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Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma

Forensic Genetic Genealogy does it again!


FBI's Genealogy Team IDs Suspect in 1972, 1979 Murders February 9th, 2024 In May 1972, 59-year-old Nellie Hicks, was sexually assaulted and murdered in her Newark, California home. The person responsible for Ms. Hicks' murder and assault was not identified. Seven years later in May 1979, 48-year-old Theresa Pica was sexually assaulted and murdered ...

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It is never to late for justice! Indictment in cold case.


Indictment served in double homicide cold case December 8th, 2023 Billye Brown of Abilene has been officially indicted with two counts of murder in the first degree. According to Taylor County Court documents, Brown was indicted Thursday as a suspect in the 1982 murder of his wife and stepdaughter. Grand jurors believe that Brown did "intentionally...

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Property and Evidence Technicians finally receiving some long overdue recognition!


Lubbock Texas employee awarded property and evidence technician of the year November 13th, 2023 LUBBOCK, Texas – Amanda Evans, an intake and release manager with the Lubbock Police Department was named the Property and Evidence Technician of the Year throughout the entire state of Texas on Tuesday. Evans received this award at the annual Texas Asso...

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581 Hits

A comprehensive audit provides a path to fixing problems.


Progress continues in Santa Fe police evidence room, but annual audits and policy overhauls lacking Ocotber 25th, 2023 Santa Fe police officials and Mayor Alan Webber say the city police department has cleaned up its evidence handling procedures and has invested in improvements following a scathing report in January 2020 that found a lack of proper...

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441 Hits

Dallas police employee shot in arm after accidental discharge in property room


The employee was hospitalized with injuries that weren't considered life threatening, police said. Headline here July 30, 2023 A Dallas police employee was shot in the arm Tuesday after a gun accidentally discharged in the property room, the department confirmed. The employee, who was not named by police, was processing evidence when the shoot...

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506 Hits

Dallas Police Struggle to Access Evidence Amid Ransomware


The consequences played out Thursday in a murder trial, where a man was found guilty despite evidence being unavailable to jurors or lawyers May 20, 2023 (TNS) — Dallas police are struggling to access physical and digital evidence amid an ongoing ransomware attack that is disrupting trials, according to defense lawyers who are exasperated after mor...

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675 Hits

Fort Worth Police Fire Officer Following Investigation Into ‘Untruthfulness'


"seized it the night before but forgot to take it to the property room". April 22, 2023 Fort Worth Police say an officer is off the force after an investigation determined he was dishonest. The department released a statement Friday saying Officer Cody Atkinson had been terminated following an internal administrative investigation "into several inc...

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699 Hits

Dallas police may be violating evidence laws with 52,000 improperly stored digital files


Police said the records may include digital evidence for court cases, which could mean that information wasn't provided to lawyers as required by state law. February 24, 2023 Dallas police are at risk of being in violation of evidence laws after officers improperly stored more than 52,000 digital records, according to interviews and internal commun...

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618 Hits

Houston police chief declares gun 'buyback' successful after receiving over 800 weapons


Residents could exchange their guns for gift cards at the event,  Enter Article DATE HERE The Houston, Texas police chief is declaring the city's gun buyback program hosted on July 30 a success. Residents could exchange their guns for gift cards at the event, which was hosted at Wheeler Ave. Baptist Church, according to FOX 26. Sylvester ...

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719 Hits

Schertz police mistakenly destroy evidence for over 1,000 cases in San Antonio-area counties


Sixty percent of evidence was within the statute of limitations July 14, 2022 The Schertz Police Department made a crucial error this week. The error resulted in the destruction of evidence that impacted over 1,000 cases in three different counties. On Tuesday, July 12, the Schertz Police Department released a statement informing the public about a...

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701 Hits

APD running out of space for seized guns in evidence room


"I was asked to basically restart this program of destroying the firearms, because we had thousands of firearms in our evidence room, and we were running out of space to store more based on the number of guns being seized by the department," he said. Enter Article DATE HERE Sergeant William Flannery with the Austin Police Department's (APD) fi...

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962 Hits

OSBI: Missing drugs lead to arrest of Weatherford detective


The OSBI was requested Sept. 9, 2021, when a substantial quantity of drugs, namely Fentanyl, was discovered missing from the evidence room of the Weatherford Police Department. April 20, 2022 WEATHERFORD, Okla. (KFOR) – The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation says a Weatherford Police Department detective is facing charges following an investiga...

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1060 Hits

Burglar busted thanks to Cheeto dust on her teeth: cops


Evidence Fun March 5, 2022 She was caught orange-handed! A woman was busted for a home invasion in Oklahoma — thanks in part to "Cheeto dust" found in her teeth, authorities allege. Sharon Carr was arrested on a first-degree burglary charge after allegedly committed the dangerously cheesy act Friday at a home in Tulsa, police said. Cops say they ar...

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1389 Hits

Texas seized enough fentanyl to kill 200 million people this year alone, officials say

According to new data provided by the Texas DPS on Thursday, Operation Lone Star has seized 160 pounds of fentanyl within its targeted area.  December 10, 2021 The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) announced Thursday that in this year alone they have seized enough fentanyl crossing the border to kill 200 million people. The drug seizures...

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874 Hits

1 of 2 suspects involved in theft of nearly 400 catalytic converters in northeast Houston due in court Friday, authorities say

Officers  seized as many as 400 catalytic converters  August 1, 2021 HOUSTON – One of the suspects police said was involved in the theft of nearly 400 catalytic converters is due in court Friday. Houston police officers said two men seized as many as 400 catalytic converters in northeast Houston Wednesday night. Police arrested two men in...

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698 Hits

The City of Dallas discovered more police evidence is missing. Here’s what we know

City officials discovered an additional 15 terabytes of missing Dallas police evidence and files from the city secretary's office during its ongoing audit of a massive data deletion that occurred in April, a city spokeswoman said Monday.  August 31, 2021  City officials discovered an additional 15 terabytes of Dallas police evidence and f...

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1534 Hits

Dallas Police Revise Policy After Accidentally Deleting Data

A police employee accidentally deleted 22 terabytes of case files when trying to migrate data between servers. August 22, 2021 In Dallas, at least one murder trial has been delayed after a police employee accidentally destroyed 8 terabytes of digital case files and materials during a routine data migration process gone wrong. A Dallas Police Depart...

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997 Hits

Former Cyril police chief facing charges Alvin Pickens III

Investigators said Pickens confessed to taking it from the evidence room and then bought the speaker back from the store. August 5, 2021 CYRIL, Okla. (KSWO) -The former chief of police in Cyril is facing charges, accused of taking confiscated items. Alvin Pickens III is charged with knowingly concealing stolen property and two counts of petit larce...

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1165 Hits

Dallas murder suspect to be released from jail while city determines if it lost evidence

Jonathan Pitts is the first defendant known to be impacted by the city's loss of police department data. August 14, 2021 Update 6:30 p.m.: This story was updated with additional details about how this could impact other court cases, a statement from Dallas police and to reflect that Pitts remained jailed. A murder suspect scheduled to go on trial t...

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1106 Hits

A Guide to Fentanyl Touch Overdoses, Which Do Not Exist

False police reports of secondhand fentanyl overdose are remarkably consistent. Enter Article DATE HERE Once as a paramedic student, I accidentally sprayed fentanyl in my face. It was my first time administering the medication, and a patient with a broken ankle was lying on the gurney in front of me, tensed uncomfortably, when the ambulance hi...

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1166 Hits

Judge dismisses case after DA's office says critical evidence missing


Defense attorney who said his client was unlawfully indicted, spent unnecessary time in jail and was negatively impacted by a missing videotape  July 31, 2021 LAS CRUCES - A judge dismissed a case against a man accused of beating, robbing and attempting to sexually assault a massage parlor worker. The case was dismissed without prejudice, mean...

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991 Hits

Locust Grove police chief admits to stealing drugs, weapons from evidence room

Williams later admitted to stealing and ingesting methamphetamine from the evidence room of the Locust Grove Police Department JUNE 22, 2021 LOCUST GROVE, Okla. — The Locust Grove police chief is now facing charges after being arrested, accused of stealing various items from the police department. Police Chief Charles Williams, 47, was arrested Fri...

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1237 Hits

Man charged in cold-case murder of Mitchell County teen

A search warrant was obtained to collect Adkins' DNA, which led to his arrest in connection to Dunn's murder. June 18, 2021 MITCHELL COUNTY, Texas -- A man has been charged in the murder of Mitchell County teen Hailey Dunn -- over 10 years after she was last seen alive. Shawn Casey Adkins, 35, of Big Spring, TX , was arrested Monday and charge...

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1019 Hits

50 kilos of the drug have washed ashore this week in Matagorda County

Sheriff's Department report that 50 Kilos of what is thought to be cocaine have been found washed up on the beaches  May 31, 2021 MATAGORDA COUNTY, TX – The Matagorda County Sheriff's Department report that 50 Kilos of what is thought to be cocaine have been found washed up on the beaches of Matagorda County over the past several days. The She...

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794 Hits

Arrest made in 1983 cold case murder in Montgomery County

38 years later to the day, and collected a known DNA sample from Darnell. May 19, 2021 MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas – An arrest has been made in a decades-long cold case of a Houston woman who was found dead in 1983 in Montgomery County, according to the Sheriff's Office. On March 17, 1983, a deputy who was patrolling in the 4000 block of Interstate 45...

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1226 Hits

Coconino County Sheriff's Office Arizona man charged in connection with cold case rape in Cedar City thanks to familial DNA

The big break in the case came when police in Arizona used familial DNA testing to identify a possible suspect in a rape case in Flagstaff that investigators believed was committed by the same man nine months earlier. May 4, 2021 CEDAR CITY — The Iron County Attorney's Office has filed charges in a nearly 17-year-old cold case rape investigati...

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1343 Hits

Former Beverly Hills police chief indicted, arrested on theft charge

A grand jury indicted Schmidt on charges that he stole money and firearms from the Beverly Hills Police Department  May 11, 2021 Former Beverly Hills Police Chief Thomas Eugene Schmidt was arrested Monday morning by Texas Rangers on a charge of theft by a public servant. According to an indictment unsealed Monday, a grand jury indicted Schmidt...

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1312 Hits

Albuquerque's rape kit backlog cleared

Years ago, an audit revealed more than 5,400 rape kits statewide were untested May 2, 2021 ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.- Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller announced Friday that the city cleared it's decades-old rape kit backlog. Keller said the backlog was actually cleared in March 2020. "I remember it was during COVID when we sent the last one out," Keller said. ...

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979 Hits

San Angelo Police make arrest in 2008 cold case murder of Jordan Holden

DNA evidence has led to the arrest of a Katy man in connection to a 2008 San Angelo cold case April 27, 2021 SAN ANGELO — DNA evidence has led to the arrest of a Katy man in connection to a 2008 San Angelo cold case, according to a police news release. Just before 3 p.m. Tuesday, April 27, 2021, police announced an arrest had been made in the shoot...

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1145 Hits

A Happy Ending: Reuniting Missing Property With Its Rightful Owner

The college ring was found in a purse about the be destroyed in the Lancaster PD property room  APRIL 22, 2021 With two people; one a Lieutenant, the other a civilian and, a mound of property that ranges from drugs, to money, to clothes to sometimes, valuable items that could easily get lost in the mix, if a human touch isn't applied then prop...

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839 Hits

Dallas Sheriff’s Clerk Supervisor Umeka T. Myers Arrested After Allegedly Stealing From Evidence Vault


The Dallas County Sheriff's Office has arrested one of their own, clerical supervisor Umeka T. Myers for theft. April  7, 2021 DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – The Dallas County Sheriff's Office has arrested one of their own, clerical supervisor Umeka T. Myers for theft. Umeka T. Myers (credit: Dallas County Sheriff's Office) "Accountability is a core va...

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1733 Hits

Santa Fe police evidence room upgraded after scathing report

The changes were spurred by a scathing report released last year that outlined issues with the police department's evidence handling policies and procedures. March 3, 2021 Mar. 4—The Santa Fe Police Department has finished upgrading and replacing locks and keys in its evidence storage area and purchased a bar-coding system for evidence management, ...

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1195 Hits

Texas has the tools to end the rape kit backlog. Let’s use them.

The rape kits collecting dust in Texas labs represent unidentified criminals that could be named and prosecuted, even halting repeat rapists February 6, 2021 That's the number of untested rape kits in Texas, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety, and more than 1,000 of them sit on lab shelves in Dallas. Each kit holds unique DNA eviden...

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1634 Hits

Want your wallet back when you get out of jail? San Antonio wants $25 for holding it


"You're preying on poor people's lives," said Laquita Garcia, a San Antonio-based bail reform advocate" December 29, 2021 The San Antonio Police Department charges a $25 fee for prisoners to get their own property returned to them after leaving jail. Police Chief William McManus supports the $25 fee as a simple way to defray some of the costs of st...

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1403 Hits

GCSO wants to reunite weapons with lawful owners

Burglary and other victims would come in seeking their property and would have to be told it couldn't be found November 5, 2020 The Greenlee County Sheriff's Office needs your help. The GCSO has more than 300 firearms in evidence lockers that need to be returned to their rightful owners, but the agency doesn't have a list of gun owners to tie the g...

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930 Hits

San Juan County's biggest pot bust 'only a fraction' of growing on Navajo Nation

Police seized 2,000 pounds of suspected marijuana, with an estimated street value of $2.8 million November 2, 2020 ARMINGTON Three weeks ago, Farmington police and San Juan County sheriff's deputies got a tip about a man moving a truckload of marijuana into a budget motel on the west side of town. When they began knocking on doors at the Travel Inn...

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1011 Hits

Texas Sheriff Charged With Destroying Evidence In Officer-Related Death

Williamson County grand jury indictment accuses Chody of intentionally destroying or concealing video and audio recordings of the fatal encounter, which was filmed for the television show Live PD. September 30, 2020 A Texas sheriff has been indicted on felony charges of tampering with evidence in the case of Javier Ambler, a Black man who was kille...

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1563 Hits

Suspect Arrested in 1974 Cold Case Murder of Carla Walker; Was ‘Random Attack': Police

DNA profile was then used to narrow the search to three brothers with the last name McCurley. Enter Article DATE HERE September 22, 2020 Suspect was a person of interest in the 1974 slaying but detectives said there wasn't enough evidence to tie him to the case 46 years ago.Texas company used a new forensic process to create a full DNA profile...

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1543 Hits

CBP officers confiscate over a million dollars worth of drugs

Federal agents seized over a million dollars worth of meth during three separate drug smuggling attempts September 10, 2020 LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) -Federal agents seized over a million dollars of drugs during three separate incidents at the start of the month. The first incident happened on August 31st when officers at the World Trade Bridge referred ...

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1124 Hits

Arrest Made in 17-Year-Old Lubbock County Cold Case


A recent alert in CODIS — the Combined DNA Index System — led the Texas Rangers and the Lubbock County Sheriff's Office to focus their attention on Castillo September 8, 2020 CrimeLatest News Arrest Made in 17-Year-Old Lubbock County Cold Case September 8, 2020 After more than 17 years, a man is facing charges in the 2003 slaying of a 21-year-old L...

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1312 Hits

Oklahoma police officer collapses, given overdose-reversal drug Narcan after fentanyl exposure

The Bartlesville police officer was packaging methamphetamine found during a Friday traffic stop when he became unresponsive. March 10, 2020 An Oklahoma police officer was administered a life-saving overdose drug after he was exposed to fentanyl last week, authorities said. The Bartlesville police officer was packaging methamphetamine found during ...

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1108 Hits

Clifton PD returns U.S. Navy Captain's sword seized in 2008 as a result of an arrest


During the audit, numerous items of stored evidence were able to be disposed of or returned to the owner. September 1, 2020 CLIFTON, TX — An audit of the Clifton Police Department evidence room lead to the return of a sword that was seized in 2008 as a result of an arrest. The department says the audit was conducted recently. During the audit, nume...

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1359 Hits

Doña Ana County Sheriff: 'We can't even speculate about a motive' in former deputy's evidence-hoarding case


72 pieces of case evidence found in a former deputy's foreclosed house was a failure of leadership. AUGUST 1, 2020 LAS CRUCES — At a press conference Friday at the County Commission Chambers in Las Cruces, Doña Ana County Sheriff Kim Stewart said the 72 pieces of case evidence found in a former deputy's foreclosed house was a failure of leadership....

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1331 Hits

Former Doña Ana County deputy accused of hoarding evidence from unsolved sex crimes in his garage

Lopez is alleged to have failed to turn in 72 pieces of evidence from the nine unsolved sex crimes involving adults and children that he investigated while serving as a deputy and detective from 2003 to 2014. August 1, 2020 LAS CRUCES, New Mexico -- A former Doña Ana County Sheriff's deputy faces multiple felony charges after officials confirmed Fr...

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1200 Hits

Arizona Man Originally Suspected in 1978 Cold Case Murder and Sexual Assault Arrested 42 Years Later

All evidence related to the crimes had been preserved by detectives and was stored in the department's property room  April 12, 2020 An Arizona man has been arrested on murder and sexual assault charges more than four decades after police discovered the two victims in the back of a pick-up truck. Glenn Williams, now 62, was the original suspec...

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1113 Hits

Roosevelt County deputy accused of stealing evidence

  The sheriff says he was made aware of about $8,000 of cash missing from the evidence vault July 15,2020 NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – A Roosevelt County deputy has been fired and charged amid allegations he stole evidence. The sheriff says he was made aware of about $8,000 of cash missing from the evidence vault back in January of 2019. The sheriff as...

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1038 Hits

Former mayor of Achille headed to prison this week

Arrested for stealing guns, drugs and cash from the police department's evidence room. July 12, 2020 "Drugs will lead you to one of two places either the graveyard or prison, and my life is a definite testament to that," Northcutt said. Northcutt will head to a federal prison in Texarkana Thursday to begin his two year prison sentence. Back in Nove...

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1152 Hits

Deaths caused by fake pills continue to climb in Oklahoma, with links to North Texas

The fake pills are nothing new to local, state, or federal authorities from California to Florida. June 25, 2020 Oklahoma authorities voiced concern Wednesday that overdoses and deaths linked to fake prescription pills continue to increase throughout the state. And, some investigations have led Oklahoma authorities into North Texas. As of May, six ...

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1206 Hits

4 years after being charged with evidence theft, former Havasu cop remains at large

May be in the Boston area, sources say.  June 12, 2012 It has been four years since felony charges were brought against a former Lake Havasu City police detective accused of stealing drug evidence in multiple criminal cases from his own department. He now remains a wanted man, and authorities believe he is in the Boston area. According to inve...

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1979 Hits

SF man allegedly stole truck, guns from BIA (Bureau of Indian Affairs)

He also allegedly stole a dozen firearms from the BIA Office of Justice Services in Nambé June 9, 2020 SANTA FE – Derek Nicholas Padilla had himself a busy month. According to online court records, Padilla has been charged in nine separate cases in Santa Fe magistrate and District Court since May 4 – mostly for vehicle theft, but also for breaking ...

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