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CPS program director Sally Blackwell, 53, was found dead March 15 alongside Hanselman Road. She had been reported missing the previous day after not showing up for work.
An autopsy report indicated that she died by strangulation, officials said. The door to her home in the Cimarron subdivision was unlocked when friends checked on her March 14.
“Over the weekend we had a consultant come in and take a look at the whole case,” Victoria County Sheriff T. Michael O’Connor said. “By this, it was brought to our attention some evidence that may be beneficial.”
That evidence has been sent to the Department of Public Safety Crime Lab in Corpus for analysis. O’Connor declined to elaborate on the nature of the evidence.
“The evidence may be substantial to the investigation and we cannot disclose that at this time,”he said.
It was unknown how long the testing of this and all of the other evidence sent for analysis would take.
“They have taken this case as a top priority,” O’Connor said. He added that he has not been given a timeframe for completion.
Evidence analysis may take 90 days to six months, depending upon its nature, O’Connor said, asking the public for patience.
“We are not just looking for an arrest,” O’Connor said. “We need to make sure there is an indictment and a conviction …
“I wish we had the resources of CSI so that in an hour segment we could have the answers.”
O’Connor said that while evidence analysis is important, it isn’t the only part of the investigation.
“You still have to use your basic interview skills. I believe that will never be eliminated by law enforcement. The rest is just tools.”
Over the last month, the number of people of interest in the case has decreased from 10 to now three; however, O’Connor said, that number has fluctuated with some eliminated and others added.
“Right now I would say we are down to three but tomorrow it could change with another lead,” he said.
He also declined to comment on whether a person identified in a search warrant affidavit was considered a person of interest.
“We cannot discuss that at this time, nor can we discuss any of the persons of interest at this time,” O’Connor said.
O’Connor said that their investigation is still taking them beyond the county line, as far away as San Antonio.
Those assisting the sheriff’s department and Victoria police are DPS; Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office; Texas Rangers, including Sgt. Morgan Miller in Victoria; Texas attorney general; and the Victoria County District Attorney’s Office.
The sheriff thanked those who have called in and continue to call in with information about the case.
“Anyone that feels they can contribute to this case, feel free to give the police department or sheriff’s office a call,” O’Connor said.
Likewise, the investigation continues into the death of 42-year-old Melba Eileen Lott.
Toxicology results, expected to give a cause of death, have not been completed, Lt. Mike Hernandez, with the Victoria Police Department, said Wednesday.
Also, detectives are continuing to search for an acquaintance of Lott.
Maintenance employees and management at Crossroad Apartments found Lott dead at about 11 a.m. March 8. She was last seen March 2, police investigators said.
Anyone with information about these cases can call the sheriff’s office at 361-575-0651, the police department at 572-2744 or Victoria Crime Stoppers at 572-4200.