AUSTIN – The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) is seeking leads into the 1981 homicide of Carmen Croan, and an increased reward of up to $6,000 is being offered for information that leads to the arrest of the person or people responsible if the tip is received before the next Texas Rangers’ featured cold case is announced. (A $3,000 reward for information leading to an arrest is routinely offered on all cases on the Texas Rangers Unsolved Homicides website.)
Croan, 18, was a vibrant young woman with a bright future ahead of her. On the evening of Aug. 22, 1981, she went to Graham’s Night Club in Odessa. The following day, Croan’s body was found on an oilfield lease, located 12 miles north of TX 158 and FM 1936 in Ector County.
According to a forensic examination, Croan was viciously attacked and had knife wounds to her throat. This brutal homicide remains unsolved, and the Texas Rangers are asking for the public’s help to solve Croan’s slaying.
To be eligible for the cash rewards, tipsters must provide information to authorities by calling the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477). All tips are anonymous.
Individuals also can submit information through the Texas Ranger cold case website or by contacting us at 1-800-346-3243 (DPS Missing Persons Hotline).
The DPS Texas Rangers Unsolved Homicides website provides information on more than 125 cases in an effort to help garner public interest in unsolved or “cold cases.” Texas Crime Stoppers offers rewards (funded by the Governor’s Criminal Justice Division and administered by DPS) of up to $3,000 for information that leads to the arrest of those responsible for any Rangers cold case listed on the website. For more information, visit the Texas Ranger cold case website.
As part of a DPS public awareness program, one case from the Texas Ranger Unsolved Crimes Investigation (Cold Case) Program will be featured bi-monthly in an effort to generate new investigative leads and bring attention to these cold cases. The Texas Crime Stoppers reward is increased up to $6,000 for the featured case in hopes that the higher reward money will generate additional tips. The higher reward amount will only be paid if the tip is submitted before the next case is featured.
The Texas Ranger Unsolved Crimes Investigation Program was created to assist Texas law enforcement agencies investigating unsolved murders or violent serial crimes. Since there is no statute of limitations for the offense of murder, investigators pursue these cases to a successful resolution or until no viable leads remain.
