27-05-2025
LIST: 20 Tyler cold homicide cases police are still trying to solve
TYLER, Texas (KETK)– According to a nonprofit Project Cold Case, between 1965 and 2023 there has been roughly 26,009 unsolved homicides in Texas, with 20 of them being in Tyler, including cases being cold for more than 30 years.
A cold case refers to crime that is typically violent (such as murder or rape) and has not been solved completely and hasn't been the subject of a recent criminal investigation.
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Sometimes disappearances can also be considered cold cases if the victim hasn't been heard from for a longer period of time. To learn more about Tyler missing person cold cases, click the links below of previous articles KETK has done:
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'The Tyler Police Department's mission is to seek justice for all of those victims that have become silent,' Tyler PD said. 'We need your assistance in solving these unsolved homicide and missing person cold cases.'
KETK news has compiled a list of unsolved homicide cases in Tyler that the police department has been working on to bring justice to the victims and closure for their families.
According to Tyler Police Department, on June 13, 1987 an unknown suspect entered into 77-year-old Clarine Jones' home on S Kennedy Street where they stabbed her multiple times, sexually assaulted her and left her for dead.
Officials said on Oct. 7, 1987 a visiting nurse went to 300 S. Lyons to give care to a patient and found 62-year-old Mary Hooper and 57-year-old Emmett Lynch murdered inside their home.
Tyler PD said that on Aug. 29, 1988, witnesses told police that a 'rolling gun battle' had happened in the 300 block of East Queen Street. The people reported two rounds were fired from a vehicle and entered a trailer home that was parked in the front of 313 East Queen.
79-year-old Versie Daniels was hit by one of those stray rounds and died. Officials said a witness reported that numerous Hispanic men were involved in the gun battle.
On April 29, 1989 Tyler police responded to a report on East Berta Street that a man was lying motionless in the doorway of his garage apartment.
'The victim was found deceased and evidence determined that it was a homicide,' the department said. 'The victim was identified as Fulton Honeycutt, age 56.'
Police believe that a struggle happened inside the apartment before his death.
On Sept. 30, 1989 Tyler police found a body inside a burned taxi company car that was identified as Earl Ashfield, who was working as a driver for the taxi company.
Earlier that morning, Ashfield was reported missing along with the company car by the owner of the taxi company, officials said.
Tyler PD said on April 16, 1991 53-year-old Donald Thedford's body was found in an abandoned tin building located at 916 East Oakwood Street.
'Evidence at the scene indicated that Thedford was murdered,' officials said. 'Thedford was known for riding his black 10-speed bicycle in the neighborhood.'
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On May 30, 1992 Kenneth Jones and a friend were sitting in their vehicle in front of his home located at 1100 W Queen Street when they heard several gunshots in the area and stepped out of the vehicle.
According to Tyler PD, when Jones got out of the passenger side he was shot in the chest and later died at a local hospital from the gunshot wound.
Baltazar Lopez was attending a Christmas party at 117 S Horace Street on Dec. 25, 1992 when a disturbance happened around 3 a.m. inside the home that ended up in front of the home with gunfire, Tyler PD said.
'Two victims had been shot by a Hispanic male who was seen running from the crime scene,' officials said. 'Lopez died at he scene.'
On Jan. 4, 1994 officers found 56-year-old Will Harold shot to death inside his home at 2518 Franchel. Officials said that police believe that a disturbance broke out inside the home that ended in gunfire.
Tyler PD said that around 12: 40 a.m. on July 14, 1994 officers responded to the corner market located at Lake Placid Road and Old Jacksonville Highway where they found a man identified as 35-year-old Curtis Moore slumped over the steering wheel of a Chevy pickup.
After investigating further, officers discovered Moore had died from a gunshot wound.
Officials said on Aug. 25, 1994 officers responded to a report of a resident found shot in his house on 1110 W Third Street. The victim was identified as 36-year-old Carl Yarborough who was found dead from a gunshot wound.
According to to Tyler PD, several black men were seen running from the house after gunfire was heard by neighbors and getting into a white pickup and white four door Nissan Altima.
Tyler police officers responded to a traffic accident on Dec. 23, 1996 in the 1200 block of N Pabst Street where a vehicle driven by Larry King had struck a parked vehicle and then ran into a house.
'Upon further investigation officers discovered that King had been shot in the head while driving down the street,' officials said. 'King was transported to a local hospital and died from his injuries.'
Tyler PD said it is unknown who fired the weapon that killed King.
Officials said on July 15, 1997 a neighbor found 21-year-old Tamika Osborn dead in her home located at 1113 S Francis in the Butler College area.
'Investigators believe that the cause of dead to Osburn was asphyxiation,' Tyler PD said.
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17-year-old Oscar Cocolan was standing out in his driveway talking a friend around 3:30 a.m. on Sept. 20, 1998 when a four-door vehicle with tinted windows drove by very slowly with several Hispanic men inside, officials said.
According to Tyler PD, shots were fired from the vehicle hitting Cocolan where he died on scene.
According to the department, on April 25, 2003 81-year-old Jesse Mobley was found dead in a two-story condemned building located at 816 West Queen Street.
'Mobley possibly visited a nearby pool hall before his death and might have been in an altercation with someone outside the pool hall,' officials said.
According to Tyler PD, on Oct. 16, 2003 several black men wearing dark hooded sweatshirts walked up to 1309 N Ross Street and knocked on the door of the apartment Harold Jones was visiting.
They say two suspects entered the home, pulled out handguns and shot Jones while he was sitting on the couch. Jones was taken to a local hospital where he later died.
Around 12 a.m. on July 13, 2005 Tyler police officers responded to a shooting at Wayne's Car Wash on 1120 W Bow Street. Officials said police found 66-year-old James Thompson and 58-year-old Cassius shot inside the business.
Both men were taken to a local hospital but later died from their gunshot wounds.
According to Tyler PD, on March 17 37-year-old Jearald Little was found dead inside his home with a gunshot wound.
'Their were no signs of forced entry into the residence and it is believed that Little knew his assailant,' officials said.
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Officials said Felcia Mosley and Pedro Flores were found shot to dead at home located at 909 E Line street around 3:30 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2010.
'Investigators have followed up on numerous leads and need your help with the key piece of information to break this case,' Tyler PD explained.
Tyler Fire Department responded to a fully engulfed house fire on 4516 Edinburgh Street on Feb. 24, 2011 and found 28-year-old Harold Miller dead inside the home.
Officials said that investigators know that a struggle happened inside the home where Miller had been stabbed and shot before the house caught on fire.
If anyone has any information about these homicides they are encouraged to contact the Tyler Police Department at 903-531-1000 or Tyler Smith County Crime Stoppers at 903-597-2833.
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