AUSTIN, Texas — Advances in forensic technology have helped identify the man responsible for the 1997 killing of Gloria Ann Covington, bringing an end to a nearly 30-year-old cold case, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
DPS said the Texas Rangers, the Amarillo Police Department and the DPS Crime Laboratory Division used modern DNA testing techniques to link Jimmy Dale McClinton to evidence collected during Covington’s original autopsy.
DPS said McClinton was responsible for death
According to DPS, investigators determined McClinton was responsible for Covington’s death after the DNA match was confirmed.
DPS said McClinton died at the age of 81 before the case could be presented to a grand jury. Because of his death, no criminal charges were filed, and the investigation has been closed, they said.
The department credited the work of the Texas Rangers, Amarillo police investigators and forensic scientists with helping solve the decades-old case through advances in DNA technology.
DPS said the case highlights the continued value of forensic science in resolving cold cases and providing answers to victims’ families after many years.