Episode 226

full
Published on:

13th Jan 2026

The Man in the Parking Lot: Who Killed Carla Walker?

In 1974, Carla Walker was taken from a Fort Worth parking lot, leaving behind a 46-year mystery that haunted Tarrant County for generations. This true crime podcast will tell you how a "failure of technology" was finally overcome by cutting-edge genetic genealogy to identify a killer hiding in plain sight. And you wouldn't believe where he was.


00:00 Introduction: A 46-Year Failure of Technology

00:59 The Shadow over Tarrant County

02:59 Who Was Carla Walker?

05:37 The Night of the Abduction

13:18 Carla is Found

18:59 A Person of Interest Is Questioned

22:30 McCurley's Alibi

24:54 Theories & Urban Legends

25:28 Someone Confesses

27:23 Decades Pass

29:20 Genetic Genealogy

30:54 Trash Collected

32:24 Where Was the Murder Weapon?

32:44 McCurley Arrested

33:56 McCurley Talks to a Radio Station

35:45 The Trial

36:49 The Plea

37:44 The Sentencing

39:00 How You Can Help Solve Cold Cases

39:52 Remembering Carla


Sources


Newspaper Archives from the 1974-2023 Fort Worth Star-Telegram


Texas Court of Appeals Opinion (FindLaw)

🔗 https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/tx-court-of-appeals/2184558.html


NBCDFW – DNA Links McCurley to Carla Walker

🔗 https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/fort-worth-pd-announces-arrest-in-1974-cold-case-murder-of-carla-walker/2448016/


NBCDFW – McCurley Pleads Guilty, Gets Life

🔗 https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/fort-worth-man-pleads-guilty-to-killing-cold-case-victim-carla-walker-in-1974/2726271/


Police1 – How 2 Detectives Solved Cold Case

🔗 https://www.police1.com/investigations/articles/how-2-texas-detectives-made-arrest-in-cold-case-murder-46-years-later-ggXGAUePikjjvnXW/


Othram Labs / DNASolves – Carla Walker Case Summary

🔗 https://dnasolves.com/articles/carla_walker/


Wikipedia – Murder of Carla Walker

🔗 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Carla_Walker


Oxygen – Dateline: Carla Walker Retrospective

🔗 https://www.oxygen.com/dateline-unforgettable/crime-news/texas-teen-carla-walker-abducted-killed-by-glen-mccurley


DNASolves – Main Site

🔗 https://dnasolves.com/


GEDmatch – Genetic Genealogy Database Used in Case

🔗 https://www.gedmatch.com/




#CarlaWalker #FortWorth #TrueCrime #ColdCase #geneticgenealogy

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Kristine W

Lover of true crime, scary stories, horror films, and ghost hunting. Kristine is a down-to-earth, opinionated, smart-mouthed Gen X'er who enjoys sharing these stories with you.