From Jefferson County District Attorney's Office:
PORT ARTHUR, Texas –In conjunction with the Port Arthur Police Department and the Texas Rangers, District Attorney Bob Wortham announces the arrest of Daniel Andrew MacGinnis for the 1988 murder of Patricia Ann Jacobs. On or about October 05, 1988, Jacobs failed to return home from a meeting at the Silver Spur tavern in Hardin County. The next morning her truck was found still parked in the parking lot at the Silver Spur, and she was reported as a missing person to the Hardin County Sheriff’s Office. October 6, her lifeless body was found in the Neches River in Port Arthur. An autopsy revealed that she died as a result of drowning, and had sustained trauma to her head and face. The manner of death was listed as “probable homicide.”
An intense investigation was conducted at that time by the Texas Rangers, the Hardin County Sheriff’s Office, and the Port Arthur Police Department. Numerous witnesses were interviewed and MacGinnis was identified as a suspect.
MacGinnis was interviewed in California by Texas Rangers, and denied any knowledge or involvement. The investigation revealed no previous contact between Jacobs and MacGinnis. The investigation languished for lack of evidence.
In recent months, the Texas Rangers and Port Arthur Police Department discovered items of evidence that were subjected to DNA testing that was not available in 1988. The Texas DPS Crime Lab developed a DNA profile which ultimately matched MacGinnis, who had become a convicted and registered sex offender. An arrest warrant for MacGinnis was obtained and he is now in the Jefferson County Jail under a $1,000,000 bond.
Under the leadership of Chief Tim Duriso, detectives from the Port Arthur Police Department led by Detective Lt. Scott Argo are recognized for outstanding police work in the arrest of MacGinnis and in bringing closure to the family of the victim. Able assistance was provided by the Texas Rangers.