30-04-2025
From a night out to a 50-year mystery: A look inside one of Odessa's oldest cold cases
ODESSA, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)- It's one of the oldest cold cases still on file in Odessa. More than 50 years ago, 62-year-old Edwin Woodrow Howell was found lying in a downtown alley with fatal head injuries, a mystery that remains unsolved to this day.
On the night of April 3, 1975, Odessa police were dispatched to the alley behind the Drillers Club, near 2nd Street and Grant Avenue. When officers arrived, they found Howell lying on his back in the dirt with visible trauma to his head.
He was rushed to Medical Center Hospital, but despite doctors' efforts, Howell died the following day.
According to witnesses, Howell had spent the earlier part of the evening inside the Drillers Club, a popular gathering spot at the time. He had reportedly been playing dominoes, but grew frustrated after losing several games. Witnesses say he eventually left in irritation, bringing the gathering to an abrupt end.
What happened after Howell walked out that door remains a mystery.
Police were never able to confirm if Howell returned to the club that night, only that he ended up in the alley with injuries serious enough to take his life. No suspect was ever named. No motive was ever confirmed.
'There's not a lot of information in this case… that is literally all they gave me,' said Susan Rogers, CEO of Odessa Crime Stoppers. 'I called the PD and I said, 'Who is Edward Howell?' and that was it. He was lying on his back with trauma to his head. I don't even have a picture. But there's enough there that investigators believe he was murdered.'
Today, Howell's death is considered one of Odessa's oldest unsolved homicides.
There are no surviving detailed police reports. No photographs. No known relatives. As time passed, the case went cold, and Howell, a man who once lived and laughed and lost a few games of dominoes, was slowly lost to time.
Still, Rogers and Odessa Crime Stoppers are determined not to let him be forgotten.
'We would love for a relative to reach out,' Rogers said. 'If you knew Edwin Woodrow Howell, if you're family, even if you just remember him from back then, please contact us. Even a photo would help.'
Crime Stoppers is actively seeking help not just to solve Howell's murder, but to rebuild his story…to give a face and a history to a man who has, until now, remained just a name in a 50-year-old file.
If you have any information about the 1975 death of Edwin Woodrow Howell, or if you knew him personally, you are encouraged to contact Odessa Crime Stoppers at 432-333-TIPS or submit a tip anonymously at
Tips can also be submitted through the P3 Tips app, and a cash reward is available for information leading to an arrest.
'This is a 50-year-old case,' Rogers said. 'But time doesn't change the fact that he deserves justice.'
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