved at that time for a variety of reasons.
However, the case file never leaves the detective’s desk: it will stay there to be worked on for the entirety of their career. It is when the active homicide detective retires when the case is determined “cold” and gets moved to the Cold Case department.
Cold case detective Leah Wagner said, “They either retire, promote out or they leave the unit and go somewhere else. Until that happens, that case stays with them. Once one of those three things happens, then it goes to the cold case unit.”
There is one Cold Case detective. One detective to work on the hundreds of unsolved homicide cases in Fort Worth.
How do you pick what to work on?
Where do you begin? Of the hundreds of cases, which one does a detective choose to work on? Detective Wagner said there are a few factors that could determine which case she spends time on.
- New information/ phone calls: A person may call FWPD and offer a tip or some new information that would prompt Detective Wagner to revisit a case. These calls are made from community members and family members who are determined to have justice for their loved one.
- Abundance of evidence: Detective Wagner said, “If there's a case that I go through, and I realize there is a lot of evidence, I can use this evidence to then do testing.”
A few cases have been pursued not because of these reasons, but because it caught the attention of TV shows that wanted to run a special on the case. One example is the 1974 Carla Walker case. “The DNA of Murder with Paul Holes” provided funds to test more evidence in Carla’s case.
The development of technology
Cold cases in Fort Worth date back to the 1950s. According to former Fort Worth cold case detective Mike McCormack, there was an especially large spike in homicide cases in the 1980s. This is because of the lack of technology at the time. For decades, detectives have used methods such as serology (blood) testing, hair testing and fingerprinting; but those tests don't always lead to a specific person.
However, times have changed, and cases that have remained unsolved for decades are now being solved all over the world. This is because of new technology developments, specifically DNA and genealogy testing. Here are three resources that have been used by Fort Worth police:
New technology
Photo: CODIS
Photo: CODIS
CODIS
CODIS is the acronym for the Combined DNA Index System, a national DNA database. The use of CODIS is widespread and has become a common step in the process of solving cases. According to the FBI, the match of the forensic DNA record against the DNA record in the database (CODIS) may be used to establish probable cause to obtain an evidentiary DNA sample from the suspect. After determining probable cause, detectives can issue a warrant to collect DNA from the suspect.
Photo: FWPD
Photo: FWPD
Parabon
Parabon NanoLabs, Inc. (Parabon) is a technology company that develops next-generation forensic products by using the enormous power of DNA. Something unique to Parabon's technology is the ability to determine traits of a person from a DNA sample to make a picture. According to Detective McCormack, Parabon’s advanced technology was able to make a picture of a probable suspect from foreign DNA that was left on evidence in the Julie Fuller case (1983). Eventually, James Francis McNichols was identified as a suspect in 2019. However, McNichols died in 2004.
Photo: Othram
Photo: Othram
Othram
Othram's technology enables local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies across the United States and internationally to break through previously impenetrable forensic DNA barriers and close once unsolvable cases. Othram's advanced technology is able to create DNA profiles from the smallest of traces left behind on evidence. Some of the cases Othram has worked on were solved by using a fraction of a nanogram of cells (nanogram- one billionth of a gram).
Old cases meet new technology: Carla Walker (1974)
Because of these incredible developments in technology, detectives are now able to solve crimes that were once thought to be unsolvable. Cases from decades ago are finally being brought to justice. Despite technology continuing to improve, Detective Wagner said she does not expect the rate of crime to go down.
“I think that right now we're probably in a particularly violent era of our society…I don't know when that's going to change, but I don't think that technology is going to help. Despite all the cameras and everything out there, people are still doing it,” Wagner said.
One example of how Fort Worth police are utilizing new technology to solve old cases is the 1974 case of Carla Walker.
It was February, 1974, in Fort Worth. Carla and her boyfriend Rodney spent their night at the Valentine’s dance at Western Hills High School. After the dance, Carla and Rodney were driving around and decided to stop at Ridglea Bowling Alley so Carla could use the bathroom. When she returned, they began kissing in the car when suddenly the passenger door of the car was pulled open. Someone grabbed Carla and pointed a gun at Rodney’s head. The trigger was pulled, but the gun did not go off. The perpetrator pistol-whipped Rodney, knocking him out and took Carla. When Rodney regained consciousness, he raced to Carla’s family home to deliver the devastating news, and the hunt for Carla began. Her body was found in a cattle culvert near Benbrook Lake three days later. Law enforcement did everything they could to solve this case but fell short. It went unsolved for 44 years.
In 2018, Detective Wagner and Carla’s brother, Jim Walker, spoke on the phone about revisiting the case. A TV show got involved and offered to pay for the DNA testing in exchange for running a special on the case. After police ran testing through Othram, the results eventually led to a suspect: Glen Samuel McCurley, 77.
“In 2020 we made an arrest on the case, and in 2021, it went to trial," Wagner said. "On the third day of trial, he decided to plead guilty. So he is now sitting in prison."
Carla’s story is one of tragedy but also hope that cases once thought to be unsolvable are now able to be solved.
Loved ones remember Carla Walker #Dateline pic.twitter.com/KschUibuFa
— Dateline NBC (@DatelineNBC) January 29, 2022
There is hope
“The hill is big, but we keep trucking,” Detective Wagner said. Wagner said she hopes people know that if their case isn’t progressing at a particular time, there is always a chance it will develop in the future.
“We never close our cases. All of our homicides stay open indefinitely, but they end up in a pendant status, which means it's just on hold. So, something is on hold. It does not mean closed, that means possibly later. I just hope that people understand that,” Wagner said.
The tragic reality is that the issue of unsolved crime is something that affects a significant portion of the Fort Worth community. Each case is a person with people that miss and love them. FWPD has a fixed budget, and active homicide cases will always take priority when testing. This means the remaining money can be used to test evidence in cold cases. However, FWPD has started a nonprofit / support group to solely contribute to solving cold cases. Visit their website to learn more about how to get involved.
Photo: Leah Bolling
Photo: Leah Bolling
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