Texas Rangers Double Their Cold Case Team to Pursue Unsolved Murders and Assaults

A Major Expansion for an Already Proven Program

For the families of murder victims and sexual assault survivors who have waited years — sometimes decades — for justice, the Texas Department of Public Safety delivered significant news on June 17. The Texas Rangers' Unsolved Crimes Investigation (UCIP/Cold Case) Program, a specialized unit dedicated to solving cold case murders and sexual assaults across the state, is officially expanding. And this isn't a modest tweak — it's a full doubling of the team's size.

Under Senate Bill 1, passed by the Texas Legislature and signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott, the department was awarded funding to support new positions under the Texas Rangers' Cold Case Program — bringing the number of personnel assigned to this specialized unit to 17 Rangers and three support staff. Previously, each of the state's six Texas Ranger companies had only a single Ranger dedicated to cold cases. This expansion adds a second dedicated cold case investigator to each company, fundamentally doubling localized field support.

Decades of Work, Hundreds of Cases Cracked

The Texas Department of Public Safety said the unit has solved more than 300 cold cases since its inception in 2001. That track record makes the program one of the most productive of its kind in the country. The program has helped solve over 300 cases, including more than 156 sexual assaults since the SAKI program was launched in 2020, and has also helped uncover the identities of a dozen unidentified human remains since 2020.

The SAKI program, funded by the Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance, provides investigative funding to help agencies pursue unsolved sexual assaults and sexually related homicide investigations. The addition of a second staff lieutenant provides supervisory oversight for the expanded unit and bolsters the SAKI program, with two Rangers specifically dedicated to this statewide initiative, which focuses on clearing backlogs and pursuing unsolved sexual assaults or sexually related homicides. The real-world results speak for themselves: the program helped lead to an arrest in the 1986 cold case murder of 16-year-old Deanna Ogg in Montgomery County, and after decades of investigation, a suspect was identified and arrested in Mexico City.

Why Rural Texas Stands to Benefit Most

Rural counties and smaller municipal departments often lack the dedicated manpower, budget, or advanced forensic resources required to keep momentum on stalled investigations, and they heavily rely on the Rangers to step in — meaning doubling the team makes specialized help much closer and more accessible for local detectives. This is not a problem unique to Texas, but the scale of the state — 254 counties spanning nearly 270,000 square miles — makes the challenge especially acute.

Texas Ranger Division Chief Scotty Shiver framed the expansion in terms of accountability. "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 forensic science and technology continue to advance, so will our ability to make a bigger impact in our state." 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.

Public Tips Are Part of the Strategy

As part of a DPS public awareness program, one case from the website is featured bi-monthly to generate new investigative leads, and Texas Crime Stoppers rewards are increased to up to $6,000 for featured cases — though the higher reward is only paid if the tip is submitted before the next cold case is featured. It's a smart, community-driven approach that recognizes one of law enforcement's oldest truths: someone out there almost always knows something.

With more Rangers in the field, better forensic tools, and a legislature that has now put real money behind the mission, the program is positioned to pursue a growing backlog of unsolved crimes with renewed force. For families who have spent years — or lifetimes — wondering if justice will ever come, the expansion of this unit means the answer is more likely than ever to be yes.