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Plano police arrested Nicholas Carney, 64, and charged him with the sexual assault of two young girls in separate incidents during the 1990s.
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Carney is connected to the cases of an 8-year-old girl who was abducted in his neighborhood in Plano (1991) and a 9-year-old girl who was abducted walking home from school in Dallas (1999).
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Investigators used new DNA technology to match evidence from both cases to a distant family member of Carney.
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Carney was arrested at his home in Oklahoma on Dec. 19.
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Plano police arrested Nicholas Carney, 64, and charged him with the sexual assault of two young girls in separate incidents during the 1990s.
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Carney is connected to the cases of an 8-year-old girl who was abducted in his neighborhood in Plano (1991) and a 9-year-old girl who was abducted walking home from school in Dallas (1999).
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Investigators used new DNA technology to match evidence from both cases to a distant family member of Carney.
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Carney was arrested at his home in Oklahoma on Dec. 19.
What we know:
On December 19, Plano police arrested a 64-year-old man in Oklahoma on suspicion of sexually assaulting two young girls in North Texas in the 1990s.
In Ardmore, Oklahoma, Nicholas Ray Carney was taken into custody on suspicion of kidnapping and aggravated sexual assault of a minor related to events in 1991 and 1999.
The Plano Police Department is presently holding Carney. His bond is still pending.
The Backstory:
A man approached an 8-year-old girl and her companion in an alley on August 15, 1991, while they were strolling in the 1700 block of Lake Hill Lane in Plano. After luring the girl into his car, the man—later identified as 35-year-old Carney—took off.
As per the affidavit, Carney made the youngster watch pornography and threatened to “never see your family again” if she didn’t comply with his orders.
After being sexually molested, the girl was discovered in a Garland home. She sustained damage to her throat and neck.
On March 25, 1999, Carney pulled up in his automobile to a 9-year-old girl and her friend as they were on their way home from school in Dallas. The girl was sexually raped after he enticed her into his car.
Police gathered DNA evidence from the victims’ clothing in both incidents.
In both cases, the suspect was depicted by police in composite sketches as a man who was around 6 feet tall, had brown eyes, brown hair, a mustache, and smoked a lot of cigarettes. Additionally, Carney used manipulation techniques involving animals to entice both ladies into his vehicle.
1991 Suspect Illustration
Timeline:
First assault: August 15, 1991; victim: 8-year-old girl.
March 25, 1999: A second assault on a 9-year-old girl.
2004: March 8: Both instances’ DNA evidence is connected.
In May of 2023, investigators started reviewing the cases using new technologies.
February 2024: No DNA matches were discovered on another search.
October: Investigators started looking for the suspected suspect’s potential relatives.
November: At Carney’s home in Oklahoma, police started looking into him.
Nicholas Carney was linked by DNA evidence on December 16.
Carney was detained on December 19.
Plano Police Department mugshot of Nicholas Carney
How police solved the case:
A possible family connection to a deceased mother with six children was investigated by investigators.
As a result, Keith Carney, who was found guilty of murder in Utah in 1990, was identified.
Nicholas Carney was found as investigators looked for Keith Carney’s siblings.
Background investigations showed that Nicholas Carney had been arrested for indecent exposure in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1980.
Carney’s identify was further confirmed by comparing the composite sketches with a photo from his 1996 driver’s license.
Carney’s discarded garbage bag included DNA that verified the connection to the assault charges.
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The Plano Police Department’s arrest warrant affidavit and updates are the sources of the information in this article.
The Plano Police Department’s arrest warrant affidavit and updates are the sources of the information in this article.
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