Overview
- Eric Johnson, 39, was taken into custody by La Porte police, which authorities announced Monday in connection with the 2012 death of 16‑month‑old Shawn McCloskey.
- Shawn was found unresponsive on July 19, 2012 after Johnson, then the child’s mother’s boyfriend, had cared for the toddler overnight and an autopsy later ruled the death a homicide from multiple blunt‑force injuries.
- La Porte detectives identified Johnson early in the original 2012 probe but local prosecutors at the time declined to file charges because they said there was insufficient evidence, leaving the case unsolved for 14 years.
- The case was submitted to the Texas Attorney General’s Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit for review at the May 2026 Texas Solves: Collaboration Workshop, where state and local investigators reexamined evidence and developed new investigative strategies.
- Authorities say the reexamination produced information that established probable cause, but prosecutors have not disclosed the new evidence and the matter will now move through the court process with arraignment and formal charges to follow.