Travis County Sheriff's Office meets with public in Del Valle to quell crime concerns

The Travis County Sheriff's Office held a town hall meeting in Del Valle to talk to the community about their concerns.

People in the small town were stunned after eight murders in just two months in the Fall of 2016.

About a dozen people showed up to talk about crime in the area.
The sheriff's office is reporting an increase in assaults and drug related crimes this year compared to last.

It is believed some, or all, of the murders may have also been drug related, but deputies said some of the increases in other crimes could be because officers stepped up enforcement.
               
The first homicide investigation was in early September on Linden Road. Four people were killed in that incident.

Three weeks later two decomposed bodies were found in a field on Pearce Lane.
               
Another body was found in the trunk of a burning car on Buck Lane.

An eighth body was located near Wolf Lane and FM 535.
               
The sheriff's office said two of those homicides remain unsolved and two of them appear to be related to drug cartels.

"What we're seeing is, even the ones that we’re solving, it's people that tend to know each other. So we don't have strangers running around committing homicides against people just at random and, so, that gives you a different light on how you look at the homicides, but I think again it comes back to the community working with us and calling when you see something that looks out of place so we can look into it and try to get ahead of it before anything happens," said Captain Craig Smith with the Travis County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff's office said since they've stepped up patrols, they've gotten several new leads for unsolved crimes

They hope by continuing to connect with the community they will be able to better protect those who live in the Del Valle area.