Tarrant County District Attorney Phil Sorrells has launched a new task force focused on addressing unsolved homicide cases and other violent crimes.
The Cold Case Task Force, which went into effect Thursday, will use DNA technology and digital forensics to work alongside local police departments to solve cold cases, Sorrells said in a press release.
The new task force is made up of prosecutors and investigators and will collaborate with law enforcement officials as well as forensic laboratories.
“This task force isn’t simply an investigative unit,” Sorrells said. “It’s a promise to victims, families, and Tarrant County residents that justice will always be pursued here.”
Modern technology used by the county helped solve a cold case dating back to 1974 in Fort Worth.
Carla Walker was 17 years old when she was kidnapped and murdered after a Western Hills High School dance. Her body was discovered three days later near Benbrook Lake.
The case was eventually closed and remained unsolved until it was reopened in 2019, according to Sorrells.
New advanced testing matched DNA from stains found on Walker’s clothes, leading to the arrest of 78-year-old Glen McCurley in 2020. He pleaded guilty in 2021 and was sentenced to life in prison. McCurley died in prison less than two years later at the age of 80.
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn last year proposed the Carla Walker Act in her honor, dedicating federal grant funds to support forensic genetic genealogy DNA analysis to help solve previously unsolvable cold cases.
“Tarrant County is safer when those who harm others know that we will pursue justice no matter how many years have passed,” Sorrells said.
Penelope Rivera is KERA’s Tarrant County Accountability Reporter. Got a tip? Email Penelope Rivera at privera@kera.org.
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