Greg Holliday in 2003, when he was running for Dallas City Council: Lake Highlands Advocate magazine
Searchers discovered the body of 63-year-old Greg Holliday Saturday in a creek near Preston Trails golf club. Updated: 12:49 p.m. Monday, the Dallas Morning News reports Holliday’s death has been ruled a suicide according to the medical examiner’s office.
The former assistant police chief once was commander of the northeast police station in our neighborhood, he won recognition in 1990 for testifying against a corrupt police chief, and he narrowly lost to Bill Blaydes in the 2003 Dallas City Council District 10 (Lake Highlands) election.
The county medical examiner has not released an official cause of death. A string of sad clues led to the discovery.
Dallas Police early last week issued a “critically missing person” alert for Holliday, noting that he “could be armed and may harm himself.”
Several issues could have led to his behavior and the tragedy that ensued, police indicated in a press conference: He was depressed. He had suffered the death of an adult child that might have been plaguing him. He had been on anti-depressants but was weaning off them. He reportedly was hit by a car during last week’s storm, but refused help. (Later police said they were not sure that was him). That was about the last time he was seen alive, on Campbell road in the North Dallas area.
The Holliday family issued a statement, via the Dallas Police Department, extending “… heartfelt gratitude to the community for all of the prayers offered on Greg’s behalf.
“He served Dallas with distinction and with love. Our family will always be grateful to the men and women who worked so hard to find Greg and bring him back to us —the volunteers, the Parks and Wildlife officials, the Fire-Rescue workers and, especially, his Dallas Police Department family.”
Below is an excerpt from the Advocate’s 2003 interview with Holliday, when he was campaigning. He obviously had a grasp of our challenges:
“As a retired police executive, I know with absolute certainty that the three issues — crime, apartments, and retail — are closely linked. Neglected apartments are breeding grounds for crime, both within the complexes themselves and in surrounding residential and business communities. And if crime is allowed to spiral out of control, businesses and home values suffer, the tax base suffers and, worst of all, good people suffer. I’ll work to promote a community where retail businesses once again can flourish, residential property values can soar and apartments are assets to the community. I’ll halt the bureaucratic run-around and bring a team approach to the task of upgrading the quality of life in apartments. Police alone can’t be totally effective. But coordinated teams of police officers, fire inspectors and code enforcers — all backed by aggressive action from the City Attorney’s Office — can generate intense, sustained pressure to upgrade apartment properties. If we clean up the apartments, much of the rest will fall into place: crime will decrease, retail businesses will prosper and all citizens of District 10 — single-family owners and the residents of apartments — will have a better quality life. As your former commander of the police station in District 10, I know and love the community.”
