The Dallas detective investigating the June murder of fast food worker is now the subject of an internal investigation after charges were dropped against two suspects.
Dallas police previously said two men robbed a Dallas Subway restaurant June 14 and shot and killed employee Leonardo Ortega in the process.
Acting on a Crime Stoppers tip, Dallas police said they contacted 35-year-old Christopher Miller on July 31. Police said Miller voluntarily went to police headquarters and met with detectives where he admitted involvement in the robbery and identified 37-year-old Anderson Jones as an accomplice.
Both men were jailed and charged with capital murder.
Police said during the course of the investigation detectives found inconsistencies in Miller's statements and determined his story was unreliable. On Aug. 13, Dallas police dropped the capital murder charges against Jones and Miller.
On Aug. 14, NBC 5 learned from Bradley Lollar, Jones' lawyer, that the Dallas Police Department never filed the charges against his client and eventually pulled his arrest warrant allowing him to be released.
The Dallas police confirmed Friday that Jones' warrant was withdrawn, but never mentioned Miller. Police also revealed no other information in the investigation.
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Police confirmed the charges were dropped against both men on Aug. 18 and said that an administrative investigation is underway to determine if detectives followed procedures relating to department policies.
Police said Ortega's family was notified of the developments and that the investigation into the shooting continues.
Sonia Ortega, the victim’s mother, said she is not critical of police efforts to solve the crime.
“I hope justice will be served but not at the cost of someone innocent being charged.”
NBC 5's Ken Kalthoff also contributed to this report.
