Texas DPS Crime Lab Solves 1996 Paris Cold Case Murder

AUSTIN, TX –– After nearly 30 years, the Texas Department of Public Safety has solved the cold case murder of 86-year-old Mary Moore Searight in Paris, Texas.

According to a press release from DPS, on December 12, 2024, David Paul Cady Jr., now 54, was indicted by a Lamar County grand jury for the 1996 murder of Searight.

Searight was found in her home on August 18, 1996, and was badly beaten, sexually assaulted, and strangled by her caretaker. Though she was airlifted to a hospital in Dallas, Searight died from her injuries 3 days later. At the time, she owned and rented several properties in Paris, including homes on the same street where she lived.

One of her tenants, David Paul Cady Jr., was interviewed by police that night, and investigators noticed that he had an unexplained injury on his right hand. Cady gave inconsistent explanations about how he got the injury, and while DNA swabs were taken from him, there was not enough evidence to make a connection.

In 2021, the Texas Rangers decided to revisit the case and determined it qualified for the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) program. This program, funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, helps law enforcement agencies investigate unsolved sexual assault and homicide cases. 

Two years later, in 2023, investigators decided to reanalyze the DNA swabs taken from Cady’s hand. Investigators had found DNA from Mary Moore Searight on the swabs, linking Cady to the crime.

In February 2024, Cady was arrested while already in jail for unrelated charges in Hopkins County. 

He remains in custody as the investigation continues.