TX TX - Ladye Gallaher, 84, Fort Worth, 24 Dec 1991

OkieGranny · Dec 31, 2016

http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Fa...dmothers-1991-Cold-Case-Murder-408876995.html

After 25 years Fort Worth police are still trying to figure out who would murder a grandmother in a most brutal way...

Family members say the 84-year-old woman was beaten with a nightstand lamp and possibly strangled on Christmas Eve, 1991...

"We all thought we knew who did it: the people that were caring for her," said Harris. But those caretakers were cleared.

At one point Harris, himself, was a suspect. He had to take a polygraph in the weeks following his grandmother's murder.

MicheleT · Jan 4, 2017

From the Kerrville Newspaper:

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — An 84-year-old woman has been found beaten to death near the Texas Christian University campus, police say. Ladye Gallaher, who lived alone in her condominium near TCU was found Christmas Eve by a woman hired to check on her daily, according to police reports. "It appears she was beaten with some type of blunt instrument," said Lt. Ralph Swcaringin. Ms. Gallaher had attended a friend's Christmas gathering Monday night, the last lime she was thought to have been seen alive. She was found Tuesday at about 9 a.m. The 80-pound woman depended on a wheelchair and walker to get around, family members said. No suspects have been arrested. Police are considering robbery a motive although several items of value, including Ms Gallaher's purse and fur coat were found inside her home

Brigitte · Jan 7, 2017

She was 84 yrs old, her weight was only 80 pound, she had problems walking, and still someone felt they had to beat this fragile woman to death???

And it is even worse that this person still walks around.

If it would be a robbery, why did the robber not take her purse? And if it was someone unknown to her, would that person then have a motive to kill her? It can off course be a crazy person not caring at all, but still in a case like this I do feel like it makes more sense that they knew the victim. Someone who was mad enough to do such a horrible act.

I hope LE can still find the person who did this, people who hurt the vulnerable don't need to walk our streets! (man, this case makes me really mad!!)

Betty P · Jan 7, 2017

MicheleT said:
From the Kerrville Newspaper:

It makes you wonder if it was a robbery that was interrupted. Perhaps someone who frequented the area where she lived realized she was living alone most of the time. When they broke into the apartment to rob and assault her, something happened (a noise, someone walking by, a phone ringing, etc.) that made them leave before taking anything of value. In a condo complex near a college campus, there may have been a lot of people living in the building, coming and going. She also could have awakened and began screaming, raising fears of someone coming to her aid.

According to the tv news story, she was struck with her bedside lamp and strangled with the cord. Since the killer used a weapon that came from the crime scene, it doesn't seem they went there originally with the intent to kill her.

Wish we knew more about the condo and building she lived in. Were there signs of forced entry? Was it a large complex? What floor did she live on? How close were other condo/apartments? Were there workers on site who might have a passkey?

CastlesBurning · Jan 31, 2020

https://police.fortworthtexas.gov/Get-Involved/cold-cases-1990-1999

Hockeyfan158 · Sep 18, 2023

Came across this case i wonder if Fort Worth police saved enough of the evidence to test for genetic genealogy i think that is the only way this case along with others get solved besides a full confession which most people won’t ever make. I did notice though while strangulation is common among killers Fort Worth has it fair share unsolved murders from the 1970s to 1990s of mainly women who were strangled. While it’s probably not the work of some serial killer i wouldn’t be surprised if one or two of these Fort Worth cold cases are related to the same killer or killers.

annemc2 · Sep 20, 2023

Betty P said:
It makes you wonder if it was a robbery that was interrupted. Perhaps someone who frequented the area where she lived realized she was living alone most of the time. When they broke into the apartment to rob and assault her, something happened (a noise, someone walking by, a phone ringing, etc.) that made them leave before taking anything of value. In a condo complex near a college campus, there may have been a lot of people living in the building, coming and going. She also could have awakened and began screaming, raising fears of someone coming to her aid.

According to the tv news story, she was struck with her bedside lamp and strangled with the cord. Since the killer used a weapon that came from the crime scene, it doesn't seem they went there originally with the intent to kill her.

Wish we knew more about the condo and building she lived in. Were there signs of forced entry? Was it a large complex? What floor did she live on? How close were other condo/apartments? Were there workers on site who might have a passkey?

Gosh, I'm going into the recesses of my brain trying to remember this complex. I'm pretty sure I do and am kind of surprised that it wasn't a big party place since it was right on the edge of campus and very close to the greek houses. It has since been torn down and is a university-owned building. It wasn't a super large complex and I don't think would have had a live-in caretaker on the property. I moved to the area as a student in 1992 and this was never on my radar at all.

TX TX - Ladye Gallaher, 84, Fort Worth, 24 Dec 1991

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