Suspects arrested in Trinity River illegal dumping scheme

DALLAS - Dallas Police have arrested two suspects in connection with a lage illegal landfill spilling into the Trinity River that the city has been aware of for several years.

Dallas illegal dumping suspect arrested

What we know:

59-year-old Kyle Boyd was arrested by Dallas Police on April 21 and charged with three counts of illegal dumping.

Officials allege Boyd had been paying commercial trucking businesses to dump waste at an illegal landfill spilling into the Trinity River in southeast Dallas. Boyd is the homeowner of a property near the site.

The City of Dallas assigned a private investigator to the case in December 2025, according to an arrest affidavit.

On three separate occasions in Dec. 2025 and April 2026, the investigator witnessed vehicles illegally dumping waste at the site.

During the December report, the driver asked the investigator for directions to the site and showed the officer a payment of $160 for the dumping.

In April, the officer was told by multiple drivers they had permission to dump at the site for a fee. One business owner told the investigator that Boyd had been sending him payments for years to dump at the property.

Truck driver arrested in connection

Dig deeper:

Dallas PD has also arrested Joshua Fanslaw in connection with the scheme. He faces one count of illegal dumping.

Police documents show that arrest warrants are out for multiple other truck drivers.

Trinity River illegal dumping

The backstory:

FOX 4 initially reported on the illegal dumping site on April 8, which is located in the 1100 to 1500 block of Riverwood Road. The garbage dump, which includes boards, metals, plastics and more, can be seen spilling into the Trinity River unabated, raising environmental concerns.

Dallas has been aware of the issue for years. The city marshal's office placed cameras in the area that were stolen or vandalized in incidents dating back to 2020.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) told Brown they first received a complaint about illegal dumping in the area on March 16. The TCEQ initially attempted to contact Boyd about the dumping, but was unable to reach him.

"30 trucks a day"

What they're saying:

Patrick Nolan's girlfriend owns a property next to the illegal dumpsite, and he says he first noticed the illegal dumping over two years ago. 

Nolan tells FOX 4's Lori Brown he made reports to the city at the time, but the dumping continued.

"I might see 30 trucks a day going down to what turned out to be an illegal dump site down there," Nolan told Brown. "At one point, after talking to the city about it and making reports, I started smelling smoke a couple times."

He's glad that the city has finally taken action, saying the city and the suspect have the responsibility to clean the dumpsite up.

"I think the gentleman that did the trashing does, but also the city is really responsible for helping bring it back into the condition it should be. If they let it go this long."

Dumpsite cleanup

What's next:

On April 13, the city said multiple departments are developing a response plan to address the illegal dumping, and they planned to provide an update that week. As of April 23, FOX 4 has yet to receive that update.

Dallas released the following statement to FOX 4 on their investigation:

"The City has implemented a coordinated response with staff from Code Compliance, Dallas Water Utilities, Dallas Marshal’s Office, Dallas Fire-Rescue, and the City Attorney’s Office.  In addition, city staff is working with state and federal partners to thoroughly investigate the affected properties in the 1100 to 1500 blocks of Riverwood Road. Because this is an ongoing investigation, we are unable to provide specifics regarding next steps at this time."