Tarrant County DA forms task force to tackle unsolved homicides
The Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office is forming a cold case task force to address unsolved homicides and other violent crimes in the area, the DA’s office said in a news release Thursday.
The task force aims to harness advanced DNA technology and digital forensics to identify suspects. The group will be composed of prosecutors and investigators who will work in conjunction with law enforcement and forensics labs.
“This task force isn’t simply an investigative unit,” Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney Phil Sorrells said in the release. “It’s a promise to victims, families, and Tarrant County residents that justice will always be pursued here.”
In 2020, advanced DNA testing from the Texas-based forensic laboratory Othram led to the arrest and ultimate conviction of the man who murdered Fort Worth teen Carla Walker in 1974.
“Testing is the key to finding justice for families,” Sorrells said. “This task force sends a clear message that we do not forget crime victims, and we will never stop fighting for justice.”
The Fort Worth Police Department recently began partnering with Othram, and the lab is currently digitizing all of the department’s approximately 1,000 cold cases.
