Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Decades After She Was Identified, the Killing of Eulalia Chavez Remains Unsolved | Crime Alert 6AM 02.03.26

Episode Date: February 3, 2026

A decades-old killing in the Midwest remains unresolved, with questions lingering years later Federal officials open a civil rights probe into a fatal police shooting in Minnesota Two teens are arrested after a shooting disrupts a community parade in Louisiana All eight inmates who escaped a Louisiana parish jail have now been recaptured See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Crime Alert, I'm John Lemley. At this hour, a decades-old mystery remains unsolved in the heartland. Investigators are renewing calls for public assistance in one of Illinois's most haunting cold cases. The body of Eulalia-Lolly Chavez was discovered almost 40 years ago in a remote cornfield near Lebanon, Illinois. On September 6, 1986, a farmer found her nude body off Oak Grove School, road, strangled and brutally mutilated. Authorities later learned she had been strangled with her own clothing, and evidence at the scene suggested signs of extreme violence. Her killer cut her pelvic area and attempted to remove her reproductive organs, but no suspect was ever identified. For more than three decades, the case went cold. In 2007, the victim was finally identified as 27-year-old Chavez, a runaway

from Palo Alto, California, who had vanished in the mid-1970s while hitchhiking and following music concerts across the country. Despite technological advances in forensic science, including DNA analysis and composite imaging, law enforcement has not charged a suspect. The FBI's Violent Criminal Apprehension Program has issued a VICEAp alert seeking information about Chavez and anyone connected to tour in the months before her death. Authorities are urging anyone with details, no matter how small, to come forward. Thanks, John. For the latest, crime and justice news, go to crimeonline.com, and please join us for our daily podcast, crime stories. More crime and justice news after this. Now with the latest crime and justice breaking news, Crime Online's John Limley.

Federal authorities have launched a civil rights investigation into a controversial fatal shooting in Minnesota. The U.S. Department of Justice has announced a federal civil rights probe into the death of Alex Preti, a 37-year-old Minneapolis resident and intensive care nurse who was shot and killed by federal immigration officers during a protest earlier this year. The FBI is now leading the inquiry after taking over from the Department of Homeland Security. Preti was shot on January 24th while documenting a federal border patrol operation as part of an immigration enforcement initiative. Video footage reviewed by officials showed Preddy holding only a cell phone when officers tackled him and later being shot after a firearm for which he held a legal permit was removed from his waistband. Early claims by federal officials that Predtie had attacked officers were contradicted by those videos. videos, which show he did not reach for the weapon. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said

investigators are examining all aspects of the encounter, including events leading up to the shooting. The decision to open a civil rights probe stands in contrast to the Justice Department's earlier handling of another recent Minneapolis law enforcement shooting. The case has sparked public outcry and renewed scrutiny of federal use of force in protest policing. In Louisiana, authorities have arrested two teenagers in connection with a weekend shooting that injured multiple people during a community parade. Law enforcement officials say the suspects both juveniles were taken into custody following the chaotic incident that left at least one child among the wounded. According to local prosecutors, the shooting occurred in a residential area where families had gathered to watch a festive procession. Police have not yet released the names of those arrested due to their age.

Investigators report that several of the victims were struck by gunfire, and at least one child was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. Authorities have charged the suspects with multiple counts related to aggravated assault and unlawful discharge of a firearm. Officials are urging anyone with information about the incident to contact local law enforcement as the investigation. continues. And finally, also from Louisiana, all eight inmates who escaped from a parish jail last week have now been captured. Authorities confirmed that the group broke out of the facility under unclear circumstances, prompting an immediate manhunt that extended across multiple parishes. Local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies worked around the clock to track down the

fugitives. Over the course of the search, officers apprehended all asses. And so, escapees without any reported injuries to residents or responding personnel. Those captured are now back in custody, and parish officials say they will face additional charges related to the escape itself, along with any outstanding warrants they may have had prior to fleeing. The Sheriff's Department announced a review of the facility security measures to prevent similar incidents in the future. Thanks, John. For the latest, Crime Injustice News, go to Crime Online. And please join us for our daily podcast, crime stories, where we do our best to find missing people, especially children, and solve unsolved homicides. With this crime alert, I'm Nancy Grace.

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