Theodore C. Carleton, a 41-year-old Caucasian male, was tragically murdered in the early hours of March 18, 1996, in Fort Worth, Texas. Carleton worked as a stationary engineer at Cook Children’s Hospital and had clocked out of work at 11:34 p.m. on March 17, 1996. He was found slumped over the steering wheel of his 1984 Chrysler LeBaron by two motorists who initially thought it was a car accident.
Unfortunately, Carleton never regained consciousness and passed away after several hours of surgery at John Peter Smith Hospital.
The investigation revealed that Carleton had been shot at point-blank range in the lower left abdominal area with a 410-gauge sawed-off shotgun. The police believe that Carleton might have been sitting in the car with the door open when he was shot, as the car was running with the lights and air-conditioning on. Despite the high crime area where the murder took place, no suspects have been identified, and the actual crime scene has never been located. The police have considered various possibilities, including a car-jacking or a drive-by shooting, but no definitive conclusions have been reached.
The case remains unsolved, and the Fort Worth Police Department, along with the National Organization of Parents of Murdered Children, continues to seek information that might help solve this tragic crime. A reward of $10,000 has been offered for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for Carleton's death.
