22-year-old Brent Gutheinz was murdered in 1997. Now, an increased reward is being offered for information about his case.
This week, the Texas Department of Public Safety announced that it was raising the reward to $6,000 for anyone with information regarding the 1997 cold case murder of Brent Alan Gutheinz. The 22-year-old UT-Dallas student’s body was discovered a few days after he initially went missing. At the time, numerous witnesses were interviewed and several leads were pursued, but no official arrests have ever been made. In an effort to solve Gutheinz’s murder, the Texas Rangers and the Grayson County Sheriff’s Office are working together to explore new avenues, including forensic testing that may at last provide concrete answers.
An increased reward is being offered in the hopes that someone in the Grayson County community will come forward with information that law enforcement personnel are seeking in regard to major financial transactions Gutheinz made in the months leading up to his murder. In any instance where a cold case is being examined, the exact reasoning behind this request will be kept private to ensure the overall integrity of the investigation.
Brent was last seen two days before his tragic death
Brent Alan Gutheinz was a Plano Senior High graduate, avid bodybuilder, resident of Richardson, and a senior at UT-Dallas. In the months leading up to his disappearance on June 19, 1997, he had been in a tumultuous on-again, off-again relationship with a woman named Chanel Banks. During this time, Gutheinz amassed a debt of $64,000. His family indicated he had been spending the money on expensive vehicles and electronics, and on an apartment he recently moved into with Banks. Gutheinz expressed to his loved ones that his financial situation was causing him a great deal of stress.
On the day of his disappearance, Gutheinz was seen leaving SimFighters around 5 p.m. before being seen again at the 24 Hour Fitness at 5:30 p.m. Around 5:50 p.m. he made a purchase at Sugarless Delight. The Dallas Observer notes that these exact times were later disputed during the investigation, but what is known for certain is that the 22-year-old did not show up for a 6 p.m. class he had at UT-Dallas. A few days later, on June 22 around 11:30 a.m., his body was discovered by a local fisherman along the Squirrel Creek banks between Sherman and Van Alstyne. Gutheinz has been badly mutilated and burned. The Dallas Observer wrote in 2004 that investigators originally assigned to the case were not able to determine how Gutheinz died or where he was killed. His official cause of death is listed as “homicidal violence.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers directly
To help solve Brent Gutheinz’s case, the Texas Department of Public Safety is offering an increased reward of $6,000 for a limited time. To be eligible for the reward, you must contact Crime Stoppers directly at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477) or submit a tip directly by clicking here. If you’re submitting information through the form regarding this case, please select “Cold Cases Featured” under type of crime and “Cold Case – Texas Rangers” under offense type.
Even if you don’t have any direct information or insight into Gutheinz’s financial difficulties, authorities are still requesting that you come forward with any details or insight that may prove helpful in identifying who is responsible for the 22-year-old’s murder. There’s always time to do the right thing.
