An equivocal death, from a law enforcement point of view, is one from which two or more interpretations can be made.  That is to say, the circumstances and known facts resemble those of both a natural or unnatural death or, as is the case with the death presented here, a murder or an accident.  Investigators handling equivocal death cases must withhold judgment until the facts provide a clear answer, which is where you come in.

Crime Stoppers of Lufkin wants your help brining to close the seven-month-long investigation into the death of Melodie Fay Sexton, 26, of Groves, Texas.

Melodie, "Puff" to family and friends, died Father`s Day 2011 in Lake Charmaine in Tyler County’s Ivanhoe community, about ten miles south of Woodville.  At 12:59 PM on June 19th, Tyler County Sheriff’s Office personnel received a missing person report from Melodie’s family; at that time, the family knew only that she had been missing for approximately twelve hours from the lake house where she and her three-year-old son were spending the weekend.  Three hours later, family members found Melodie’s body in the lake, not far from the property’s dock.

While investigators have not uncovered evidence necessary to determine that criminal conduct led to Melodie’s death, suspicions remain that it was not the result of an accident.  Her family has from the beginning asserted that she was murdered; pointing to abnormalities in her alleged actions prior to her death.

Click here to see additional photos of Melodie Fay Sexton.

If you can provide any information concerning the death of Melodie Fay Sexton, call Crime Stoppers of Lufkin at (936) 639-TIPS or click here to submit an anonymous tip.  You never have to give your name and Crime Stoppers may pay a cash reward of up to $2,000 for information that leads to the arrest related to this investigation.

Crime Stoppers of Lufkin wants your help identifying a suspect in an investigation involving the theft of mail from one city, the fraudulent passing of a stolen check in a second city, and the use of ill-gotten gift cards in a third city.

Just before Christmas, someone stole a check from a mailbox in Alto, Texas.  According to United States Postal Inspectors, at approximately 5:00 PM on Thursday, December 22, 2011, the male suspect shown here in security camera-captured images fraudulently passed the stolen check for more than $400 at Walmart in Lufkin.  His purchase included purchased gift cards, which he immediately used at the Murphy USA fuel station in Walmart’s parking lot.  Other gift cards purchase by this suspect were used the following day, December 23, at a Walmart in Lake Jackson, Texas, about forty miles south of Houston.

The suspect is a heavy-set, white male with a goatee-style beard and mustache.  When passing the stolen check, the suspect wore a blue baseball cap, tan, short-sleeve, button-down shirt, and blue jeans, and he drove a red, full-sized pickup truck.

If you can identify this suspect, or provide any information concerning this crime, call Crime Stoppers of Lufkin at (936) 639-TIPS or click here to submit an anonymous tip.  You never have to give your name and Crime Stoppers may pay a cash reward for information that leads to the arrest related to this crime.

Crime Stoppers of Lufkin wants your help identifying the suspects in two theft investigations.

Investigators have not found a connection between these crimes or suspects, but both cases involve young men stealing beer from Lufkin-area convenient stores.

The suspect in theft number one is a white male with short-cut brown hair wearing a black t-shirt with a white Young and Reckless logo on its front, blue jeans, and white, Adidas tennis shoes.  Once in the store, he moved directly to the beer cooler, grabbed a 30-pack of Coors Light, and then ran from the store without making payment.  This suspect appears to have a tattoo on his right forearm, and he fled the area in a light grey extended-cab Ford Ranger.

The suspect in theft number two is a white or Hispanic male wearing a black toboggan, white t-shirt, dark, hooded jacket with white text on its front, blue jeans, and white tennis shoes.  He entered the store and moved directly to the beer cooler, grabbed a 30-pack of Bud Light, and headed for the door but stashed the beer when he saw employees watching him.  After wondering through the store for several minutes, he picked up the stashed beer and left the store without making payment.  This suspect fled the area with several other males in a black, two-door car, possibly an older Honda Civic.

Click here to view portions of the stores’ security videos of these thefts.

Crime Stoppers chose to profile these crimes as a warning to other would-be thieves.  Punishments for these thefts can be stiff, and prior theft convictions can enhance the penalty to a Felony.

If you can identify either of these suspects, call Crime Stoppers of Lufkin at (936) 639-TIPS or click here to submit an anonymous tip.  You never have to give your name and Crime Stoppers may pay a cash reward of up to $100 for information that leads to the arrest of either suspect.

For Lufkin Police Department and Crime Stoppers, I’m Detective JB Smith.

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Crime Stoppers of Lufkin wants your help identifying a suspect in a credit card fraud investigation.

A victim realized on Saturday, December 10, 2011, that he had lost his wallet and he immediately contacted his bank to inform them that his credit card was missing.  The victim was surprised to learn that someone, without his authorization, had used his card to make several purchases.

Bank records indicated that at least seven fraudulent transactions occurred between the time the victim’s wallet was taken and the victim notified the bank; a period of only hours.  Five of the charges took place at Lufkin-area grocery stores, and the other two were online purchases.

Security cameras at one of the stores captured the image of the suspect shown here.  The security video shows that the suspect is a black male who was wearing a dark-colored coat with a fur-trimmed hood, and long, baggy denim shorts. 

Click here to view portions of the security video.

The pictured suspect purchased a shopping cart full of groceries, but that was only one of the five grocery store transactions made on the stolen credit card.  In total, approximately $800 in fraudulent charges were made the day that the card was stolen.

If you can identify this suspect, or provide any information concerning this crime, call Crime Stoppers of Lufkin at (936) 639-TIPS or click here to submit an anonymous tip.  You never have to give your name and Crime Stoppers may pay a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest related to this crime.

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Crime Stoppers of Lufkin wants your help identifying the suspects who stole equipment and off-road vehicles from a business located just north of Lufkin on Highway 59.

Just after midnight on Monday, December 12, 2011, the suspects stole a red- and black-in-color generator, an orange-in-color four-wheeler, an orange-in-color utility trailer with rear loading ramp, and two side-by-side utility trailers, one with orange-in-color bodywork and one with camouflage-design bodywork.  The property stolen has an approximate value of $50,000.

Investigators believe that the suspects used two vehicles to remove the equipment from the business; a U-Haul box truck and a pickup truck.  Security cameras at the business captured images of both vehicles parked at and near the business at the time the theft occurred.  The pickup truck, shown at right (click image to enlarge), appears to be a newer model, four-door, four-wheel-drive Ford Super Duty with dual rear wheels, an aftermarket front bumper with brushguard, and tube-style side steps.

If you can identify the suspects, or provide any information concerning this crime or the location of the stole property, call Crime Stoppers at (936) 639-TIPS or click here to submit an anonymous tip.  You never have to give your name and Crime Stoppers may pay a cash reward of up to $2,000 for information that leads to an arrest related to this crime.

Crime Stoppers of Lufkin wants the public’s help identifying the person(s) responsible for the theft of Diboll area manhole covers.

Just after noon on Tuesday, December 20, 2011, Public Works employees discovered that at least nine manhole covers and several manhole rings had been stolen from manholes in the area of Booker Street and Highway 59 South; near Diboll’s Waste Water Treatment facility.

Some of the covers were unbolted from their rings while others were removed from the ground by breaking the surrounding concrete.

Stamped on the face of the manhole covers, manufactured by Sigma Corporation, are “SIGMA”, “HM144N”, “INDIA”, “SANITARY”, and “SEWER”.  Sigma Corporation product literature lists the combined weight of each cover and ring as 285 pounds.

Anyone with information concerning the person(s) responsible for these thefts or the location of the stolen property should call Crime Stoppers of Lufkin at (936) 639-TIPS, or click here to submit an anonymous tip.  Tipsters never have to give their name and Crime Stoppers may pay a cash reward of up to $2,000 for information that leads to an arrest related to these crimes.

***Case Solved***

Crime Stoppers of Lufkin wants your help identifying two theft suspects who worked together to steal beer from a North Timberland Drive convenient store.

The store’s security video shows that the suspects arrived together in a white, older model, mid-size, four-door car but, to make others believe they were not together, they entered the store separately.

While one suspect blocked the employee`s view, the other suspect grabbed a case of Budweiser and began to exit the store without making payment.  When the beer-toting suspect thought the employee saw him, he let the door close, asked the employee about the cost of the beer, and pretended to return the beer to the cooler.  When the other suspect again had the employee’s attention, the main suspect exited the store, with the stolen beer, and made his way to the white car.

The employee described the main suspect as a 40 to 50 year old black male wearing a dark colored Nike brand jacket, blue pants, a checkered hat, and glasses.

Click her to view portions of the security video.

Crime Stoppers profiled this theft, typically a misdemeanor offense, because investigators know this might not be the suspects’ first theft and prior convictions would enhance the penalty to a State Jail Felony.

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***Case Solved***

Angelina County Sheriff’s Office Investigators need your help identifying a male suspect involved in the robbery of a Lufkin-area convenient store.

Just before 2:00 on the morning of Friday, December 09th, the male suspect shown here arrived at a convenient store located in the 3600 block of Highway 69 North in Lufkin.  The suspect was a passenger in an older-model, four-door, long-wheel-base Ford truck, possibly two-tone blue-in-color.  The suspect made a purchase and left the area in the Ford truck.

The black male suspect had short-cut hair, a thin, chin-strap style beard, and a thin mustache, and he was wearing a dark color, Aéropostale brand hooded sweatshirt with a white “19 AERO 87” graphic on its front. 

A short time later, the suspect returned to the store, this time wearing a knit cap and sunglasses, placed a piece of candy on the cash register counter, and handed the store clerk a dollar bill.  When the clerk opened the cash register drawer, the suspect displayed a handgun and demanded the clerk give him all of the money from the register. 

The clerk slammed shut the register and the suspect, fled from the store. 

The clerk’s refusal to meet the suspect’s demands could have had dire consequences; thankfully, the suspect chose instead to flee on-foot without the store’s money.

Click here to view portions of the security video.

Investigators need your help identifying a female suspect involved in the passing of at least one counterfeit payroll check.

During August of this year, a heavy-set, black female wearing a purple tank-top shirt, white shorts, and flip-flops, and carrying a an over-sized purse, appeared at the customer service booth of a Lufkin-area grocery store wanting to cash a payroll check.

An authentic-looking check and the suspect producing what appeared to be, at the time of the transaction, a valid Texas driver’s license, convinced employees to cash the check.  The suspect walked away with approximately $570.00. 

Several weeks later, when the payroll check returned from the bank, the store learned that the check was counterfeit and that the identifying and contact information collected for the suspect at the time of the transaction are not valid.

Security cameras at the grocery store captured the images of the suspect shown here.  Click here to view portions of the security video.

If you can identify this suspect or provide any information concerning this crime, call Crime Stoppers of Lufkin at (936) 639-TIPS or click here to submit an anonymous tip.  You never have to give your name and Crime Stoppers may pay a cash reward of up to $2,000 for information that leads to an arrest related to this crime.

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