Never Give Up: The 47 Year Journey for Justice for Carla Walker

In 1974, Carla Walker was abducted, raped, and murdered in Fort Worth, Texas. The case went unsolved for almost five decades. Using new DNA technology, this case was finally solved in 2020. The presenters will examine the investigation and successful prosecution of the Carla Walker case and walk attendees through the forensic genetic genealogy (FGG) DNA analysis that ultimately unmasked the killer who had lived a few miles from the crime scene the entire time. Attendees will also be shown how prosecutors successfully navigated getting the FGG admitted into court in one of the first trials to use FGG in the nation. Additionally, the challenges of putting together a case where many of the original participants had died will also be discussed.