Families of victims in five unsolved Fort Worth cold cases say they feel ignored and frustrated by the Fort Worth Police Department's lack of action and communication. The families cite the understaffed Cold Case Unit and the crime lab's backlog as evidence of a department struggling to handle these complex investigations.
The families of five of some of the city's high-profile cold case victims say a lack of action and communication from the Fort Worth Police Department has left them frustrated and 'forgotten'. Families who have suffered from some of Fort Worth's most heinous and mysterious unsolved crimes say a lack of staff in the Fort Worth Police Department's Cold Case Unit has left them feeling unheard.
NBC 5 Investigates reported last month 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. Five families, those of June Ward, Gloria Choice, Julie Moseley, Cheryl Springfield, and Thurlow Buchanon, are now members of a group they never wanted to join. They're united by loss and grief but also by shared concern with what they describe as the Fort Worth Police Department's lack of resources and responsiveness. The five families of victims of unsolved crimes gathered at NBC 5's studios in Fort Worth in November 2024 to talk with senior investigative reporter Scott Friedman, center, about their cases and the lack of communication from the Fort Worth Police Department's Cold Case Unit. 'It's wrong. We're angry. We're forgotten,' said Jan Webster, whose sister, Cheryl Springfield, was murdered on Christmas Day in 1980. The families said they felt forgotten because the Fort Worth Police Department's 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. NBC 5 Investigates also exposed problems in the crime lab, where the police department had five vacant positions, resulting in delays to more than 1,200 sexual assault cases. 'No matter how dedicated, how passionate you are, you cannot work a thousand cases, nor can you go through the cases to see which ones are workable,' said Caddell. Sheryl Buchanan holds her phone with a photo of her brother, Thurlow, who has been missing since 1987
COLD CASES FORT WORTH POLICE DEPARTMENT UNSOLVED CRIMES VICTIMS' FAMILIES CRIME LAB BACKLOG
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