Texas Rangers Double Their Cold Case Unit to Pursue Hundreds of Unsolved Crimes

A Major Expansion Decades in the Making

For the families of murder and sexual assault victims who have waited years — sometimes decades — for answers, help is now doubling. The Texas Department of Public Safety announced on June 17 that it is dramatically expanding the Texas Rangers' Unsolved Crimes Investigation Program, better known as the Cold Case Program, in what officials are calling one of the most significant upgrades to the unit since its founding.

The expansion doubles the size of the specialized unit, bringing it to 17 Rangers and three support staff members. Under the expansion, each of the Texas Rangers' six companies will receive an additional Ranger dedicated to cold case investigations — previously, each company had only one Ranger assigned to investigate unsolved murders and sexual assaults. That's a meaningful shift in capacity for a state as vast and populous as Texas.

Funded by the Legislature, Built on a Proven Track Record

The expansion comes after Texas lawmakers passed Senate Bill 1 in June 2025, which provided funding to create several new positions in the program, including one additional Texas Ranger specializing in cold case investigations assigned to each of the six Texas Ranger companies across the state. The additional positions were funded through Senate Bill 1, which was passed by the Texas Legislature and signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott last year.

Created by the 77th Texas Legislature in 2001, the Texas Rangers' Cold Case Program provides Texas law enforcement agencies with a process for investigating unsolved murders or what appears to be serial or linked criminal events. Since there is no statute of limitations on the offense of murder, the state has the moral and statutory obligation to pursue these cases to a successful resolution, or until no other viable lead remains. That legal and ethical foundation has driven the program for nearly a quarter century — and the numbers back it up.

The Texas Rangers' Cold Case Program has helped solve over 300 cases, including more than 156 sexual assaults since the SAKI program was launched in 2020. The program has also helped uncover the identities of a dozen unidentified human remains since 2020.

Sexual Assault Cases Get a Closer Look

The department is also adding a second Staff Lieutenant to supervise the growing unit and assist with the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative, a federally funded program that provides investigative support for unsolved sexual assault and sexually related homicide cases. The initiative, funded by the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance, provides investigative funding to agencies nationwide working unsolved sexual assault and sexually related homicide cases.

Rangers assigned to the unit also work with agencies to apply advanced DNA testing and other forensic techniques to long-unsolved cases. This combination of expanded manpower and evolving forensic tools is central to what officials believe will make the program significantly more effective going forward.

What This Means for Victims' Families

Texas Ranger Division Chief Scotty Shiver framed the expansion in deeply personal terms. "For nearly 25 years, the Texas Rangers Cold Case Program has helped partner law enforcement agencies bring justice to victims and their families in every corner of Texas," Shiver said. "The expansion of this program is a testament to the Rangers' success in working alongside investigators and forensic scientists to identify and arrest criminals who, sometimes for many years, have believed they have gotten away with committing some of the most heinous crimes."

As part of a DPS public awareness effort, one case from the program's website is featured bi-monthly to generate new investigative leads. Texas Crime Stoppers rewards are increased to up to $6,000 for featured cases to generate additional tips, though the higher reward is only paid if the tip is submitted before the next cold case is featured. For communities across Texas, the message from state officials is clear: no unsolved case is forgotten, and the Rangers are now better equipped than ever to prove it.