Tarrant County Cold Case Breakthroughs Identify 1986 Murder Victim and Two Unclaimed Decedents

FORT WORTH, Texas — Advanced forensic genetic genealogy and re-examined fingerprint evidence have resolved three decades-old cold cases in Tarrant County, identifying a 1986 homicide victim and two long-unidentified decedents recovered in 1986 and 2000, officials with the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office (TCME) announced.

The breakthroughs, conducted in partnership with the Fort Worth Police Department (FWPD) and supported by federal grant funding, have reopened an active murder investigation and prompted a public appeal to locate the next of kin for two newly identified individuals.

1986 Homicide Victim Identified Through Genetic Genealogy

The TCME has conclusively identified a woman found murdered nearly 40 years ago as 36-year-old Brenda Darnell McLerran (Smith), born February 23, 1950.

Early on the morning of February 24, 1986, police discovered McLerran's body in the 1300 block of Kuroki Street, near Hillside Park in Fort Worth. An autopsy determined she had died from strangulation, but investigators were unable to establish her identity at the time, and the case eventually went cold.

In 2025, TCME investigators submitted preserved biological material from the victim to Othram, Inc., a private forensic laboratory specializing in genetic genealogy. Genealogical analysis led investigators to Floyd Ray McLerran, who reported that his sister, Brenda, had disappeared in the mid-1980s after hitchhiking toward Dallas.

After Mr. McLerran provided a reference DNA sample, the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification (UNTCHI) confirmed on July 29, 2026, that the victim and Mr. McLerran shared a biological sibling relationship.

With her identity established, FWPD’s Homicide Unit is actively pursuing lead information to identify her killer. Anyone with information regarding the 1986 homicide of Brenda Darnell McLerran (Smith) is urged to contact FWPD at (817) 392-4330.

Fingerprint Analysis Resolves 1986 and 2000 Unidentified Cases

In addition to the homicide identification, routine and advanced fingerprint re-examinations by TCME analysts successfully resolved two additional cold cases involving unclaimed individuals:

• Jose Francisco Reyes Ortega (1986): Recovered on October 16, 1986, Ortega was born April 11, 1956. Working alongside FWPD, TCME analysts retrieved archived evidence—including preserved digits removed during the original autopsy—and utilized a specialized Mikrosil casting technique to reconstruct high-resolution friction ridge detail. A subsequent automated database search yielded a positive match. Ortega has no known next of kin on record (Unclaimed Person No. UCP156027).

• Ciro Estrada Hernandez (2000): Discovered on August 18, 2000, Hernandez was born July 16, 1969. As part of TCME’s protocol to periodically resubmit unsolved fingerprint files into expanding state and national databases, analysts processed Hernandez's records, resulting in a database match linked to an archived criminal history record in California. Hernandez has no known next of kin on record (Unclaimed Person No. UCP158233).

Federal Support and Public Request for Next of Kin

The investigative work was funded in part by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) Missing and Unidentified Human Remains Program, a federal initiative supporting local and state agencies in resolving cold case identities.

Both Ortega and Hernandez have been formally entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) Unclaimed Persons database. Authorities urge anyone with information regarding surviving family members or next of kin for either Jose Francisco Reyes Ortega or Ciro Estrada Hernandez to contact the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office at (817) 920-5700.