The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office is seeking information and Public assistance with a Cold Case.”Mr. X” is the nickname given to a murder victim discovered on a farm near Cleburne, Johnson County, Texas in 1972. The motive for his murder was possibly out of retaliation
After investigating the presence of carrion-seeking birds, a farmer located the victim’s body in a wooded portion of his property. The unidentified male had been shot twice with a .25 caliber pistol; the cause of death was determined to be a wound to his chest. No clothing was observed on the remains or at the scene. Early investigation proved difficult, as the remains were severely damaged from scavenging animals, and some portions of his body were not recovered. Law Enforcement was able to infer that “Mr. X” had possibly not died at the scene and instead at a separate crime scene, as no spent casings were recorded to be where the body was. All of his fingerprints were taken, yet they were not able to confirm who he was. The decedent was later buried in a pauper’s grave at the Rosehill Cemetery, after efforts to identify him failed.
About twenty years later, a reporter for a local newspaper met with a man who claimed the murder was the work of “drug dealers,” motivated by a need for retaliation. In August 2013, Mr. X was exhumed for further analysis and DNA collection, which yielded an incomplete file for comparison. It was discovered he was considerably younger than what was originally believed. His age approximation was revised to the range of 16 to 24. A low-quality approximation was included with the re-release of information, which was heavily based on the victim’s postmortem photograph.
If you have any information concerning the case of “Mr. X” we ask that you contact the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Unit at coldcase@johnsoncountytx.org or by phone at 817-556-6058.
More Stories
Looking for information on Angel Baby Doe