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Sheriff Parnell McNamara promised his constituents in McLennan County, Texas around Waco that he would actively pursue cold cases.
McNamara was elected for a third four-year term in January 2021. He has made good on his campaign pledge to open up long-forgotten homicide cases.
Because as McNamara sees it, no one should get away with murder, and the victimās family deserves to know what happened.
The McNamara clan started in law enforcement in 1902 with Guy McNamara, who President Franklin Roosevelt later appointed as a U.S. Marshal in 1933.
You may recall from our earlier episodes about serial killer Kenneth McDuff that it was the brothers, Deputy U.S. Marshals Parnell and Mike McNamara, that launched the manhunt for McDuff with former U.S. prosecutor Bill Johnston.Ā
After 36 years with the U.S. Marshals Service, Parnell McNamara reached the mandatory retirement age.
He retired for nine years but was unwilling to be put out to pasture, as they say here in Texas.
He was elected Sheriff in 2011 on a campaign slogan of āRiding Herd on the Lawless.ā
McNamara, wearing his trademark Stetson cowboy hat, is a throwback to the old West.Ā Ā
rThe western historical decor in his office looks like a modern-day Dodge City occupied by Wyatt Earp.
I sat down to talk to Sheriff McNamara and the Captain of his cold case unit, Steve January.
They started by giving me a challenge coin for the unit.
It features the āDead Manās Hand In Pokerā, the combination of cards that āWild Billā Hickok was holding when he was shot dead point-blank in the back of the head.
Like I said, this is the old west where McNamara still forms a posse to hunt down fugitives.Ā
And one more thing. McNamara inspired Jeff Bridgeās role in Come Hell or High Water, which was written by his cousin Taylor Sheridan, best known now for Yellowstone.Ā
Saddle up your horse. Hereās my interview with Sheriff Parnell McNamara from inside the crime scene tape.
If you wish to contribute to Sheriff McNamara’s Cold Case Unit, send it to:
McLennan County Sheriff’s Office
Attn: Cold Case Unit
901 Washington Ave, Waco, TX 76701
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