So, this past weekend, I was walking back to the truck from my blind. I was walking along a broken road where the guys drive to check the oil field lines. I look over and find a .380 pistol lying just under some brush. It looked to be in pretty decent condition from first glance. I picked it up and found that all of the parts that were not nickel finished were rusted up pretty bad, and it looked like someone had taken an axe or hatchet or something and tried to destroy it. The spring for the magazine was sticking out of the bottom, but the mag was still stuck inside, and the slide was rusted closed. Took it home, and pulled off one of the grip covers and found out the thing was still loaded, and after shining a light down the barrel, there was a live round stuck in the chamber. Called the Palo Pinto sherrif dept. and they told me to take it to my local P.D., so I stopped off at the Arlington PD this morning. they ran the serial, and come to find out, not only is it stolen, but apparently has been linked to a pretty serious crime. I don't know what crime, could be a robbery or even a murder, they would not tell me. Anyways, kinda blew my mine. Anything like this ever happened to anyone else?

Nope. And hope it dont. Sounds like a lot of paperwork could be heading your way. Where did you find it? When? What were you doing there? Why did you take it home and take it apart? Good luck. Not saying you did anything wrong. You didnt at all but the cops will need a lot of info to do their job.

Eehhh. Every few weeks it does. Not really.

That is freakin crazy. It would be great if it was the missing link to solving the crime. I personally would have NEVER touched it.......unless it was OLD Colt or something of the sort. But never one of those cheap A$$ throw away guns.

I am curious as to how they linked the SN to a crime without doing ballistics on it first. Seems like it would have to be a home invasion/murder and it was the only gun missing.

Where about in palo pinto. I know there was a murder not too long ago north of santo.

Not quite. I found a large knife covered in blood in the parking lot of a local dive one night though. There was no name on it so figured finders keepers, but figured I better have the blood tested first to make sure it was not human/possibly used in a crime. Took it down to the local PD & a few days later got the results back. Turns out it was pig blood so the knife was mine

Biggest Crime is it is a Jennings...better off using that as a Hammer

I found the gun on my lease just south of the intersection of Hwy 281 and Hwy 254. The only reason I picked it up, was honestly thought maybe someone had just lost it while out hunting. Last year, the LO had leased the house on the land out to a family. the lady renting had allowed some guys come out with their dogs to hunt hogs. I was with them one night hog dogging and one of the guys lost his pistol after he was running towards the dogs that had ahold of some hogs. We found his pistol after looking for it awhile, so I thought maybe it was a situation like that. What really got me thinking though was the way the grip was damaged, and it honestly looks like it was hit with an axe or something.
My buddy had a good point also, in that the police may still be able to pull prints from it. Even though it has been out in the elements, rain, sun etc., the bullets inside were covered. So whoever loaded the thing may have left prints on the bullets. I don't know for sure tho if they will be able to get prints or not. I will update as I get any new info on it.

Looks like to me a plowblade or perhaps a motorgrader hit it while plowing or finishing a road.

You did the right thing by taking it in to the cops, some people especially if it was a nicer pistol would have either kept or sold it....then found it or not you are in posession of a stolen firearm.

Always take them apart and always throw the parts in water.

I used to give anything that I needed permanently destroyed to my son and his cousin. With enough time, they could tear up a crowbar.

Wow, very interesting find

AAAAAHHHHHH .......... personal experience?????????

yes... when i was about 11 or 12 years old in michigan.

I was out walking a back road hunting pheasants with my pellet gun and found a 22 rifle wrapped in black tape in the ditch. I picked it up and brought it home to show my parents.

They called the police. the cops took it and said if it wasnt suspected to be used in a crime, we could have it back. We called a few months later and asked about it. Who ever answered the phone said there was no record of it. weird.

nice find!

Maybe it is the missing link to solving a crime. Good find

In multiple areas

Ummm. You need to google Shonda Townsend. Young girl kidnapped, found dead over a year later in Mineral Wells. Her cell phone pinged off a tower in that area for the last time the night she vanashed.

Glad you turned it over to law enforcement.
Finding any kind of weapon where it shouldn't be is reason for red flags to go up immmediately, and calling the law should be the first thing that is done.
There might be more weapons and even other grisly finds on those remote ranches this coming season, with all the drug war violence just across the border.

Yeah, i remember seeing missing person signs posted along the highway for that poor girl.

I hope finding it and turning it over to a LEO helps bring closure somewhere to someone.

Crazy, hope your discovery leads to justice.

very interested to see what happens, nice find

Not on the lease (we were in Katy) but my oldest son found one after work one day. He was 15 and working as a lifeguard at a local community pool and was riding his bike home and found a pistol on the side of the road. He made it safe, and not wanting to leave it where a small kid might find it, put it in his back pack and took it back to the community center where there was an adult meeting going on. Interrupted the meeting to alert an adult. Police were called and to get to the end of the story, it turns out the gun had been used in a crime and was supposed to be locked up in the Austin police dept. No explanation was given on how it might have turned up on a street in Katy. My son was given a nice pat on the back by the community and the police dept for doing the right thing.

Both son and dad need a "Well Done for doing the right thing!" Your son for the reasons noted in your text and you, for raising your kid right! Many would not have had a clue what to do and have had no guidance to base their decisions on. He learned that from you I suspect.