I was born and raised in Texarkana, and my father, J. Q. Mahaffey, was the editor of the Gazette when the murders occurred—and the man, incidentally, who hired Presley in 1947.

Texarkana police say DNA finally solves 1981 double murder of teens. Dad suspected in Texarkana mystery. October 20, 2023 at 3:46 a.m. by Karl Richter ...

Further investigation showed he could not have been in Texarkana at the time of the murders. In 1981, Seward was a young TAPD patrol officer who lived in the same neighborhood as the Alexanders.