Mystery of the missing badge and medals of murdered Fort Worth officer is solved

The mystery behind the disappearance of the framed badge and medals of a Fort Worth officer murdered in 1971 has been solved.

Sgt. Chris Britt, a Fort Worth police spokesman, said after further searching, the Fort Worth Police Historical Association found the framed set of keepsakes Friday in a locked drawer in the association’s archives.

The set, which had been donated to the department by the sisters of Officer Edward “Eddy” Belcher, had been on display since 2009 in the office of former police Chief Jeff Halstead when police headquarters were still in downtown Fort Worth.

Belcher was fatally shot in October 1971 by a sniper after he responded to a disturbance outside the Electric Circus Club.

Kevin Foster, a police historian and retired Fort Worth police sergeant, had filed a theft report regarding the framed set last week after he learned it was missing and subsequent searches, including by the historical association, did not uncover the keepsakes.

“We found it. We’re very glad,” Britt, the police spokesman, said. “The historical (association) had it the whole time in their possession. It’s been safe. They just found it in a different drawer than they thought it was in.”

Foster expressed relief that the set had been found.

“My goal was always to safeguard the history of the Fort Worth Police Department,” he said. “I am extremely happy the framed set is accounted for now, regardless of where they had been lost or how they found their way into that storage closet. It’s a great day!”

Deanna Boyd: 817-390-7655, @deannaboyd

This story was originally published August 10, 2018 at 6:51 PM with the headline "Mystery of the missing badge and medals of murdered Fort Worth officer is solved."