TX Cheryl Ann Callaway, 18, Arlington, 30 January 1974

[snakefinger]

Arlington Daily News Archives, Jan 31, 1974, p. 1

Clues few in murder
Arlington police were working with few clues this morning in the brutal murder of Cheryl Ann Callaway, 18, about 8 p.m. Wednesday in the west parking lot of Forum 303 shopping mall. Miss Callaway, of 224 Skylark, was dead on arrival at 8:30 p.m. at Arlington Memorial Hospital with at least 51 stab wounds in her neck and body.

<modsnip - snipped for copyright, see link>

 

[snakefinger]

This link has pictures of Ms. Callaway as well as her headstone. I noticed when looking at the Arlington Police Department cold case page that they have her last name spelled as "Calloway". The headstone clearly shows that they are in error.
Cheryl Ann Callaway (1955-1974) - Find A Grave...

There is also a "Gone Cold" podcast that was created relatively recently.

 

[JudgeJoe]

This link has pictures of Ms. Callaway as well as her headstone. I noticed when looking at the Arlington Police Department cold case page that they have her last name spelled as "Calloway". The headstone clearly shows that they are in error.
Cheryl Ann Callaway (1955-1974) - Find A Grave...

There is also a "Gone Cold" podcast that was created relatively recently.

The podcast description:
“One detective called the slaying of Cheryl Ann Callaway “the most vicious murder in Arlington’s history.” On January 30th, 1974, just months before she was to be married, 18-year-old Cheryl’s life was taken. The murder was brutal and unimaginable, and the killer, it seemed, came out of nowhere. No one who knew Cheryl could imagine who would have a reason to kill the young women; she had no enemies. Revelations in the case eventually came but either it was too late, evidence to support the new leads was scarce, or detectives working the case just didn’t buy it. After many lines of investigation, including inquiries into several well-known and lesser-known killers, Cheryl’s case went cold and remains unsolved.”
Listen to the gone cold podcast - texas true crime Episode - The Murder of Cheryl Ann Callaway at the Forum 303 Mall on iHeartRadio | iHeartRadio

 

[JudgeJoe]

Cheryl was planning her wedding, scheduled for June 8, 1974. She went to the shopping mall to purchase a birthday gift for her fiance, whose birthday was Jan 31st. So she was murdered the night before her fiance’s birthday, and 4 months before their marriage. Very sad.

 

[JudgeJoe]

According to the podcast, Cheryl went to a car wash before going to the mall. There, she had an argument with a man that grew so heated she splashed water on his car. The incident was so upsetting that Cheryl later described the incident to a friend she unexpectedly saw at the mall. Witnesses saw a man pacing in an agitated manner outside the Montgomery Ward entrance to the mall- near where Cheryl had parked her car. Witnesses saw a man attack Cheryl as she was getting into her car. She was struck repeatedly as the man tried to force her into his own black-over-white car. The witnesses ran inside to call LE. When they went back out to the parking lot to get the license plate, Cheryl lay on the ground, waist-length hair soaked in blood. Her attacker did not take her keys, car, purse, or money. She was not sexually assaulted or molested. He left behind the icepick he used to stab her 48 times. LE has 1 print on the top of the car believed to be the killer’s.

I wonder if LE ever took scrapings under her nails. She fought like h*ll against abduction- seems like she would have grabbed hair or scratched him or secured other evidence. Maybe time to re-examine evidence for trace DNA that doesn’t belong to her. I hope LE is doing that. Mo

 

[snakefinger]

According to the podcast, Cheryl went to a car wash before going to the mall. There, she had an argument with a man that grew so heated she splashed water on his car. The incident was so upsetting that Cheryl later described the incident to a friend she unexpectedly saw at the mall. Witnesses saw a man pacing in an agitated manner outside the Montgomery Ward entrance to the mall- near where Cheryl had parked her car. Witnesses saw a man attack Cheryl as she was getting into her car. She was struck repeatedly as the man tried to force her into his own black-over-white car. The witnesses ran inside to call LE. When they went back out to the parking lot to get the license plate, Cheryl lay on the ground, waist-length hair soaked in blood. Her attacker did not take her keys, car, purse, or money. She was not sexually assaulted or molested. He left behind the icepick he used to stab her 48 times. LE has 1 print on the top of the car believed to be the killer’s.

I wonder if LE ever took scrapings under her nails. She fought like h*ll against abduction- seems like she would have grabbed hair or scratched him or secured other evidence. Maybe time to re-examine evidence for trace DNA that doesn’t belong to her. I hope LE is doing that. Mo

I mentioned this cold case on the Othram - General Discussion thread. Othram is the lab that assisted in the recently solved Carla Walker case. The owner thanked me so hopefully they are able to do something with this one.

 

[JudgeJoe]

I mentioned this cold case on the Othram - General Discussion thread. Othram is the lab that assisted in the recently solved Carla Walker case. The owner thanked me so hopefully they are able to do something with this one.

I’m glad you brought the case to WS. I love seeing these horrific cold cases solved & these scumb@gs who think they’re scott-free finally behind bars. I hope Cheryl still has family around to see justice served.

 

[othram]

I mentioned this cold case on the Othram - General Discussion thread. Othram is the lab that assisted in the recently solved Carla Walker case. The owner thanked me so hopefully they are able to do something with this one.

We are trying to reach out!

 

[Richard]

[URL='https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/21579932/cheryl-ann-callaway#'][/URL]
Cheryl Ann Callaway
BIRTH 6 Aug 1955
Tarrant County, Texas, USA
DEATH 30 Jan 1974 (aged 18)
Arlington, Tarrant County, Texas, USA
BURIAL
Oak Grove Cemetery
Walnut Springs, Bosque County, Texas, USA

LINK:

Cheryl Ann Callaway (1955-1974) - Find A Grave...

 

[annemc2]

She's still listed on the Arlington Police Department site:
Cold Cases

I remember reading about this on a group facebook page for Arlington not too long ago. There were lots of comments, many from people who knew her. One post had 360 comments! The group is called "Remember in Arlington, TX when...." if anyone wants to check it out.

 

[Dylansmom08]

Just based on what has been posted here as I haven't heard of this case before but in my opinion the person she got into an argument with at the car wash should be number one suspect. Hopefully with all the new technology out there for solving these cases there can be some progress made after all these years. I hope her family gets the justice that is so long overdue.

 

[dotr]

Jan 30, 2024
50 years ago an 18-year-old Arlington woman was stabbed dozens of times and killed just months before her wedding. Decades later, there's little evidence and few leads. NBC 5's Allie Spillyards has the story.

By Allie Spillyards • Published January 30, 2024 rbbm​

50 years later, still no answers in stabbing death of Arlington woman

50 years ago an 18-year-old Arlington woman was stabbed dozens of times and killed just months before her wedding and decades later, there’s little evidence and few leads.

www.nbcdfw.com

'50 years ago an 18-year-old Arlington woman was stabbed dozens of times and killed just months before her wedding and decades later, there's little evidence and few leads.

Through his podcast, Gone Cold: Texas True Crime, Vincent Strange has told more than 200 unsolved stories.''

''News copy from the time says that while leaving witnesses heard a woman scream and saw a man grab Callaway who “stabbed her repeatedly with an ice pick” before he “dumped her body and drove away.”

While trying to save Callaway, witnesses failed to catch the man's license plate, only noting that the suspect was a young man with a muscular build who fled in a white Oldsmobile Cutlass.''
''The Tarrant County Medical Examiner determined Callaway was stabbed nearly 50 times.''

 

[snakefinger]

Jan 30, 2024
50 years ago an 18-year-old Arlington woman was stabbed dozens of times and killed just months before her wedding. Decades later, there's little evidence and few leads. NBC 5's Allie Spillyards has the story.

By Allie Spillyards • Published January 30, 2024 rbbm​

50 years later, still no answers in stabbing death of Arlington woman

50 years ago an 18-year-old Arlington woman was stabbed dozens of times and killed just months before her wedding and decades later, there’s little evidence and few leads.

www.nbcdfw.com

'50 years ago an 18-year-old Arlington woman was stabbed dozens of times and killed just months before her wedding and decades later, there's little evidence and few leads.

Through his podcast, Gone Cold: Texas True Crime, Vincent Strange has told more than 200 unsolved stories.''

''News copy from the time says that while leaving witnesses heard a woman scream and saw a man grab Callaway who “stabbed her repeatedly with an ice pick” before he “dumped her body and drove away.”

While trying to save Callaway, witnesses failed to catch the man's license plate, only noting that the suspect was a young man with a muscular build who fled in a white Oldsmobile Cutlass.''
''The Tarrant County Medical Examiner determined Callaway was stabbed nearly 50 times.''

Thanks for posting this. Hopefully the news report helps garner some much needed attention to the case. I was in my early teens when it took place, but I have never forgotten hearing the news about it. I spent a lot of time at that mall.

 

[summergirl1]

It sounds like, if it was the guy from the car wash, that it was a slightly different version of a road rage crime. You read about those in the news today. I don't know if they were as common back then. It seems likely the man from the car wash was to blame for her death.

It would be interesting if it's known further what the argument was about. It was likely basically nothing or over basically nothing as those type of road rage crimes can be when the wrong person gets provoked. I don't know that they would have taken scrapings under her nails back then as it was long before DNA. If they exhumed her, ( if she wasn't cremated), then they might be able to find that kind of evidence. But that would be up to her remaining family, whoever they are, to decide I suppose.

Sometimes better fingerprint matching technology works nowadays when they look into fingerprints again. I wonder if that has been looked into as regards the one print they have that's believed to be the killer's. I'm not sure how much can be done with one fingerprint.