1997 Texas cold case solved after DNA testing leads to arrest in Midland sexual assault

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AUSTIN, Texas - Texas DPS have identified and arrested a man accused of sexually assaulting a Midland woman nearly 30 years ago.

Advanced DNA testing and genetic genealogy helped revive the 1997 cold case.

Details of the 1997 Midland Park Mall abduction

What we know:

61-year-old James Lee Woodard was arrested in Big Spring last month and charged with aggravated sexual assault in connection with the 1997 attack, according to Texas DPS.

James Lee Woodard

The case dates to Sept. 1, 1997, when Midland police responded to a report of a sexual assault at Midland Park Mall. Investigators said a 49-year-old woman was taking out trash when an unidentified man grabbed her, threatened her with a box cutter and forced her into a light-colored van.

Authorities said the woman was driven around the area by another suspect while the assault occurred before she was eventually released from the vehicle.

How Texas investigators kept the cold case alive

Timeline:

For years, investigators pursued leads, interviewed witnesses and submitted DNA evidence to the Combined DNA Index System, known as CODIS, but no arrests were made.

In 2001, the Midland County District Attorney’s Office presented the case to a grand jury in the 142nd District Court. The grand jury issued an indictment tied to the unknown DNA profile, a step that preserved the case by eliminating concerns about the statute of limitations, officials said.

The investigation gained new momentum in March 2023 when the Texas Rangers and the Midland Police Department selected the case for the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative, or SAKI, a federally funded program that supports investigations of unsolved sexual assaults.

Genetic genealogy and DNA testing

(Pixabay)

Dig deeper:

Evidence was resubmitted for advanced DNA testing and genetic genealogy research through Bode Technology. Investigators said the testing produced a lead in 2025, which Texas Rangers used to further develop the case.

That work led authorities to identify Woodard as a suspect in 2026.

On April 1, the Midland County District Attorney’s Office presented the findings to a grand jury, which reissued the aggravated sexual assault indictment and named Woodard as the defendant, according to DPS.