Texas Cold Case unit locates woman missing for over 40 years after her parents' murder
AUSTIN (CBSDFW.COM) —The Texas Attorney General's Office Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit has identified a woman who went missing for over four decades after her parents were murdered in Houston in the early 1980s.
In 1981, two bodies were found in a wooded area in Houston. They had apparently been murdered, and their identities were not known at the time. For over 40 years, investigators remained stuck in the dark.
The big break came in 2021 after NCMEC submitted the case for forensic testing and the woman was finally identified as Tina Gail Linn Clouse of Florida through a process called genetic genealogy. The man was then identified as Tina's husband, Howard Dean Clouse Jr.
The Linn and Clouse families have been searching for answers after they last heard from the couple in October 1981, when Tina and Dean were living in Lewisville. They were thankful that they finally knew why they had disappeared, but an important question remained unanswered.
The couple had an infant daughter named Holly, but she was not found with her parents' remains. In fact, until speaking with the Linn and Clouse families, law enforcement had no idea the couple even had a child.
When they learned last year that the bodies in Houston had been identified as Tina and Dean, the families started looking for answers as to what happened to Holly and the circumstances surrounding the Clouses' deaths.
On June 9, 2022, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton officially announced that Holly has been found and is alive and well. Holly, now 42, has been notified of her parents' identities and is contact with her extended biological family. They hope to meet in person soon.
Holly said she realizes that many people are interested in hearing more about her and her story, but is asking for privacy at this time.
What happened to Baby Holly after her parents' murder?
In a press conference, Brett Webster, First Assistant Attorney General of Texas, said that Holly was left at an Arizona church. He did not say who found her or under what circumstances, but said the church cared for her for some time.
Webster stressed that the family who raised Holly are not suspects.
At some point, two women who identified themselves as members of a nomadic religious group brought her to the church. They were wearing white robes, were barefoot, and said that their beliefs included separating male and female members, practicing vegetarianism, and not wearing leather.
Webster said that this religious group was known from different sightings across the southwest and that the women indicated they had given up a baby before at a laundromat. He did not name or identify the group,.
Around the time that police believe Tina and Dean may have been murdered, a woman calling herself "Sister Susan" called the Linn and Clouse families. She said she was from Los Angeles and that Tina and Dean had joined the religious group and did not want any further contact with their families.
She also said they were giving up all of their possessions and that she wanted to return their car in exchange for money. The family agreed to meet "Sister Susan" in Florida.
The families met two or three women wearing robes at a gas station, and police took them into custody. However, there is no record of a police report on file.
The Linn and Clouse families were grateful to finally meet Holly
Holly's extended family was elated that they were able to finally reunite with her and thanked investigators for their hard work.
Donna Casasanta, Holly's grandmother, said "finding Holly is a birthday present from heaven" and that the family "will forever be grateful."
"It was so exciting to see Holly. I was so happy to meet her for the first time. It is such a blessing to be reassured that she is alright and has had a good life. The whole family slept well last night," said Holly's aunt Cheryl Clouse.
To go from hoping to find her to suddenly meeting her less than 8 months later, how miraculous is that? All of the detectives involved... They all expressed such fortitude to get to the bottom of this case... They have the Linn family's complete support," said Les Linn, Holly's uncle.
"I am extremely proud of the exceptional work done by my office's newly formed Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit. My office diligently worked across state lines to uncover the mystery surrounding Holly's disappearance. We were successful in our efforts to locate her and reunite her with her biological family," Attorney General Paxton said in a statement.
Paxton said that the discovery was made possible through collaboration between several agencies across the country, including the Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit, the Lewisville Police Department, the Volusia County Sheriff's Office in Florida, the Arizona Attorney General's Office, the Harris County Sheriff's Office, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
John Bischoff, vice president of the Missing Children Division at NCMEC, said he hoped that this case would encourage other families missing their relatives to never give up. "We know that with advancements in technology and the hard work and dedication of law enforcement, we can get answers, even after four decades."
When contacted for comment, the City of Lewisville said the Police Detective Craig Holleman had assisted with the investigation beginning in November 2021. He was present at the meeting Tuesday where Holly was notified about her parents.
Detective Holleman declined to comment except to say that "he is glad this family could be reunited and find some answers after so many decades," according to the city's statement.
The Cold Case and Missing Persons unit is still investigating the murders of Tina and Dean Clouse and asks anyone with information about their deaths to contact them via email at coldcaseunit@oag.texas.gov.