LA PORTE, Texas – Attorney General Ken Paxton announced the arrest of a La Porte man accused of killing a 16-month-old child more than a decade ago after investigators uncovered new developments while reviewing the long-unsolved case.
According to Paxton’s office, Eric Johnson was arrested by the La Porte Police Department in connection with the 2012 homicide of Shawn McCloskey. The arrest comes after the case was reexamined by the Office of the Attorney General’s Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit during its “Texas Solves: Collaboration Workshop” in May 2026.
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Authorities said Shawn’s mother found the toddler unresponsive on July 19, 2012, after Johnson, who was her boyfriend at the time, had cared for the child overnight.
Shawn was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
An autopsy later determined the child suffered multiple blunt force injuries comparable to those seen in a high-speed vehicle crash. His death was ruled a homicide.
Investigators with the La Porte Police Department identified Johnson as the primary suspect early in the investigation. However, officials said there was not enough evidence at the time to file criminal charges, and the case remained unsolved for 14 years.
The breakthrough came after La Porte police submitted the case for review during the attorney general’s Texas Solves workshop, a program that brings together investigators and forensic experts to revisit cold cases.
Following the two-day workshop, investigators from the La Porte Police Department and the attorney general’s Cold Case Unit worked together to reexamine evidence and develop new investigative strategies.
According to the attorney general’s office, that collaboration led to new information that established probable cause for Johnson’s arrest.
“My Cold Case Unit has secured the evidence needed to arrest Eric Johnson for the murder of 16-month-old baby Shawn McCloskey,” Paxton said in a statement. “My office worked closely with the La Porte PD to bring justice to the victim of such a heartbreaking and heinous violent crime. We will continue to do everything we can to solve cold cases across the state.”
Johnson is now in custody, and the case will proceed through the court system. Authorities have not released additional details about the new evidence that led to the arrest.