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

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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

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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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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Cold-Case Team, FBI Agents Secure Arrest in 2001 Cold-Case Homicide

The Cold Case Team had a confirmation with a match from the victim's DNA and crime-scene evidence. March 17, 2020 CHINO HILLS – A long-ago mystery into the death of a pregnant female dumped onto the roadway in 2001 came to the fore during the collaboration of Homicide Cold Case Detectives and agents from the FBI Forensic Genetic Genealogy Team. Fir...

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1844 Hits

Dallas Police Issue Reprimands, Suspensions for 23 Former Vice Officers

Detectives failed in 25 instances to place cash evidence or property into the property room by the end of their tour. January 29, 2020 Dallas Chief of Police U. Renee Hall disciplined nearly two dozen former vice officers Wednesday for mishandling department money used in gambling operations and for not delivering evidence in those cases to the pro...

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Dallas Police Issue Reprimands, Suspensions for 23 Former Vice Officers

Not delivering evidence in those cases to the property room. Enter Article DATE HERE Dallas Chief of Police U. Renee Hall disciplined nearly two dozen former vice officers Wednesday for mishandling department money used in gambling operations and for not delivering evidence in those cases to the property room. The investigation into suspected ...

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1165 Hits

DNA Used to Solve Decades-Old Cold Case Murder of 11-Year-Old Julie Fuller

Victim, family were staying in an Arlington hotel after recently moving to North Texas from England December 14, 2019 Fort Worth police say they've solved the decades-old cold case murder of an 11-year-old girl using DNA phenotyping. On June 27, 1983, Julie Fuller was reported missing after she'd gone to take out the trash at the Kensington Motel i...

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Grand jury indicts 60-year-old man in 1988 cold case murder of woman

DNA evidence from Jacobs' clothing that could finally be processed using modern technology,  August 30, 2019 JEFFERSON COUNTY — DEVELOPING: The Jefferson County grand jury has indicted Daniel Andrew MacGinnis, 60, for the 1988 murder of Patricia Ann Jacobs. Her body was discovered in October, 1988 in the Neches River beneath the Rainbow Bridge...

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Women Are Suing Austin, Travis County For Failing To Prosecute Sexual Assault

A class action lawsuit alleges Central Texas authorities engage in gender discrimination by failing to adequately investigate and prosecute sexual assaults. June 11, 2019 Last year, three named plaintiffs launched a class action lawsuit against the City of Austin, Travis County and several local officials, for failing to adequately investigate and ...

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Police, DA’s office react to new law targeting rape kit backlog

At that time, we submitted about 724 SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners) kits," Breedlove told KRIS 6 News. "All but about two hundred of those kits have been analyzed by DPS." June 08, 2019 Thousands of rape kits across Texas, including some that have been sitting on shelves for years, remain untested. Thanks to a new law recently signed by Gove...

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Former Jasper ofc. indicted for burglarizing evidence room in Kirbyville, taking marijuana

The indictment states Brister is accused of stealing marijuana from the evidence storage room. Enter Article DATE HERE JASPER COUNTY — The Jasper County Grand Jury has indicted a former Jasper police officer who is accused of burglarizing the evidence storage room of the Kirbyville Police Department, where his father serves as police chief, ac...

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Pueblo West man arrested for 1994 cold case murder in Texas

More than 25 years after the crime, Pueblo County deputies arrested a suspect in a cold case murder from Texas on Thursday. March 25, 2019 PUEBLO WEST – More than 25 years after the crime, Pueblo County deputies arrested a suspect in a cold case murder from Texas on Thursday. Pueblo County Sheriff's deputies and U.S. Marshals arrested 73-year-old J...

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DNA results found in 900+ untested rape kits in Austin police backlog

Austin Police outsourced the DNA testing of the untested rape kits to labs in other states to help tackle the backlog February 22, 2019 AUSTIN, Texas (KXAN) - AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Austin Police Department could potentially reopen dozens of rape investigations after getting the results from its backlog of 2,665 untested rape kits. About 35 percent o...

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Ex-sergeant arrested in Alamo over glasses, again

Ray Bans that had been placed in the evidence property room. January 10, 2019 ALAMO — A former police sergeant here was arrested Tuesday over a pair of Ray Bans, marking the second occasion in four months that he was placed under arrest over the glasses. Rodney Guerra, 45, was arrested on a third-degree felony charge of tampering with evidence and ...

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40775 Hits

Fired Merkel police chief arrested for Tampering with Evidence


Court documents state Chief Ortiz stole $867 seized during a drug investigation from the evidence vault. Enter Article DATE HERE MERKEL, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) - The Merkel Police Chief under investigation for mishandling money has been arrested. Chris Ortiz self-surrendered in Callahan County Thursday morning for a Tampering with Physical Evidence...

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2192 Hits

Audit underway for BCSO property room


Salazar said the last time the property room had been thoroughly audited was in 1997. October 12, 2018 SAN ANTONIO - The results aren't in yet but changes are on the way. That's what Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said about an audit of the property room at the Sheriff's Office that started last year and covers cases going back to 2014. The sc...

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1654 Hits

Ex-Edcouch cop accused in elaborate drug heist gets 39 months


A former police lieutenant with the Edcouch Police Department accused of staging a drug seizure in order to steal cocaine from the agency's evidence room October 4, 2018 McALLEN — A former police lieutenant with the Edcouch Police Department accused of staging a drug seizure in order to steal cocaine from the agency's evidence room was sentenced Tu...

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80-year-old man charged in cold case murder from 1969


Investigators said Burton's body was found in a vacant field over 48 years ago August 20 2018 HOUSTON – An 80-year-old man has been charged in connection with cold case involving the fatal shooting of a woman in 1969. The Houston Police Department says Ralph Tyrone Cooper, 80, is charged with murder in the death of his common-law wife, Mary An...

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Hundreds of rape kits in Harris County could be compromised because of evidence collection problem


Records obtained by KHOU 11 Investigates confirms the cases that could be compromised date back to 2012 July 21, 2018 HOUSTON, Texas – Hundreds of rape kits in Harris County could have been compromised. This week, KHOU 11 investigates found out the Harris County District Attorney sent out letters saying there may be a problem with evidence collecte...

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Former Merkel PD Chief charged with tampering with evidence


Chief allegedly took $867 out of the evidence vault July 18, 2018 ABILENE, TX — More information about allegations against the former Merkel Chief of Police has been revealed in the latest court documents recently obtained by KXVA FOX15. The documents state that 40-year-old Christopher Ortiz, who has been the Merkel Chief of Police since 2014, know...

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HPD: Officer exposed to unknown narcotic while collecting evidence in hotel room


A Houston police officer was treated after officials say he was exposed to an unknown narcotic while collecting evidence during a disturbance at a hotel room Wednesday morning. July 12, 2018 HOUSTON – A Houston police officer was treated after officials say he was exposed to an unknown narcotic while collecting evidence during a disturbance at a ho...

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