Tarrant County is establishing a Cold Case Task Force, according to a statement from the district attorney released on January 15.
Tarrant County District Attorney Phil Sorrells is rolling out a new initiative dedicated to addressing unsolved homicides and other serious violent crimes, according to the statement.
The Cold Case Task Force will utilize advances in DNA technology and digital forensics to collaborate with local police departments, identifying offenders, holding them accountable, and providing long-awaited answers to victims’ families, the D.A. said.
“This task force isn’t simply an investigative unit,” Sorrells said in the statement. “It’s a promise to victims, families, and Tarrant County residents that justice will always be pursued here.”
The task force will also partner with forensic laboratories to utilize modern forensic technology that has been proven effective in a cold case that remained unresolved for 46 years.
Carla Walker, 17, was abducted, sexually assaulted, and strangled after a Western Hills High School dance in 1974.
Carla Walker Case
Her body was discovered three days later in a culvert near Benbrook Lake, and the case was closed with no resolution.
In 2019, the case was reopened. New advanced testing matched DNA from Glen McCurley to stains found on Carla Walker’s clothes.
He was arrested in 2020 and went to trial in 2021. Three days into the trial, McCurley pled guilty, and the judge sentenced him to life in prison. He died in prison less than two years later at the age of 80.
“Testing is the key to finding justice for families,” Sorrells said in the statement. “This task force sends a clear message that we do not forget crime victims, and we will never stop fighting for justice.”
This comes as U.S. Sen. John Cornyn has proposed the Carla Walker Act to dedicate 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 in the statement.
Sorrells also posted a video on X with more information and interviews with trial specialists, investigators, and more.
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.
