The loved ones of a local woman who was brutally stabbed to death 50 years ago are still hoping for answers.
Cheryl Callaway, 18, had just picked up a birthday gift for her fiancé at the old Forum 303 Mall off Pioneer Parkway in Arlington and was about to reach her car when she was suddenly attacked by a young man wielding an ice pick, according to eyewitness accounts, per NBC 5 DFW. The perpetrator reportedly stabbed her over 40 times before tossing her aside and fleeing the scene in a white Oldsmobile Cutlass.
The brutal attack happened over five decades ago at approximately 8 p.m. on January 30, 1974, yet it continues to haunt Stephen Harris, whose brother Clint was to marry Callaway that June.
“I think about it a lot. It’s burned in my brain, burned in my soul,” Harris told NBC 5, recalling her “infectious smile” and kind heart.
“Her memory at least deserves to live, and the person that did this deserves justice, and I just wish the Arlington Police Department would do more than they’ve done,” he added.
Those who witnessed the murder failed to take note of the suspect’s license plate. While detectives launched several inquiries both in Texas and out of state, nothing turned up on the suspect, who appeared to have struck at random and without motive.
“I can’t imagine this being revenge for anything,” said Billy Callaway, the victim’s father, not long after the fatal attack, per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “She liked everybody. I never heard her say anything bad about anyone.”
While Callaway’s murder generated recent interest on a true crime podcast called Gone Cold – Texas True Crime, the case hit a wall a long time ago. In addition, some physical evidence linked to the murder disappeared in the 1980s, further hampering the investigation.
New DNA technology has breathed life into multiple cold cases, including a violent sexual assault case in Dallas from 1985, as previously covered by The Dallas Express. The victim, Carrie Krejci, encouraged Dallas County prosecutors to use forensic genetic genealogy to find the man who had raped her and, as it turned out, at least five other women.
As a result, David Thomas Hawkins, 75, was identified, arrested, and eventually convicted of rape. While in prison serving four life sentences, he confessed to having sexually assaulted over 30 women in the Dallas area.
Callaway’s case is likely to remain cold so long as no new leads are provided. Although the Arlington Department does not have a cold case unit, its homicide detectives still turn to unsolved murders when time permits — and always when new information comes in, as department spokesperson Tim Ciesco told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Anyone with information about Callaway’s brutal murder is urged to call Arlington police at 817-459-5772 or Crime Stoppers of Tarrant County at 817-469-8477.
Despite having a cold case squad, the Dallas Police Department has an estimated 200,000 unsolved murder and missing persons cases dating as far back as 1980. There is also a considerable backlog of sexual assault cases dating back to 1996, as previously covered by The Dallas Express.
Staffing issues have plagued the department, which fields roughly 3,000 officers, while a City report recommends around 4,000 to ensure public safety. City officials plan to spend only $654 million on DPD this fiscal year, significantly less than the spending levels seen in other high-crime jurisdictions, including New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
Downtown Dallas has borne the brunt of this staffing strain, with monthly comparative studies conducted by the Metroplex Civic & Business Association showing it logs significantly more criminal activity than Fort Worth’s city center. The latter is patrolled by a specialized neighborhood police unit working alongside private security guards.