Paris, Texas Cold Case murder of Mary Moore Searight Solved.
Modern forensic advancements have helped the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Crime Laboratory Division make a breakthrough in a decades-old murder case. Investigators have identified David Paul Cady Jr. as the man allegedly responsible for the brutal killing of 86-year-old Mary Moore Searight in Paris, Texas, nearly three decades ago. On December 12, 2024, a Lamar County grand jury indicted Cady, now 54, marking a significant milestone in the case..
The tragic incident occurred on the night of August 18, 1996, when Mary Moore Searight was discovered in her home by her informal caretaker. Searight had been sexually assaulted, severely beaten, and strangled. Despite being airlifted to a Dallas hospital, she succumbed to her injuries three days later.
David Paul Cady Jr., 54, was indicted by a Lamar Co. grand jury in the murder of Mary Moore Searight.
Searight, a prominent local property owner, rented homes in the Paris community, including properties on her own street. Among her tenants was David Paul Cady Jr., 25 years old at the time, who became a person of interest after investigators noted an unexplained laceration on his right hand. During interviews, Cady offered inconsistent explanations for his injury. DNA swabs were collected from Cady’s hand, but the case stalled without sufficient evidence..
In 2021, the Texas Rangers flagged Searight’s case as eligible for the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI), a program funded by the Department of Justice and Bureau of Justice Assistance to support investigations of unsolved sexual assaults and related homicides. By 2023, advancements in DNA analysis allowed investigators to resubmit the swabs for further testing at the DPS crime laboratory in Garland. These efforts revealed Searight’s DNA on the swabs collected from Cady’s hand.
In February 2024, the Texas Rangers and Paris Police Department arrested Cady, who was already incarcerated in Hopkins County for another crime. He remains in custody as the case moves forward.
The resolution of this case demonstrates the power of forensic technology and highlights the dedication of law enforcement to deliver justice to victims and their families, no matter how much time has passed.
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