Students in new course crack 34-year-old murder case
Students in The University of Texas at Arlington’s Criminology and Criminal Justice Department have helped Arlington Police Department detectives break a 34-year-old homicide cold case.
Earlier this week, at a joint APD-UTA press conference, police announced an arrest was made on Nov. 6 in connection to the 1991 murder of Cynthia Gonzalez—one of three cold cases being reviewed this fall by 15 students in Patricia Eddings’ new cold case course.
On Sept. 17, 1991, 25-year-old Gonzalez was reported missing by her ex-husband. Five days later, police received reports of a deceased woman found in rural Johnson County, later confirmed to be Gonzalez. Detectives pursued numerous leads through the years, but never made an arrest.
“I was extremely shocked when the detectives told us an arrest had been made; it made me so happy to hear,” said Jenna Lewis, a senior criminology and criminal justice and biology double-major. “When we first started working on this case and learning about the victim, a fire was lit in me. We just wanted to solve this case so badly for the victim and her family. Our whole class is extremely proud we were able to help them get answers and help them out in this way.”
All the students spent class time, and often for hours before and after, reviewing their assigned case file in groups, which included witness statements, evidence and crime scene photos, and police and detective reports. They worked closely with APD detectives in hopes of finding new leads to bring closure to families long seeking answers.
NATIONAL COVERAGE:
- NBC Nightly News: Students help break cold case in Texas
- NBC News Now: Top Story with Tom Llamas
- NBC News: College students help police make arrest in 1991 cold case murder investigation
ADDITIONAL COVERAGE:
- WFAA: Arlington police break 34-year old cold case of young mother shot dead with help of UTA students
- CBS News: The disappearance and murder of Cynthia Gonzalez: UTA students help crack 34-year-old Arlington murder case
- NBC5: UTA students help Arlington detectives make arrest in 34-year-old cold case
- FOX4: Arrest made in 1991 Arlington murder cold case following partnership with UTA students
- The Dallas Morning News: Arlington police make arrest in 1991 slaying with help of UTA criminal justice students
- Fort Worth Star-Telegram: UTA students helped solve 34-year-old Arlington cold case murder, police say
“It makes me tremendously proud to see my students do something like this. I can’t express in words how proud I am,” said Eddings, distinguished senior lecturer and director of the forensic applications of science and technology minor. “I’ve watched my students absorb so much and work very closely with detectives to help bring justice to these victims.”
During Monday’s press conference, Arlington Chief of Police Al Jones expressed his gratitude to Eddings and her students for the effort they put into breaking the case.
“When we launched our partnership with UTA, we always hoped that we’d get a moment like this,” Jones said. “I want to thank the students for their work and their dedication to this case—you helped us get here. I also want to thank Professor Eddings and UTA for embracing this program. I hope we get more of these types of endings in the future.”
APD and UTA will continue their partnership, and the course will be offered again to students pursuing a forensic science minor next semester.
“Partnerships like what we have just seen are at the very core of the mission of the University,” said Rebecca Deen, senior associate dean for the College of Liberal Arts. “For our students to be able to experience this real-world training through our collaboration with APD had been life-changing for them. Most importantly, the victim's family finally has answers.”
About The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA)
Celebrating its 130th anniversary in 2025, The University of Texas at Arlington is a growing public research university in the heart of the thriving Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. With a student body of over 42,700, UTA is the second-largest institution in the University of Texas System, offering more than 180 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Recognized as a Carnegie R-1 university, UTA stands among the nation’s top 5% of institutions for research activity. UTA and its 280,000 alumni generate an annual economic impact of $28.8 billion for the state. The University has received the Innovation and Economic Prosperity designation from the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities and has earned recognition for its focus on student access and success, considered key drivers to economic growth and social progress for North Texas and beyond.