A check of records in the case of a missing Lubbock resident uncovered graphic details about some of the evidence that led police to believe she was in danger.
Lubbock Police filed a search warrant for cell phone records of Linda Gail Wilhite, 67, who was reported missing to police on August 18. Family members said they had attempted to contact her for several days before notifying LPD.
LPD and the Lubbock Fire Department entered Wilhite’s home on 38th Street near Ironton to perform a welfare check, officials said.
“[The officer] entered a bedroom and observed a light switch near a closet with a bloody finger print on it. The closet door was closed. He also observed blood on the closet door. He observed a faint bloody trail leading to the interior of the closet,” the warrant said.
According to the warrant, investigators found what appeared to be “human blood on the carpet and on blankets and a pillow” inside the closet. Towels were also found inside the closet.
“The towels appeared to have dried blood on them. The amount of blood in the closet led [the officer] to believe someone had been severely injured. [The officer] located what appeared to be blood in other parts of the residence,” the warrant stated.
The court document requested access to incoming and outgoing call data, caller identifications, cellular site information, and “all records of any contacts and any stored electronic communications.”
Police recovered Wilhite’s SUV on August 19, a vehicle that police said her son, Kody Climer, also drove sometimes. Climer lived with his mother, LPD said.
Climer was arrested on an unrelated charge on August 19.
LPD utilized the assistance of a helicopter from the Department of Public Safety to perform aerial searches of the landscape near Wilhite’s home and near where her vehicle was found.
A Crime Line reward of $2,000 has been offered for reliable information related to the case.
Lieutenant John Hayes, one of the investigators working on Wilhite’s case, called the situation a “needle in a haystack.”
Police asked anyone with information to call Crime Line at (806) 741-1000. Callers may remain anonymous.
