Latest news with #Trackdown
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
FOX 4's Trackdown helps woman find her long-lost mother, give her a proper burial
The Brief FOX 4 viewers helped Dallas police find the 15-year-old suspect accused of killing Marie Brooks while she was asleep in an Oak Cliff strip center parking lot. Viewers also helped police find family members for Brooks, who was homeless. Brooks' daughter said she's actually been searching for her mother for the past 40 years. Even though Ashley Oliver can no longer have a relationship with her mother, she's grateful for the chance to provide her a proper burial. DALLAS - FOX 4's Trackdown series typically helps to put police detectives on the trail of suspects. This time, in addition to taking a suspected killer off the streets, it also helped a woman find her long-lost mother. The backstory Marie Brooks lived alone on the streets of Dallas either by choice or by circumstances. On April 30, she was shot and killed while asleep at a strip center near South Lancaster Road and Kiest Boulevard. Security video featured on Trackdown showed her killer walking past her. He then came back, pulled out a handgun, and shot Brooks in the chest before running away. Viewers helped to identify the 15-year-old juvenile suspect within 24 hours of the story airing. He was taken to the Henry Wade Juvenile Justice Center and charged with murder. But his name will not be released because he is a minor. Police then turned to the media for help finding 60-year-old Brooks' family members. What they're saying Ashley Oliver invited Shaun Rabb to her mother's funeral as a way to thank him. She explained that she and her brother were given up when she was just 3 years old. "She never came back to claim us," Oliver said. "So, I guess long story short, 40 years later, I have to claim her. So, I'm here to claim her." Oliver said throughout the years, she's never stopped looking for her mother. "I appreciate you airing that because without that, I wouldn't have been able to find her. So, yeah, it's life-changing and bittersweet, I guess, because I didn't get that opportunity to have that relationship with her. So, it's kind of hard. But yet I know like a full circle, God made no mistakes. So, I'm thankful for that," she said. Even though she'll never be able to have a relationship with her mother, Oliver said she is grateful for the closure. Local perspective The J. Alexander Law Firm donated a casket for Brooks' burial. In Bloom Flowers donated the arrangements. The Lincoln Funeral Home & Memorial Park also assisted with the funeral. "She asked if we would be willing to assist her with laying her mother to rest, giving her a proper burial, considering the circumstances and, of course, you know our answer was yes. We were willing to do so to serve this community and provide a service to this family," said Devontai Gaines, the funeral director. One Rugged Cross Church Pastor Al Green said that although there was family separation, he believes Brooks sacrificed her role as a mother so that her children could have a better life. "It was a mother that looked at the whole situation and knew that it had grabbed her but she said not my daughter," he said. The Source FOX 4's Shaun Rabb talked to Marie Brooks' daughter, Ashley Oliver, to gather details for this story. Some details were provided by the Dallas Police Department in past news coverage.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Yahoo
Trackdown: Viewers help Dallas police arrest murder suspect of Marie Brooks
Less than 24-hours after Tuesday's Trackdown first aired, Dallas police arrested a teenager for the murder of a homeless woman. What's new The Dallas Police Department arrested a 15-year-old juvenile in connection with this case. He was taken to the Henry Wade Juvenile Justice Center and was charged with murder. The suspect's name will not be released due to his age. The backstory It happened on April 30 in Oak Cliff. Marie Brooks had just laid down at a strip center at South Lancaster Road near Kiest Boulevard when the suspect then walks past her and comes back only to uncover a handgun as he shoots Brooks in the chest before running away. The gunman returned and shot her again. What they're saying Detective Johnson is the homicide detective who helped report on the initial Trackdown. He told FOX 4 what particularly bothers him about this case. "This guy waited about forty-five minutes later. He actually comes back and observes Marie on the ground. Gets very close to Maria. Touches her. He comes back to look at his work. We definitely want to find this guy. We want to get him off the streets. I think if somebody knows this guy, they're going to see him on the video, and they're going to recognize him." Big picture view With the help of FOX 4 viewers, his arrest marks the 200th arrest and/or suspect identified in a case through Trackdown. The Source The information in this article was provided by the Dallas Police Department.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Yahoo
Trackdown suspect from Fort Worth McDonalds robbery has been arrested
The Brief The would-be robber from yesterday's Trackdown segment was taken into custody by Fort Worth police. While this may have been the sixteen-year-old's first attempt at robbing a restaurant with people in it, police say he has terrorized workers in other businesses, like stores across Fort Worth. The suspect is seen as a high-intensity priority because of the obvious danger to working people trying to make an honest living. Yesterday, FOX 4's Shaun Rabb had a Trackdown segment that highlighted a suspect who terrorized a Fort Worth McDonald's. The suspect was caught on video firing a gun at an employee, during a robbery attempt in which he received no cash. After our story aired, Fort Worth police say they arrested that suspect last night. The would-be robber, who fired the gun with his left hand but handled the weapon with both hands during the frightening few minutes in the McDonald's, was taken into custody by Fort Worth police. What we know While this may have been the sixteen-year-old's first attempt at robbing a restaurant with people in it, police say he has terrorized workers in other businesses, like stores across Fort Worth. Multiple offenses have been linked to his actions. Even as the case was shown on Trackdown, Fort Worth detectives had been working for weeks to find him. The suspect is seen as a high-intensity priority because of the obvious danger to working people trying to make an honest living. The backstory Fort Worth police officer Buddy Calzada told FOX 4 that the person taken into custody is linked to multiple similar offenses, and he is only sixteen years old. This was the video shown in this week's Trackdown series. A person dressed in black and wearing a ski mask comes into a Fort Worth McDonald's on April 10 at 9 p.m. Demanding money from an employee at the cash register and firing one shot near the employee, causing customers to crawl under tables for cover and others get out of the store. On Wednesday, we talked with Fort Worth police robbery detective Brian Raynsford. "It is very violent, and it's very disturbing to watch," said Raynsford. The Source Information in this article is provided by the Fort Worth Police Department.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Yahoo
Trackdown: Pleasant Grove gas station shooting suspects
The Brief A Dallas man is shot in the neck while sitting in the passenger seat of a pick-up truck at a Pleasant Grove gas station. Two suspects pulled out a weapon and fired one round in the air and another round toward a passenger-seat victim. Detective Milutinovic needs some public help to identify these two suspects. In this week's Trackdown, Dallas police are looking for two people who shot a man in the neck while he sat in the passenger seat of a pick-up truck at a Pleasant Grove gas station. The man survived and detectives say he did nothing. Police need help finding the two men who fired random gunshots. The backstory On March 15, around 2 a.m. the Texaco gas station at 6808 Lake June Road at Temple Cliff in Pleasant Grove had two males, around 20–25 years of age, enter the store, bought some things and had some conversations with people before they lingered around the property. A few minutes after the arrival of the passenger seat victim, the two suspects both walked back toward the truck before pulling out a weapon and firing one round in the air. As the suspects started to drive off, the passenger displayed a firearm and then fired a round towards the victim and struck the passenger once in the neck. What they're saying Detective Bojan Milutinovic spoke with FOX 4 about the details of what occurred. "A few minutes later our suspects both walked back towards that truck and for some unknown reason, the suspect in the red hoodie pulled out a weapon and fired one round into the air," said Milutinovic. What we know The suspects were two young males between 20–25 years of age. The driver is seen wearing a red hoodie and blue jean shorts. The passenger was wearing a black shirt with blue jeans. "If you know who they are once you see them on the video absolutely you'll know who they are," said Milutinovic. What you can do Detective Milutinovic needs some public help to identify these two suspects. Contact the detective through cell phone 972-523-4986 or email him at The Source Information in this article is provided by the Dallas Police Department and interviews with detectives concerning this case.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Yahoo
Trackdown: Help ID the 3 men wanted for a Frisco ISD basketball player's death in 2023
The Brief Two years later, police are still looking for the men who opened fire at a Little Elm house party, killing 17-year-old Keith Slaughter. Slaughter was a senior and a varsity basketball player at Frisco ISD's Lebanon Trail High School. Anyone with information about what happened that night is urged to call the detective at 945-985-2830 or email LITTLE ELM, Texas - A teen with a promising future was murdered at a North Texas house party in 2023. The killers were captured on video. But two years later, police still need help identifying them. The backstory The deadly shooting happened in October of 2023 at a house party near Walker Lane and El Dorado Parkway. Police believe 17-year-old Keith Slaughter simply got caught in the crossfire. "He had nothing to do with the shooting and wasn't a target," said Little Elm Police Officer Austin Roach. Instead, he was a young man with a lot of potential. Family members told FOX 4 he was just weeks away from playing in his senior season on the Frisco ISD Lebanon Trail High School varsity basketball team. He was also hoping to land a basketball scholarship. Officer Roach said two other people were injured, including a 15-year-old female who was originally in critical condition. "She's doing great from what I understand. But she does have some long-term effects that she's going to suffer with the rest of her life," Roach said. What is shows Police do have video of the shooting suspects. "That surveillance video is three men walking down the street. You see that they're wearing dark clothing," Roach said. "One of the gentlemen has a bit of a limp. We don't know if that's a permanent issue or maybe he was injured at the moment. But that's something that sticks out." The officer believes anyone who knows the men will recognize them. "Absolutely. We think the video's very clear. We don't know who they are but we think that folks when they see this video are going to be able to tell just by the way these people are standing and the way they're walking who they are," Roach said. Police also don't think the suspects have remained silent for two years. "We don't think something like this happens without telling somebody about it. So we're very confident that there's some folks out there that do know what happened that night and they can get that information to us," Roach said. What you can do Anyone with information about what happened that night at the party is urged to contact the lead detective on the case by calling 945-985-2830 or emailing Dig deeper You can watch Shaun Rabb's Trackdown series every Wednesday on FOX 4. Episodes are also posted weekly online and on FOX Local. So far, FOX 4 viewers have helped police make 193 arrests. The Source The information in this story comes from an interview with Little Elm Police Officer Austin Roach and past news coverage.
