The Lovington Police Department in New Mexico said a man was arrested on Tuesday in connection with a 37-year-old murder in Garland.
Officials said they responded to a disturbance call at the 3600 block of Colbath Street on November 7, 1986, where they found Barbara Fay Villarreal dead from multiple stab wounds. Responding officers recovered a kitchen knife close to the body, according to the Lovington Police Department (LPD).
Investigators interviewed Villarreal’s husband at the time, clearing him of any involvement.
During the investigation, police found DNA at the scene and entered it into the national DNA database.
Detectives from the Garland Police Department spent years working with the FBI to follow leads in the United States and Mexico that eventually led them to 85-year-old Liborio Canales, per LPD.
Surveillance and DNA technology led investigators to believe Canales occasionally took up residence in Lovington, New Mexico.
Canales spent most of 2023 in Mexico but crossed the border into New Mexico on Monday. LPD said he entered the United States to celebrate his birthday with his family.
LPD officers and Garland police arrested Canales without incident. Following the arrest, Canales allegedly admitted to the murder after officers questioned him, saying he was upset with Villarreal about a family dispute, according to a statement by Garland police.
Canales was charged with murder and booked into the Lea County Detention Center under a $1 million bond. He is currently being extradited and will be sent to the Dallas County jail.
“The Garland Police Department is thankful for the assistance of the Dallas FBI Violent Crimes Task Force, the Lea County Sheriff’s Office, and the Lovington New Mexico Police Department for help bringing closure on this cold case and closure for Barbara Fay’s family,” Garland police, per the statement.
Murder has been on the rise in North Texas in recent years, especially in Dallas, which has seemingly seen an 8% increase year to date earlier this week, as previously reported by The Dallas Express, though statistics have been declared “unreliable” by the City.
Rampant crime has been a nagging problem in Dallas, as the Dallas Police Department has been suffering a significant shortage of officers for years now. DPD currently employs just over 3,100 officers.
Speaking with the Dallas Observer, Dallas Police Association President Michael Mata said the city could use as many as 4,000 officers, a number based on a City analysis that determined “2.66 to 3.08 [officers] per 1,000 citizens” constitutes an effective staffing level.
