Abilene Police named a man as a “person of interest” in the murder of a 20-year-old Levelland woman.
Up until now, Ricky Don Henderson had been mentioned by police but never directly in relation to the murder.
Late Wednesday afternoon, police sergeant Willie Ford said, “Mr. Henderson is definitely a person of interest in this case.”
Earlier in the day on Wednesday, the family of Jeannie Quinn made a public statement – asking for information that would help lead to criminal charges. Jeannie would have turned 21 this month if she had lived.
Jeannie’s uncle, John Quinn, said there is a $11,645 cash reward for information in the case. Quinn said $10,000 comes directly from the family and $1,645 of reward money was raised on GoFundMe.
“Her murderer remains out there walking the streets,” Quinn said.
Jeannie was reported missing from Levelland on April 15. Her body was found on April 17 in Abilene.
A wire was wrapped around her neck and officials quoted the autopsy report as saying the wire was a “staged hanging.” Her actual cause of death, according to the autopsy, was strangulation.
No one has been charged with Jeannie’s murder.
“We hope someone from Levelland or Abilene will have information,” Quinn said. “All tips will remain completely anonymous.”
Quinn said, “Jeannie was last seen with an older white male who is also from Levelland, Texas and traveled between Levelland and Abilene frequently.”
“It was an acquaintance,” Sergeant Ford said in the same news conference with Quinn. “Right now, we just have the one [potential person of interest].”
When asked if police are close to making an arrest, Ford said, “We’re not as close as we’d like to be.”
“There is a lack of evidence,” Ford said.
At the time of Quinn’s disappearance, the Hockley County Sheriff’s Department released a statement saying, “Ms. Quinn was reportedly last seen in a 2011 Toyota pickup, silver in color, bearing Texas License Plate 8NHMD.”
The truck was owned at the time by Ricky Don Henderson.
On May 18, Abilene Police mentioned Henderson and tied him to a specific day, but not a specific case. Police said:
The Abilene Police Department is seeking information from anyone who may have had contact with Ricky Don Henderson (56 yoa) on around Sunday, April 15, 2018. Henderson may have been in the west Abilene area, somewhere near Interstate 20 corridor or South 1st Street area. If you had contact with him or possibly gave him a ride, we ask that you contact the Abilene Police Department at (325) 676-6610. This request is in reference to an ongoing investigation.
Anyone with information about Jeannie was asked to call a special phone number that was set up for this case. That number is (325) 676-6598.
“The person or persons responsible for this brutal act have no place in society and needs to be held accountable,” Quinn said. “We will not stop and will seek information for as long as it takes.”
Use THIS LINK to see a replay of John Quinn’s press conference via our partners at BigCountryHomePage.com.
Related Story: Quinn family announces increased reward for information (December 13, 2018)
