ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – An arrest has been made in a double homicide case that remained cold for 41 years.

In March 1982, the Abilene Police Department responded to the 1300 block of South Bowie Street in relation to a double homicide. The victims were 30-year-old Susanna Flores Brown and her 8-year-old daughter Franchesca Antionette Martinez.

Advancements in DNA technology allowed APD to collect new information in the case. The Taylor County District Attorney’s Office issued a warrant for Billye Brown, who was arrested on October 27, 2023.

Courtesy of the Taylor County Jail

Brown was charged with two counts of First Degree Homicide and was in the Taylor County Jail on a total bond of $200,000. According to jail records, he was released on Saturday, October 28.

The victim’s family was notified of this arrest, and APD would like to thank the Department of Public Safety Crime Lab, the Tarrant County Medical Examiners Crime Lab, the Taylor County District Attorney’s Office and Cold Justice for their assistance.