Unsolved Murder Case From 1976 Finally Solved After 48 Years

Amarillo Police Department has finally identified the attacker from a murder case in 1976, but, after 48 years, the individual has already died and cannot be prosecuted.

The 1976 Murder of Barbara Ann Garcia

On December 14, 1976, 21-year-old Barbara Ann Garcia was home alone in Amarillo with her five-month-old daughter. At some point during the day, a man broke into the house and brutally murdered Garcia, leaving her lifeless body in the backyard.

It wasn't until over 23 hours later that Garcia was found, meaning her infant daughter was left alone for nearly a full day.

Detectives and authorities did what they could at the time with the technology available to them, but they were unable to gather provable evidence to make any accusations.

Lt. James Clements, Amarillo police officer who oversees the cold case unit, remarked that, after such a long period of time, the case was reopened multiple times with each effort being unsuccessful.

Garcia's daughter, Natosha, said that she learned the truth about her mother when she was 12. She also expressed her anger that whoever killed her mom never paid for his crime and was able to live out his life like normal.

Current Efforts

August of this year saw a breakthrough within the Cold Case Unit. A DNA match was finally found after nearly half of a century from a pair of shoes from 1976. The DNA belonged to one Billy Gene Cummings from Arizona who had already died several years ago.

Amarillo PD was praised for their efforts, but the family expressed frustration in not being able to confront the person who changed their lives forever that fateful day.

The full coverage from the Amarillo Police Department can be seen below.