The Texas DPS Is Searching Statewide for a Dangerous Sex Offender

The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) is asking for the public’s help in tracking down John Lynch Goodwin, a 65-year-old sex offender now on the Texas 10 Most Wanted Sex Offenders List. Texas Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to his arrest, and all tips remain completely anonymous.

Who Authorities Are Looking For

Goodwin, originally from San Antonio and with ties to Edinburg, has been on the run since March 2025 after failing to comply with sex offender registration requirements in Bexar County. He’s also wanted by the Edinburg Police Department on a separate charge of unlawful possession of synthetic marijuana issued in October 2024.

Investigators say Goodwin is about 5 feet 7 inches tall, 165 pounds, and covered in tattoos, including visible ink on his face, cheek, back, chest, arms, left finger, and right thigh.

A Violent Criminal History

Court records show Goodwin was convicted back in 1988 for two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child after attacks involving a six-year-old girl and a 14-year-old girl. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison. More recently, in 2020, he served five years for once again failing to follow Texas’s strict sex offender registration laws. He was released from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in April 2024.

How Texans Can Help, and Get Paid

Anyone with information can safely and anonymously share tips in one of three ways:

Call: 1-800-252-TIPS (8477)

Online: Visit the Texas DPS Most Wanted page
and click the “Submit a Tip” link under Goodwin’s photo

Facebook: Click the “SUBMIT A TIP” button on the DPS Facebook page

Tipsters will be assigned a number instead of a name, ensuring total anonymity. If your information leads to an arrest, you could receive a reward of up to $5,000 funded by the Governor’s Public Safety Office.

Why This Matters to Texans

So far in 2025 alone, DPS and partner agencies have captured 50 fugitives from the Texas 10 Most Wanted lists, including 19 sex offenders, and have paid out $37,000 in rewards to tipsters. Law enforcement officials say community tips play a crucial role in keeping dangerous offenders off the streets.

As someone who’s lived in West Texas for decades, I’ve seen how neighbors step up when it matters most. If you know anything about where Goodwin might be, reporting it could protect families and bring peace of mind to countless Texans.

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