AUSTIN – The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) is seeking information in the 1987 murder of Veronica Taylor. The reward for information leading to the arrest of those responsible for her death is now increased to $6,000 if the tip is received before the next featured Texas Rangers cold case is announced. Anyone with information in this case is asked to please come forward.

On the morning of March 26, 1987, the body of a 13-year-old female with blunt force trauma was found in a snow-covered field adjacent to FM 1729 in eastern Lubbock Co. The victim, later identified as Taylor, was a sixth-grade student at Murfee Elementary in Lubbock and had last been seen alive leaving a relative’s apartment the night before.

 

Funded by the Governor’s Public Safety Office, Texas Crime Stoppers offers cash rewards to any person who provides information that leads to the arrest of those responsible for any Texas Rangers cold case listed on the DPS website – which provides information on more than 140 cases in an effort to garner public interest in unsolved or cold cases.

To be eligible for cash rewards, tipsters MUST provide information to authorities using one of the following three methods:

• Call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477).
• Submit a web tip through the Texas Rangers’ Cold Case website by selecting the victim’s name you have information about.
• Call the Missing Persons Hotline at 1-800-346-3243. Your information will be forwarded to the Texas Ranger assigned to this case.

All tips are anonymous — regardless of how they are submitted — and tipsters will be provided a tip number instead of using a name.

As part of a DPS public awareness program, one case from the Texas Ranger Unsolved Crimes Investigation (Cold Case) Program will be featured bi-monthly in an effort to generate new investigative leads and bring attention to these cold cases. Texas Crime Stoppers rewards are increased up to $6,000 for featured cases in hopes of generating additional tips. The higher reward amount will only be paid if the tip is submitted before the next cold case is featured.

The Texas Ranger Unsolved Crimes Investigation Program was created to assist Texas law enforcement agencies investigating unsolved homicides or violent serial crimes. Since there is no statute of limitations for the offense of murder, investigators pursue these cases to a successful resolution or until no viable leads remain.