CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A resource that has been available since the 1980s continues to bring justice for victims and their families through anonymous tip submissions.
Corpus Christi Crime Stoppers serves as a tool that anyone can use to help law enforcement solve cases in and around the city, including some that have remained unsolved for decades.
"It's been 36 years now," said Ruby Roberson Hall, whose sister Elisa Roberson went missing in the summer of 1989.
Elisa was just 13 when she disappeared in Aransas Pass. She had planned to meet a friend, but when the friend arrived at their meeting spot, Elisa wasn't there.
"Sometimes it's hard to just even fathom that it was just a six-minute walk from our house," Hall said.
Hall, along with other family members and friends, continues to bring awareness to her sister's disappearance. The case remains open and unresolved.
"Anything and everything to bring Elisa's case to the forefront and to give people the opportunity to come forward and speak about it," Hall said.
The family continues seeking the community's support through tips and leads, which is where Crime Stoppers plays a crucial role.
"We always say if you see something, say something. Even if you don't think it's going to be anything, it's better off to let the police know," said Antonio Contreras, senior officer with the Corpus Christi Police Department.
How to submit tips
There are several ways to submit a tip:
- Calling the Crime Stoppers hotline at 888-TIPS (8477)
- Going online
- Downloading the P3 app through the Crime Stoppers Facebook page
Once a tip is submitted, it gets sent to the specific division related to the case.
"Once it's investigated, if it results in an arrest or warrant, then that tip is possible for a payout reward," Contreras said.
All tips are anonymous.
"You don't have to leave your name, number, anything like that. You just give the location of where the crime is occurring and a brief description of what's going on," Contreras said.
Contreras said CCPD pays out several tips each month, especially after they post the top 10 most wanted at the beginning of each month. Corpus Christi Crime Stoppers teams up with other law enforcement agencies to ensure tips reach the right place.
"It can help people to jog their memory. A hundred times before, the person may not be willing to speak, but that one time it's put out there again and their conscience gets to them and they're like, 'I need to say what I know,' and that's how these cases get solved," Hall said.
Hall said the family petitioned to legally declare Elisa deceased last month for their own peace of mind, but that doesn't mean their fight and search come to an end.
"When you don't have the body and don't have remains, it's hard for you to have some sense of closure, some sense of peace. It's always in the background. I think of my sister every day. It's constant. She'll never be forgotten. We're going to get some answers eventually," Hall said.
All tips are tipster-led, meaning the person who submits or calls must call back or log in with a code and password to check the status of the tip they submitted.
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This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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