Back in the 1970s, the United States was facing the aftereffects of the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal. There wasn’t much to do for young teens like there is today so most teens would enjoy cruising in their vehicles with friends down long stretches of roads and stopping by the local Taco Bell to hang out. Carla Walker and her boyfriend Rodney did the same after they left their high schools Valentine’s Day Dance in Fort Worth, Texas on February 16, 1974. As they were making out in the front seat of the vehicle, a man swung the passenger door open and pointed a gun directly in Rodney’s face. After Rodney was knocked unconscious, Carla was kidnapped by the man and never seen again. Her body was found in a culvert a few days later brutally beaten and sexually assaulted. No one knew who could have done something to this sassy, fiery, vibrant teenager. A lot of physical and forensic evidence was collected but the testing at the time was not advanced enough. For 45 long years, Carla’s case remained cold, her parents passing on without knowing what truly happened to their daughter. When cold case detectives reopened the case in 2019, they were finally able to send the forensic evidence for testing and discover who was responsible for taking Carla’s life.

Sources:

“Carla Walker Found Dead” by John Makeig in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on February 21, 1974

“Texas Teen Cheerleader Abducted from Car After School Dance, Her Battered Body Found Days Later” by Jill Sederstrom on Oxygen True Crime on March 6, 2025 (https://www.oxygen.com/dateline-unforgettable/crime-news/texas-teen-carla-walker-abducted-killed-by-glen-mccurley)

“Grief Visitor at Walker Home” by Martha Hand in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on February 21, 1974

“Glen McCurley Strangled Carla Walker in1974. Was She His Only Victim?” by Skip Hollandsworth on Texas Monthly in August 2022 (https://www.texasmonthly.com/true-crime/glen-mccurley-carla-walker-murder/)

“Girl’s Death Stirs Shock and Fear” by Michael Buchholz in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on February 21, 1974

“Carla Walker” by Maiya Beeson on Texas True Crime (https://txtruecrimeblog.com/blog-archive/carla-walker)

“Similarities Noted in 2 Slayings” in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on February 21, 1974

“Watch the Dateline episode "After the Dance" now” by Dateline NBC on NBC News on February 1, 2022 (https://www.nbcnews.com/dateline/watch-dateline-episode-after-dance-now-n1288341)

“Youth ‘Bugged’ Before Kidnap” by Joe Thornton in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on February 18, 1974

“Carla Walker’s murderer died in prison. Police investigated him as possible serial killer” by James Hartley in the Forth Worth Star-Telegram on October 5, 2023 (https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/crime/article280087909.html)

“Suspicious Car Seen by Bowler” by Jim Marrs in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on February 18, 1974

“Glen McCurley Changes Plea to Guilty in Carla Walker Murder Trial” on 5 NBCDFW on August 24, 2021 (https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/watch-live-carla-walker-cold-case-murder-trial-enters-third-day/2725579/)

“Policeman Testifies Kneeland Suspect in Walker Murder” by Larry Neal in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on November 6, 1974

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/34494837/carla_jan-walker

“Last Dance” on Forensic Files II, Season 3, Episode 5 on HBO Max

“The Night he Turned Bad” on Evil Lives Here: Shadows of Death, Season 6, Episode 1 on HULU