Dallas and Plano Detectives Solve Child Sexual Assault Cold Case

The Dallas and Plano police departments teamed up to solve an over 30-year-old child sexual assault case and it led to the assailant's conviction.

The Dallas Police Department announced the effort in a Thursday press release. According to the release, on Aug. 15, 1991, an 8-year-old child was kidnapped by a stranger in Plano while walking with a friend to their community swimming pool.

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The child was then sexually abused by the stranger over the course of several hours before being released 20 miles away from her home. The Plano Police Department investigated, but the case was never solved.

Evidence collected during that investigation was maintained at SWIFS in Dallas. In 2004, a DNA profile for the perpetrator was developed and put into CODIS.

While a suspect had not yet been identified, the profile matched an unsolved case in Dallas that involved a 9-year-old child who was kidnapped and sexually abused before being released approximately 40 miles away from her home.

In 2023, Plano Detective Aaron Benzick came across a newspaper article about the case and reached out to Dallas Detective Elizabeth DeAngelis. The two decided to solve the case using the Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy.

The technique required Benzick to interview countless individuals and obtain numerous DNA profiles to develop a suspect. At the same time, DeAngelis worked through massive amounts of evidence to find viable sources of suspect DNA.

These efforts led to the identification of a suspect named Nicholas Carney, who was living in Dallas area at the time of the offenses. He also drove the vehicles described by the victims and matched the description forensic sketch artists compiled from their statements.

Additional investigative work and evidence led to confirmation that Carney was the subject. He was arrested, tried, and eventually convicted of the crimes. As of Jan. 15, he was sentenced to life in prison.