"He's still out there," said Park, who said DNA testing of forensic evidence has not yielded a suspect. Investigative Support . What can I do with hair?. (Mark Mulligan, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer), St. John Barned-Smith, Houston Chronicle / Staff, Hundreds of Texas bodies remain unidentified despite new tech that helps solve cases faster, theyve seen their success at clearing those crimes fall, A chance encounter spurred a Texas bill to help identify missing persons, but compliance is spotty. investigated as an in-progress offense. POLICE Department HPD Cold Case Unit Identifies Suspect in 1988 Fatal Stabbing April 21, 2016. His sister, Peggy Anne Dodd. Cold Cases Database. Shed had a pair of red denim shorts, an Ocean Pacific T-shirt, a yellow cigarette lighter, two athletic bags. the investigation of missing persons where criminal activity is suspected. During his tenure with the Houston Police Department, he served in the Patrol Division, Tactical Response Group, SWAT Team, Internal Affairs, Fugitive Apprehension, and 33 years with the Homicide Division murder squads. This is a carousel. Dennis has a BS in Organizational Leadership and is a 2006 graduate of the FBI National Academy - Session #225. Angel received her Bachelor of Applied Arts and Science degree from Midwestern State University. Joe Buttitta has over 38 years of law enforcement experience. "She invited us in the house, and she had this shrine to her daughter," recalled Mehl, who had been the detective initially assigned to the Torres case. Note: Some states have a state-wide central repository while others have databases specific to counties, cities, and towns. She started her career with APD as a patrol officer and progressed through the Department working in Austins Special Investigations Unit and the Downtown Division. Calls from relatives or friends of a murder victim often help reopen cases. Other cases have almost no evidence at all. The ruling came during the civil case filed by the family of Pecan Park residents Dennis . As police departments in Texas and elsewhere are grappling with a surge in homicides, theyve seen their success at clearing those crimes fall even when they know who the victims are. A 57-year-old cold case involving the brutal sexual assault and murder of a 9-year-old girl was solved using genetic genealogy, police in Pennsylvania announced. Police found Alvarez inside the office at her familys auto repair shop in the 4200 block of B Street with multiple stab wounds, officials said. To assist law enforcement agencies across the state of Texas with their cold case investigations, the Texas Attorney General's Office created the Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit in March 2021. In April 2008, Joe retired from the Houston Police Department to accept a position with Texas Department of Criminal Justice Office of the Inspector General (TDCJ-OIG) as a captain in Investigative Region B. Additionally, the unit is involved in educating departmental employees and the community Peggy Anne Dodd. Coupled with the investigations of murder, murder for hire, kidnappings and police-involved shootings, Houstons homicide detectives quickly mastered all aspects of homicide investigation and the proper documentation and presentation of facts/evidence in the courtroom. But soon, Dodd was grappling with serious mental health and substance abuse issues. 2019 Legislative Session Update for Victims and Service Providers, 2021 Legislative Session Open Government Update. The Houston Police Department Homicide Cold Case Unit was formed in 2004. He is charged with two counts of murder in deaths from 2016 and 2017. Matt DeGrood is a general assignment and breaking news reporter for the Houston Chronicle. In 2001, Fuentes was recognized by the Austin City Council for his work in the release of two wrongfully convicted people for a 1988 murder of an Austin restaurant employee. 1-866-623-8058. Thats far fewer detectives than were working cold cases in 2012, when the department shuttered its cold case squad, said Lt. Robert Minchew. They chase new leads, hunt for witnesses, run a license plate that was not checked, and search the cavernous HPD property room to track down evidence gathered in the original investigation. A rancher had found the remains in December 1984 while searching for his cattle. Weeks later, they told him theyd found a possible brother, living in Nebraska, and a woman who might be a sister. detail from archive resources. This is a carousel. FILE - Houston police respond to a scene. A graduate of the University of Dallas, he joined the Chronicle in 2022. Fourteen years after her daughter Norma was killed, Eulalia Torres received some closure when HPD cold case detectives came by with news they had arrested a suspect. There were a lot of drugs. CHRONICLE INVESTIGATION: Hundreds of Texas bodies remain unidentified despite new tech that helps solve cases faster. On Tuesday (April 20), the Harris County District Attorney's Office accepted charges of murder on Beller. Since there is no statute . Or, call us at 602-876-1087. City of Houston Police Department View Source Square with arrow pointing upper right. threats. Most departments dont even have cold case units or investigators and even the largest cities in Texas, besides Houston, have only one or two detectives assigned to these types of cases. The remains were her sisters. These squads The victims must be Black men killed . Billy's extensive investigative experience came from assignments in the Homicide Division's Sex Crimes Unit, Murder Squad, Crime Scene Unit and Cold Case Squad. At tat time, Beller denied any involvement and officers were not able to obtain charges onhim in the crime. Telephone: 603-271-3658. /Missing Persons summaries and if you have any information pertaining to any of these cases, please contact the Austin Police Department Homicide . HPD Homicide Division Cold Case Unit Sergeant P. Motard reported: Jorge Trevino Cardenas, 50, has . For the first time, Blake Kennedy sees what is most likely the final resting place of her late sister, Peggy Anne Dodd, who disappeared in 1984 as a 28 year-old, Tuesday, July 26, 2022, in Richmond. Detectives are looking to talk with any families with a loved one who is the victim of an unsolved murder fitting this criteria. They guessed she was around 5 feet, 3 inches. Working in a wing of the homicide division on the sixth floor of police headquarters downtown, the squad pores over hundreds of case files in hopes of finding unnoticed leads or untested evidence that can breathe new life into an old homicide investigation. Follow this link to. In 1997-99, Sharon was assigned to the Internal Affairs Division, Reactive and Proactive Units where she did extensive undercover work on complex investigations involving police corruption for which she received two Chief of Police commendations. The Cold Case Unit's motto " We Will Never Forget" is a daily reminder to pursue justice for victims and their families long thought forgotten. Eventually, it was buried in a cemetery on Williams Way, where it has lain for decades. On March 5, 1984, Yleen and Lillie Kennedy were found deceased with gunshot wounds inside Yleen's home at 600 East 12th Street. POLICE Department Homicide. Sharon was born in Houston and earned her Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences from Midwestern State University. also respond to in-progress kidnappings. Every day across the U.S., investigations slow or stop completely, and cases go "cold." Source: Robert C. Davis, Carl Jensen, and Karen E. Kitchens, Cold Case Investigations: An Analysis of Current Practices and Factors Associated with Successful Outcomes (RAND Center on Quality Policing, 2011). It just gives you a good feeling to watch something like that. Mona Kazour, Patch Staff. Copyright 2023 KTRK-TV. Shed been missing since 1984. Homicide. Jay R. Jordan / Jay Jordan, Staff. But this time, Dodd didnt return. After retirement, Sharon was a law enforcement instructor at Houston Community College for two years. HPD's cold case division was just awarded two grants, but the money can only be used for specific cases: the victims must be Black men killed before 1979. As of 2020, there were over 270,000 unsolved homicides in the United States and approximately 20,072 unsolved homicides in the state of Texas. January 16, 2015 - Investigators in the Houston Police Homicide Division Cold Case Unit have solved a 1984 investigation into the murders of two women. Additionally, he was a guest lecturer to dozens of outside state and federal agencies along with over 20 years of presentations to colleges and outside law enforcement agencies. Portable Document Format (.pdf). Visit nh.gov for a list of free .pdf readers for a variety of operating systems. "We are . For over two decades, he investigated hundreds of homicides, kidnappings and sexual assaults. Follow this link to email the Cold Case Unit or. Billy Belk began his tenure with the Houston Police Department as a young officer patrolling the streets of northeast Houston. The body of Sheila Holmes, age 31, of Barrington was discovered on the morning of April 13, 1990 near the railroad tracks by Forest Street in Dover. "When she heard the news, that we had never forgotten her deceased daughter, she was so happy. So far, they've found three. HPD's cold case division was just awarded two grants - the first to be awarded to this squad since 2010. Park and others on the squad are keen to clear the brutal 1983 rape and killing of Margaret Barziza, 77, an Alzheimer's patient at a northside nursing home who was dragged out the window of her room. The current Task Force Members have between 26 and 40 years of law enforcement experience and completed a comprehensive application and background process. OK, I got hair, he recalled thinking. As a master hostage negotiator, Billy also worked alongside the elite SWAT Team during many special threat situations. She also holds a Master Peace Officer License and is a TCOLE certified instructor. And if youre working (on those), you cant dedicate the time thats required to really do justice to these things.. And then the shock of learning her sister was buried in the cemetery over on Williams Way, just a few miles away. But she commuted daily from Fort Bend to downtown Houston and was rarely home. This includes, but is not limited to, the . The Investigative Support Detail assists all investigative units with acquisition And she cannot wait to fully get started. During this period, John spent seven years as a detective sergeant and later as a lieutenant where he was fortunate to learn from some of the premier investigators who were assigned to the Houston Police Departments Homicide Division. The Major Assaults Unit conducts investigations of all adult assaults where the Stays in private psychiatric facilities. Cases go cold for many reasons, but the fact remains that once a case goes cold, hope diminishes. Angel has always had a strong passion for homicide cases and knew that was the direction she wanted to go with her career. And bam, they got a DNA profile, he said. This is the official twitter account for the Houston Police Department. The suspect, Alex J. Beller, (b/m, 57) is charged with murder in the 230th State District Court. "Based on the numbers of cases that haven't been solved, it may not seem like a good use of time. Kennedy wonders about her sisters demise. Beller is accused in the death of Carl Douglas Steele, 38, who died at the scene. She married and had a son, but the union fractured after five years, and she lost custody of the child. It consists of one lieutenant, two sergeants, two officers, one civilian employee, and three retired officers. Over the coming months, HPD and ABC13 will work together, profiling some of these cases being reopened with grant money. During her time in the Homicide Division, Sharon served as Sergeant and her many assignments included Major Assaults, Murder Squad, Family Violence and Administration working on special projects. City. Minyard had joined the sheriffs office in 2014 after a career in the U.S. Navy and then stints at law enforcement agencies in Wyoming and Austin County. More than 3 1/2 years after the . HPD Homicide Division Senior Police Officer P. Vela reported: Mr. Steele was found deceased inside his apartment at the above address, having sustained multiple stab wounds. During the 1995 Texas legislative session, John was the departments liaison providing testimony in support of criminal justice legislation designed to keep Texans safe. Sergeant Moran was a participant on an NIJ Saturday . For more on the Unsolved series or to share cold case information with Courtney, follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. She was pronounced dead at the scene and officers began investigating the circumstances surrounding her death. Each folder is marked with a name, a date and a case number. - Investigators in the Houston Police Department Cold Case Unit have identified a suspect, who has been subsequently charged, in the fatal stabbing of a man that occurred at 3952 Alabama on April 13, 1998.. And heavy. Since 2015, the department has had one investigator assigned to review those cases. liaison with non-Houston Police Department crime analysis units. And when cases go unsolved, murderers dont get caught. The Harding Street Raid Federal Judge In Houston Orders Review Of Harding Street Raid Evidence In Lawsuit. An elite group of retired peace officers with extensive experience in homicide investigations who volunteer their time to assist the Unit with case reviews, Recent court decisions and relevant statutes in the area of cold case investigations and prosecutions, Your Child Support And The Federal Stimulus Payment, How to Request an Attorney General Opinion. The Unit is staffed with a prosecutor and three detectives who will focus on reviewing unsolved homicides, unresolved suspicious deaths, and missing person cases in which foul play is . They hope to have 15 to 35. These include crimes involving deadly conduct, harassment, and terroristic Resources Help Submit a Crime Tip Contact Blog. The divisions Homicide Squads investigate all homicide-related offenses including questionable deaths when foul play is suspected. 2016. She was just a real lost soul.. 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