Unsolved 1991 murder sees arrest after students help police

University of Texas students helped police lay a 34-year-old homicide case to rest.

A team of students from the University of Texas at Arlington’s (UTA) Criminology and Criminal Justice Department have helped police crack open a 34-year-old homicide cold case.

The Arlington Police Department (APD) announced on Monday that an arrest had been made in connection with the 1991 murder of Cynthia Gonzalez, who was one of three cold cases under review by the team of 15 students.

Janie Perkins, a 63-year-old from Azle, Texas, was arrested by the U.S. Marshals North Texas Fugitive Task Force on Nov. 6, a press release from the city said.

Students who were part of the team that worked on the case were seen reacting with disbelief and awe in a video posted on APD’s social media when police told them that an arrest had been made. Some were even seen bursting into tears of joy and relief towards the end of the video.

“When we launched our cold case partnership with UTA, we always hoped we’d get an outcome like this one day,” Arlington police chief Al Jones said in the release. “I don’t think any of us expected that lightning would strike the first time.

“We hope this is just the first of more to come,” he added.

The partnership was part of a new course at taught atUTA taught by Patricia Eddings, distinguished senior lecturer and director of the forensic applications of science and technology minor, a statement posted by UTA read.

“It makes me tremendously proud to see my students do something like this. I can’t express in words how proud I am,” Eddings said. “I’ve watched my students absorb so much and work very closely with detectives to help bring justice to these victims.”

According to the UTA statement, the students spent hours going through case materials, including witness testimonies, police reports, evidence and crime scene photos outside the classroom, while teaming up with detectives to find new leads.

Jenna Lewis, a senior criminology, criminal justice and biology student, said when they first started learning about the victim, they felt like “a fire was lit” in them.

“We just wanted to solve this case so badly for the victim and her family,” Lewis said. “Our whole class is extremely proud we were able to help them get answers and help them out in this way.”

Who was Cynthia Gonzalez?

According to the APD, Gonzalez was an adult entertainer who was reported missing by her ex-husband when she didn’t return from a meeting on the evening of Sept. 16, 1991.

A few hours after her disappearance, her vehicle was found “abandoned” in the area of Cedar Springs Terrace. This led the officers to theorize that she had been abducted.

A few days later on Sept. 22, the body of an unidentified female was found dumped on a private property in a rural area of Johnson County, according to police. The victim, who was later identified as Gonzalez, had suffered from several gunshot wounds and was already in the early stages of decomposition.

More than 30 years later, the now-cold case was assigned to a homicide detective.

The students were given access to all reports and materials from three cases, including Gonzalez’s, barring the physical evidence, in the fall of 2025 as a part of a new advanced course.

“The group working on Ms. Gonzalez’s case started asking several questions about a woman named Janie Perkins, prompting detectives to conduct further research on her,” police said in the statement.

Perkins was a friend of Gonzalez and had frequent contact with her before her disappearance, police said. In the primary investigation, officials learned that both women shared a “romantic partner,” who told Perkins that he wanted to be with Gonzalez.

Perkins had not been able to provide an alibi for her whereabouts on the night of the victim’s disappearance, police said. She had also failed two voluntary polygraph tests when asked if she knew who killed the victim.

Perkins had told the original detectives that she had “thought about killing her” or “having someone else kill her.” However, due to polygraph tests not being admissible in Texas criminal courts, she was never charged.

Present-day detectives found witnesses who claimed Perkins had admitted to being involved in the murder and revealed details about the crime. The detectives concluded that Perkins had been a part of the abduction and death of Gonzalez, after comparing corroborating witness testimonies and evidence.

That was enough for detectives to criminally charge Perkins.

UTA says the university and the police department will continue partnering up, and the class will be taught again next semester.

“For our students to be able to experience this real-world training through our collaboration with APD had been life-changing for them,” Rebecca Deen, senior associate dean for the College of Liberal Arts said.

“Most importantly, the victim’s family finally has answers.”