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Andy Castillo, 57, is facing charges in the 17-year-old cold case murder of a young mother in Lubbock, the Texas Department of Public Safety announced in a news release on Friday.
On July 15, 2003, Cynthia Joann Palacio, who was 21-years-old at the time, was found on a rural road in Southeast Lubbock County, partially nude and strangled, the release stated. Her last known whereabouts were unknown. Palacio is survived by her daughter, who was 2-years-old at the time of her death.
Over the years, law enforcement has scrutinized evidence and investigated tips as they came in. A recent alert in CODIS ' the Combined DNA Index System ' led the Texas Rangers and the Lubbock County Sheriff's Office to focus their attention on Castillo, according to the release.
Castillo was in the McLennan County Jail in Waco on unrelated criminal solicitation to commit child sexual assault charges when he was served with the arrest warrant in Palacio's case, the release stated.
"One of our duties in law enforcement is to pursue every lead and seek justice for victims and their families, even when the case runs cold," DPS Director Steven McCraw stated in the release. "I'm proud of the diligent efforts by the Texas Rangers and the Lubbock County Sheriff's Office to solve this nearly two-decade-old case and find justice for a young woman who was brutally murdered."
According to the release, the investigation into Palacio's death has been linked to another homicide ' the April 2004 killing of Linda Trevino Carbajal, which remains under investigation. Carbajal, who was 21 years old, was found strangled on a rural road in northern Lubbock County; she had suffered blunt force injuries.