‘Looking for closure’: Amarillo police sends DNA testing evidence to help solve cold cases

AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) - The Amarillo Police Department Cold Case Unit has sent DNA to the Texas Rangers to be tested in connection to unsolved murders.

One of the reasons the Cold Case Unit was established is because of new and evolving technology. With new DNA technology and genealogy databases, they will be able to solve cases.

“It’s something that we’ve been needing for a while, we have all of these cases that we still have families out there who are looking for closure,” said Cpl. Jeb Hilton, Public Information Officer for APD.

The Texas Rangers have identified two cases to focus on from samples sent by APD.

Currently, the Cold Case Unit has had no breaks in cases or cases solved. Amarillo has 49 unsolved homicides dating back to the 1950s and the department’s goal is to reduce that number and bring justice for the families and friends of victims.

“When you can have somebody go back and look over it and relook at it and just get an extra set of eyes on something, it makes a big, big difference,” said Hilton. “So I think that’s going to be huge.”

APD has started to go through the cases on its podcast and has more information on specific cases on its website.

“When you see a family member or hear a family member come on and you can hear the emotion and the things that they say and hearing the loss that they suffer, the life that they have to continue to live without this person,” said Hilton. “It really puts some feeling behind these cases.”

If you have information on any of the cold cases call Amarillo police at (806) 378-9446. If you wish to remain anonymous, call Amarillo Crime Stoppers at (806) 374-4400.

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