On her 37th birthday, D'Lisa Kelley's family renews its call for answers in the long‑unsolved murder
The family of a Dallas woman murdered 12 years ago is calling on police to reopen the investigation into her death, as departments across North Texas increasingly use genetic genealogy and advances in DNA technology to solve decades‑old cold cases.
On what would have been D'Lisa Kelley's 37th birthday, her mother, LaSondra Kelley, is still pleading for answers more than a decade after her daughter's killing.
"I feel the same way, when I first found out about it," LaSondra said. "It doesn't change; the feeling doesn't go away. You can mask it with laughter, being around family and friends, constantly, but that pain doesn't go away."
D'Lisa was killed in March 2014 after leaving her grandmother's home for a wake. Her family said her grandmother called 911 after she disappeared, but police initially didn't respond. Days later, D'Lisa's body was found at an abandoned home on Presidio Avenue. She was pregnant when she was murdered and left behind a 2‑year‑old son, who is now a high school freshman.
"I can tell he has memories of his mother, and he misses her," LaSondra said.
In 2014, D'Lisa's family criticized Dallas police for their handling of the investigation. The department temporarily placed a sergeant who oversaw the 911 center on administrative leave. Now, her family and community advocates are asking police, the Dallas County district attorney's office and the Texas Rangers to re‑examine the case and use new DNA technology to find leads.
"We want justice, 12 years is far too long, somebody knows what happened to D'Lisa Kelley," said Dominique Alexander with the Next Generation Action Network. "We know that the DNA has not been tested since 2014, 2015, so hopefully with all of these advancements that you say that this can make a hit."
Dallas police told CBS News Texas the case has remained open, adding that the Dallas Police Special Investigations Unit has assumed responsibility for the cold case, equipped with investigative methods not available in 2014.
As for LaSondra's message for the person who killed her daughter: "We're coming for you, we're coming … I just want you to know that," she said. "I may not be here when it happens, but we're coming for you."
A spokesperson for the Dallas County district attorney's office said it could not comment on active investigations and encouraged anyone with information to email DallasKits@dallascounty.org. The Texas Department of Public Safety Texas Rangers did not return a request for comment.