An arrest was finally made in the 1993 cold case involving a woman who was brutally stabbed and beaten to death inside her home. Dallas Police say the DNA evidence that was collected from the scene over 30 years ago brought them one step closer to solving the murder and closing out yet another decades-old cold case.
Case Ran Cold
Tommie Davis, 55, was found inside her home in the 1500 block of Haskell Avenue on May 18, 1993, slashed with a knife and beaten to death with a 2×4. An autopsy of the victim revealed that she suffered from multiple fractures to various parts of the body, including the skull, ribs, and face. She was also found to have multiple stab wounds.
The only evidence from the scene was damage to the front door, indicating someone forced their way in, and a few missing items. There were also broken vases and debris scattered around the home, and blood splattered on the door and walls.
The Dallas Police Department (DPD) announced over the weekend that it used evidence found at the scene to make an arrest after originally closing the case because there were too few clues at the time.
After 33 years of investigation and technological advancement, a detective with the DPD was able to run a blood sample that they obtained from the walls of the victim’s home and used the results to track down Davis’ alleged killer.
The DPD released a statement to social media explaining the case went cold because “the only investigative leads were minor damage to the front door and some missing items.” They said, “With little else to pursue, the investigation was archived as a cold case.”
Blood Sample Testing
It was not until Dallas Police Detective Andrea Isom started looking at the decades-old cold case in 2025 and thought to enter a blood sample taken from the crime scene into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), which is the FBI’s national database used to store, compare, and exchange DNA profiles and track down offenders involved in violent crimes.
The blood sample came back with a positive hit for a former suspect, “Tommy Lynn Jones,” who they allegedly discovered was an alias name used by 56-year-old Gary Len Ross. “A break in the cold case occurred when it was discovered that blood located on a wall inside the residence did not belong to Ms. Davis,” police said.
Arrest Three Decades Later
Authorities took Ross into custody, where he allegedly admitted during an interview with police that he was inside Davis’ home days prior to her brutal murder. However, he denied involvement in her death and maintains his innocence.
Despite his innocent plea, and with “evidence including Ross’s connection to Ms. Davis, as well as the manner in which she was killed, Detective Isom was able to obtain an arrest warrant, and Ross was arrested on Saturday, October 2, 2026.
“The facts and circumstances surrounding this incident are currently being investigated,” Dallas Police said Saturday. Ross has been officially charged with capital murder and is being held at the Lew Sterrett Justice Center in Dallas, Texas.
Dedicated To Solving The Case
Dallas Police have made a significant break in the case of Davis’ murder, and intend to see it through until justice is fully served. “The Dallas Police Department is committed to pursuing justice in every case, no matter how much time has passed,” Major Bobbie Epperson of the Dallas Police Department’s CAPERS Unit said in a statement.
“Detective Isom’s meticulous and persistent work exemplifies the dedication of our CAPERS Unit. We hope this arrest brings a measure of closure to Ms. Davis’s family and serves as a reminder that justice will always be pursued.”
Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact Detective Isom at 214-671-3701 or at andrea.isom@dallaspolice.gov.
