October 05, 2026
COLD CASE CRACKED: Dallas police arrest suspect in 1993 murder of Tommie Davis, 32 years later
Headline card by The Night Desk
COLD CASE CRACKED: Dallas police arrest suspect in 1993 murder of Tommie Davis, 32 years later
Dallas police have arrested a 56-year-old man in the 1993 murder of Tommie Davis — a case that sat cold for 32 years until blood on a wall told investigators the truth.
The 1993 murder
On May 18, 1993, 55-year-old Tommie Davis was found murdered inside her residence in the 1500 block of Haskell Avenue in Dallas. She had been beaten with a board and slashed with a knife. The only investigative leads were minor damage to the front door and some missing items.
With nothing left to pursue, the investigation was archived as a cold case.
The breakthrough
Decades later, Detective Isom of the Dallas Police Department reopened the investigation and submitted preserved evidence for forensic testing. The lab found that blood on a wall inside the Dallas home did not belong to Davis. A DNA profile developed from that blood was entered into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) — and it matched a man identified as "Tommy Lynn Jones."
Investigators determined that "Tommy Lynn Jones" was an alias used by 56-year-old Gary Len Ross. Through evidence including Ross's connection to Davis and the manner in which she was killed, Detective Isom obtained an arrest warrant.
The arrest
Ross was arrested and booked into the Lew Sterrett Justice Center on a capital murder charge, police announced over the weekend. The investigation remains ongoing.
"The Dallas Police Department is committed to pursuing justice in every case, no matter how much time has passed," said Major Bobbie Epperson of the department's CAPERS Unit. "Detective Isom's meticulous and persistent work exemplifies the dedication of our CAPERS Unit. We hope this arrest brings a measure of closure to Ms. Davis's family and serves as a reminder that justice will always be pursued."
Gary Len Ross has been charged but not convicted. All suspects are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Story by The Night Desk. Source: Dallas Police Department, FOX 4 News.
Source: Dallas Police Department / FOX 4 News — read the original report
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