The family of a man murdered in his home in December has asked the public for help bringing his killer to justice.
Rory Thacker’s sister, Holly, discovered her brother’s body in his home located in the 8000 block of Hunnicut Drive in eastern Dallas on December 5. Holly’s mother had called her alarmed after the 46-year-old had missed his weekly visit, during which time he typically brought groceries and helped his father bathe.
Arriving at Thacker’s home, Holly noticed that his 2015 Silver Hyundai Santa Fe was gone, and his dogs were in the backyard. Entering the home, she had the shock of a lifetime.
“I saw him laying face up at the end of his bed on the floor,” Holly told WFAA. “With his hands tied very tightly behind his back, and he was strangled.”
“I’m on a mission to find the person who did this to my brother,” she added.
For unknown reasons, the Dallas Police Department initially designated Thacker’s death as “unexplained.” It did not open a homicide investigation until February, when the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s office declared that he had “died from homicidal violence,” per The Dallas Morning News.
A person was captured on a nearby surveillance camera leaving in Thacker’s car — which is still unrecovered — at 3:30 a.m. on December 4. Fraudulent purchases of up to $5,000 were also allegedly made on his credit card.
Holly and the rest of Thacker’s loved ones have been desperate for answers. They are asking anyone with information that might be helpful to police to come forward. DPD Det. Joshua Romero is heading the case and can be reached at 214-671-4226 or [email protected].
“There is nothing we can do to bring my brother back, but I do not want this to happen to anyone else,” she told NBC 5 DFW. “This suffering and grief that my family and his friends are going through is tragic.”
The murder took place in Council Member Adam Bazaldua’s District 7, which has logged six homicides this year as of March 14, according to the City’s crime analytics dashboard.
In 2023, Dallas saw a 15% uptick in homicides citywide compared to the year prior, with District 7 clocking the most at 45 killings. City data also reveals that the overwhelming majority of murder victims have been and currently are black and Hispanic males.
Crime overall has seen considerable increases in certain parts of Dallas, such as Downtown Dallas, where studies from the Metroplex Civic & Business Association routinely show it clocks more offenses each month compared to Fort Worth’s city center. Fort Worth patrols its downtown area with a specialized neighborhood police unit and private security guards.
Meanwhile, DPD has been laboring against a significant staffing shortage, with just 3,000 officers fielded despite a City analysis recommending a force of 4,000 to adequately ensure public safety. DPD also disposes of a budget of just $654 million this fiscal year after City leaders opted to spend significantly less on police than other high-crime jurisdictions, such as Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City.
