January 21, 2026
(McKinney, Texas) – Collin County Criminal District Attorney Greg Willis announced that Nicholas Carney, 65, of Ardmore, Oklahoma, was found guilty by a Collin County jury of aggravated sexual assault of a child and sentenced to life in prison for the August 1991 kidnapping and sexual assault of an eight-year-old child in Plano, Texas.
The Crime
On August 15, 1991, an eight-year-old child was kidnapped by a stranger in Plano while walking with a friend to a community pool. Over the course of several hours, the child was sexually assaulted before being released approximately 20 miles from her home.
When the child was located, detectives and medical personnel collected DNA evidence. The child’s friend worked with Plano Police Detective Larry Wilson to create a composite sketch of the perpetrator. Despite extensive efforts by multiple law-enforcement agencies, no suspect was identified at the time and the case went cold.
DNA evidence was later submitted to the Southwestern Institute of Forensic Science (SWIFS) in Dallas. In 2004, SWIFS developed a DNA profile of the perpetrator, which was entered into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). Although no suspect was identified, the profile was linked to an unsolved sexual assault case in Dallas.
Investigators determined that on March 25, 1999, a nine-year-old child was kidnapped in Dallas while walking home from school with a friend. That child was sexually assaulted over several hours before being released approximately 40 miles away. DNA evidence was collected, and the child’s friend assisted ATF Agent Sharon Whittaker in creating a composite sketch. That case also remained unsolved.
The Investigation
In 2023, Plano Police Detective Aaron Benzick, Dallas Police Detective Elizabeth DeAngelis, and Texas Ranger Jason Shea reopened the cases and submitted the DNA evidence for forensic investigative genetic genealogy analysis.
Investigators learned that Nicholas Carney lived in the Dallas area at the time of both offenses, drove vehicles consistent with the descriptions provided by the victims, and possessed driver’s license photographs consistent with the composite sketches. Working with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, detectives obtained a DNA sample from Carney.
Testing confirmed that Carney’s DNA matched the perpetrator’s DNA in both the 1991 Plano case and the 1999 Dallas case. Carney was arrested and charged with multiple counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child.
Further investigation revealed that in 1980, while working as an ice-cream truck driver in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Carney was convicted of exposing himself to a six-year-old child and attempting to lure the child into his vehicle.
The Verdict and Sentence
After hearing the evidence, a Collin County jury found Carney guilty of aggravated sexual assault of a child and sentenced him to life in prison. The jury also assessed a $34 fine – one dollar for each year the crime went unsolved. Judge Richard Davis presided.
Statement from DA Greg Willis
“My office is here to protect children and remove dangerous predators from our communities. We will pursue these offenders as long as it takes so families can live in peace and children can grow up safe,” said Willis following the verdict.
Prosecution Team
Assistant Criminal District Attorneys Ashleigh Woodall and Ann Mathew prosecuted the case, assisted by District Attorney Investigator Laurie Gibbs and Victim Assistance Coordinator Valerie Miller.
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