WACO, Texas (KXXV) — A 27-year-old murder mystery is being looked at once again through the lens of advancements in technology, renewed cold case initiatives and continued supportive efforts by the victim's daughter.
What the story here:
On September 1, 1999, the body of Johnnie C. Black, 54, was discovered inside his home located at 1804 Seneca Avenue in Waco by neighbors. Black had been stabbed multiple times, according to Waco Police and they said little to no evidence had been collected in reference to his death at the time.
Black was last seen by nearby neighbors the day before, according to Waco Police.
Detective Francisco Reyes is over the WPD's Cold Case Unit and referred to the murder as “very gruesome."
“He was brutally murdered and it appears he put up a good fight for his life. So that’s one of the things that stands out to me — also the fact that the house was ransacked. It was as if someone was looking for something in that house," said Detective Reyes.
During all this time, there have been no arrests and no suspects, and Detective Reyes said at the time of Black’s death, the department exhausted all efforts to find out why and who did it and eventually the case went cold.
One of Black’s children, Jamantha Rhaburn, never stopped pushing for answers even now as she lives over a thousand miles away in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“I’ve always called the Waco Police Department and I’ve checked on him every year" she said.
During her interview with 25 News' Bobby Poitevint, it was clear memories of seeing her father’s lifeless body still haunted her all of these years later.
Tearfully she said, “he looked like a monster. I knew that was my dad and then all the hope of him not being dead, that he was just missing or something, was gone.”
“Nobody, nobody deserved what happened to my father" she added.
But the plot of this story thickens as Jamantha questions some of her own family members' involvement in her father’s murder — something not going unnoticed by Detective Reyes.
When Bobby asked if family members were being looked at in this case, he responded “we’re gonna look at everybody.”
Renewed efforts both from the police department and Jamantha is putting the case back in the spotlight.
Jamantha has put up two billboards in Waco with her father’s picture on it along with the Waco Crime Stoppers phone number on them for people to call in with tips and information.
Detective Reyes said in recent years the department has renewed their efforts to solve cold cases by prioritized them according to their likelihood of solvability.
The department is currently working down their list of 144 cold case murders and currently at number 2, according to Detective Reyes.
Black's case sits at number 74.
Black’s case hasn’t officially been reopened yet but the detective said thanks to Jamantha’s push for justice and advancements in technology over the last three decades, answers in Black's case could be closer than we know.
“Looking at this case, I was able to see a lot of evidence in this and we can retest and I’ve since sent off some items to be retested to see if we can find a suspect’s DNA profile" he said.
Detective Reyes said it could be a few months before we have any results back.
“My thoughts to the public and Ms. Rhaburn are never to give up as you can see that she’s never given up" said Detective Reyes.
“Has to be seen. Has to be heard and maybe just maybe somebody out there knows something — will call in from one of those billboards or even this interview," said Jamantha.
In the meantime, you can report an anonymous tip to Waco Crime Stoppers.
That number is 254-753-HELP.
If your tip leads to an arrest you could receive a reward of up to $2,000.
