DNA Match Leads to Arrest in 1993 Murder of Dallas Woman Tommie Davis
DALLAS - More than three decades after 55-year-old Tommie Davis was found beaten and slashed to death inside her Dallas home, DNA evidence has led police to a suspect and a capital murder charge.
Gary Len Ross, 56, was arrested Oct. 2 in connection with Davis' May 18, 1993, killing, according to the Dallas Police Department.
Davis was found dead inside her residence in the 1500 block of Haskell Avenue. Police said she had been beaten with a 2-by-4 and slashed with a knife.
At the time, investigators had few leads. Police found minor damage to the home's front door and determined that some items were missing, but the case eventually went cold.
Thirty-two years later, Dallas police Detective Andrea Isom began taking another look at the evidence.
Isom submitted several items for new forensic testing. One of them produced a significant development: blood found on a wall inside Davis' home did not belong to her.
Investigators obtained a DNA profile from the blood and entered it into the Combined DNA Index System, or CODIS. Police said the profile matched a person identified in the system as Tommy Lynn Jones.
Detectives subsequently determined that Tommy Lynn Jones was an alias used by Ross.
Police said Isom continued building the case using the DNA evidence, Ross' connection to Davis and evidence concerning the manner in which Davis was killed. An arrest warrant was eventually obtained, and Ross was taken into custody Oct. 2.
Dallas County Jail records continue to list Ross under the name Tommy Jones. The jail lists his charge as capital murder by terror threat/other felony and shows a $500,000 bond. Jail records also indicate he is being held for Special Programs/Electronic Monitoring.
The Dallas Police Department identified the defendant as Gary Len Ross and said Tommy Lynn Jones was an alias he had used.
"The Dallas Police Department is committed to pursuing justice in every case, no matter how much time has passed," Major Bobbie Epperson of the department's CAPERS Unit said. "Detective Isom's meticulous and persistent work exemplifies the dedication of our CAPERS Unit."
Police have not disclosed the nature of Ross' connection to Davis, what investigators believe led to her killing or why blood believed to be from the suspect was left inside the home.
The case remains under investigation under case number 19930383386. Anyone with information can contact Detective Isom at 214-671-3701 or andrea.isom@dallaspolice.gov.
