A backlog of over 1,000 unsolved cold cases sits in the Fort Worth Police Department's Cold Case Unit. Now, a proposed bipartisan bill could help provide the funding needed to solve these cases and bring closure to families of lost and missing loved ones.
The Carla Walker Act, introduced by Sen. John Cornyn (R- Texas) and Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vermont), is named after Fort Worth murder victim Carla Walker. Walker was 17 years old when she was abducted, held captive, sexually assaulted and eventually murdered in 1974. In 2020, 46 years after her death, a suspect was identified using advanced forensic analysis. Glen McCurley, the suspect, would plead guilty to her murder less than a year later.
Carla Walker was a Fort Worth native who was tragically murdered. 46 years after her death, cutting-edge DNA technology brought her killer to justice. I’m proud to introduce the Carla Walker Act to help solve more cold cases like hers & to help deliver justice.
— Senator John Cornyn (@JohnCornyn) December 12, 2024
The bill would provide funding to police agencies for the same advanced testing used in Walker's case. Several cases across North Texas have been solved using these methods that allow scientists to examine DNA samples more closely and search for family members that may share that DNA. This allows for investigators to build family trees that can lead to suspects.
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"We know all of our law enforcement agencies are under-staffed and under-funded and they don't necessarily have access to the latest technology," Cornyn said in an interview with NBC 5. "This would provide additional federal funds so that police departments around the country, forensic labs, could access this innovative, new technology to allow them to crack these cold cases and to bring the perpetrators to justice."
Last month, NBC 5 Investigates looked into the backlog of cold cases in Fort Worth. Families said they felt forgotten because the Fort Worth Cold Case Unit is understaffed. The department confirmed that only one full-time detective and two part-time reserve officers were assigned to the unit, which has 1,000 cold cases to solve.
Retiring Police Chief Neil Noakes said his department is actively working on cold cases where new leads exist.
In September, NBC 5 Investigates reported that the Fort Worth Police Department's crime lab has been so short-staffed that it failed to meet state deadlines for processing evidence in sexual assault cases more than 1,200 times. On Nov. 21, Cornyn announced that the federal government was sending $2.1 million to clear the backlog in Fort Worth.
The Dallas Police Department also has a backlog of more than 3,000 cold case homicides. On Friday, the Dallas County District Attorney's Office secured over $3.8 million in federal grants for cold cases. The funding would create two units: the SAKI Unit (Sexual Assault Kit Initiative) and the Cold Case Homicide Unit.
“This grant money will allow us to apply more resources to solve more violent crimes and solve them faster than ever before,” said District Attorney John Creuzot. “This is an incredibly profound time for the people of Dallas County to finally get justice for some of the worst crimes committed against our citizens.”
Cornyn confirmed to NBC 5 that he believes that funding from the Carla Walker Act would help with backlogs like Dallas and Fort Worth's.
Not only are you able to save additional lives, but again, to bring closure to the families and to bring justice to the perpetrator
Texas Senator John Cornyn
The Carla Walker Act was previously introduced in the U.S. House in 2022 by former Representative Kelly Armstrong (R-North Dakota). It was referred to a House Judiciary Committee but never made it to the floor.
