Nearly a week has passed since a Plano jogger's body was discovered on Chisholm Trail, where she would run each morning. The jogging shoes that people were leaving around a couple of trees where Sarmistha Sen's body was found have made their way to Trusted World, a nonprofit that feeds and clothes people around the world. The hashtag #irunwithsarmistha also appeared internationally on social media in hopes of raising awareness.
Shortly after she was found on Aug. 1, Plano police announced that they had a person of interest in custody. He'd been arrested on a burglary charge that may or may not be related to Sen's murder. Since then, Plano police detectives have been visiting the trail most mornings this past week, seeking information from possible witnesses to the crime, which occurred between 5:45 a.m. and 7 a.m.
Now police are seeking social media users' help.
"Plano Police Department detectives have been attempting to contact as many witnesses as possible with regards to the death investigation of Sarmistha Sen," the Plano police social media person shared in an Aug. 9 Facebook post. "If there are any witnesses who were on the Chisholm Trail (Tracy/Legacy area) that Saturday (between the hours that the crime was committed) and have NOT already provided their statement to detectives/patrol officers, please call the Plano Police Tipline at (927) 941-2148."
But sadly, Sen's murder isn't the only unsolved crime they need help solving. Several still appear on the North Texas Crimestoppers website. Local Profile reached out to Plano police spokesperson David Tilley to get update on the unsolved crimes.
"Oftentimes we depend on video, eyewitness statements, evidence collected and even confessions to solve crimes," Tilley wrote in an Aug. 11 email. "Some more serious crimes use forensic evidence to solve them. Some crimes can be solved quick based on these and some that we don’t have this evidence can take time. It’s not uncommon that criminal confess their crimes to other criminals and we receive tips that lead us in a specific direction. We may even have someone we believe, or even know, committed the crime but are unable to prove it. Those can be frustrating to our detectives.
"We never want to take someone into custody unless we have the necessary evidence to show they are the ones responsible for the crime. Getting it right is much more important than getting it fast. Sometimes those happen together while other times they don’t."
Apartment Mail Thieves
On June 17, several suspects stole mail from a townhome complex in the 6500 block of E. Medalist Circle. Police believe the suspects may be connected to other mail theft incidents of mailboxes at apartment complexes and condos around the city.
The suspects were described as three Black men at varying heights. One was 6' in height and wearing light gray shirts, pants and ball cap, white tennis shoes, and a black facemask. The other was between 5'10 and 6' and wearing a dark gray cap, long sleeve denim shirt, gray sweatshirt and black and white Nike shoes. No height was given for the final suspect, but they did claim that he had a tattoo on his left arm, yet didn't share the design. He was wearing a red hair cap, black tank top and pants, and black and red shoes.
They were seen in a white Jeep Compass Trailhawk edition whose year model is somewhere between 2017 and 2020.
Tilley said no arrests have been made. A reward of up to $5,000 has been offered.
The Red-haired Burglar
He looks like a raver from an EDM party. He's thin like a drug addict, with his hair shaved on the sides. It looks more faded pink than red in crime scene photos, and is probably not his natural color. He was last seen wearing a black sleeveless shirt and a trucker's ballcap. Tattoos cover his knuckles and hands.
Police claim that in late June, the Red-haired Burglar burglarized a home on Newgate Lane and took the victim's purse and laptop. He used the stolen credit card at a grocery story and a gas station off Frankford Road in Dallas, and may be connected to another burglary on Anders Lane in Plano. Multiple items were stolen, including firearms.
Tilley said police have arrested the Red-haired Burglar. They're now working to connect him to the second burglary. Anyone with information is encouraged to call Crimestoppers at (877) 373-8477. A reward of up to $5,000 is being offered.
Fatal Hit & Run
A few days after Valentine's, a 59-year-old pedestrian was simply trying to avoid a car backing out of a driveway when he stepped into the road at the 2700 block of 14th Street in Plano. An oncoming car struck him.
The driver of the vehicle stopped. The passenger got out but fled the scene instead of rendering aid. The driver followed suit. Jimmy Robsinon was eventually taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
"The man would literally give you the shirt off his back if he thought he could help someone," Robinson's stepson told CBS News in late February.
Six months later, the suspects still haven't been found. Crimestoppers is offering up to $5,000 for information that leads to their arrests.
Rolex Grab & Run
The suspects are always identified the same way: Black male, medium build, in a ball cap. They enter the jewelry store and ask to see a Rolex watch.
The clerk shows the watch. The Black male in a ball cap takes off with it.
Police released photos of the three suspects and two vehicles — a late model white Mustang and a light gray Ford pickup — associated with the crime in late September 2019.
Nearly a year later, the suspects still haven't been caught. As with the other unsolved crimes, Crimestoppers is offering a reward up to $5,000 for information leading to their arrest.
Nationwide Crime Ring
They forced entry into a business and tried to break in to the cash drawer. It was mid March, a couple of year before the COVID-19 pandemic. But the mask and hooded criminals couldn't get the drawer open and left the scene empty handed.
Police believe they are part of a criminal group that has been targeting loan service businesses across the nation. The suspects are black and were caught on camera in dark clothing and wearing dark gloves.
Tilley said the crime is still unsolved more than two years later. The $5,000 Crimestoppers is offering doesn't seem to be helping.
