Hailey Dunn Investigation Synopsis Released, But Heavily Redacted
Lubbock's KCBD 11 has made multiple arduous and honestly heroic attempts to obtain a copy of the arrest warrant against Shawn Adkins, the man who many suspect is the murderer of Hailey Dunn of Colorado City, Texas.
Mitchell County has repeatedly denied those requests, citing the "integrity" of the investigation, in spite of the fact that Texas law dictates that arrest warrants are public information.
Adkins was the boyfriend of Hailey's mother Billie Jean Dunn at the time Hailey went missing 11 years ago. Her remains would be found three years later. Adkins was only arrested and charged with Hailey's murder this year.
When pressed with the Texas statute that clearly defines an arrest warrant as public information, Mitchell County made various delays, then claimed that since the report included information about violence towards a child, they couldn't provide the report.
The journalists at KCBD were puzzled by the whole ordeal:
Being denied a warrant after an arrest outright is an unprecedented situation for the KCBD news team.
We searched previous AG opinions and have found none that back withholding a warrant. In fact, there are a couple that appear to support its immediate release.
KCBD then asked for a redacted version, which they still have yet to receive. Instead, a heavily redacted Investigation Synopsis was released, with no mention of Shawn Adkins.
The report, all three paragraphs of it, basically only mention facts about K9 units being dispatched to search the Snyder landfill before Hailey's remains were found. Her body was not found there. Hailey was found by a man hunting arrowheads. It seems to be completely useless information.
People who have closely followed Hailey's case for years have raised their eyebrows over how Shawn Adkins has been treated over the last 11 years. While there's no proof that he's receiving special treatment or that someone is protecting him, the whole ordeal just doesn't sit right with many followers of the case.
Child pornography was found on a computer in Billie and Shawn's bedroom. Adkins has also made contradictory statements about the day of Hailey's disappearance and failed a polygraph test. Hailey's grandmother reported that Hailey was afraid of Adkins. All of that is, of course, circumstantial evidence, but evidence that feels frustratingly obvious to those following the case.
I want to believe that the arrest warrant is being withheld for the integrity of the case, and for the sincere pursuit of justice. I want to believe that whoever murdered Hailey will pay for their heinous crime. I want to believe that person will never hurt another child again.