Detectives Solve Dallas-Plano Child Assault Cold Case
- Dallas PD and Plano PD detectives solved a 1997 child sexual assault cold case in Plano, Texas, convicting Michael Gargac after DNA match from decades-old evidence. - Gargac, 51, pleaded guilty to continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14 and was sentenced to life without parole on April 25, 2024. - Case highlights CODIS database power and multi-agency persistence—27 years from assault to life sentence—delivering justice for victim after exhaustive investigative genealogy.
Dallas and Plano police detectives just closed a 27-year-old child sexual assault cold case. Michael Gargac sexually assaulted a girl under 14 multiple times starting in 1997. Advanced DNA analysis finally linked him to the crime—leading to a life sentence without parole. The break came from persistence and modern forensics. Detectives dug into evidence collected right after the assaults. Turns out, DNA tech evolved enough to crack what stumped them back then. ### What was the original crime? In 1997, Plano police investigated repeated sexual assaults on a young girl. The victim was under 14. Evidence included biological samples from the crime scenes. But no suspect matched at the time—no arrests. Case went cold for decades. ([dallasnews
