AUSTIN (WBAP/KLIF News ) – A Houston woman who vanished more than 40 years after her parents were found murdered has been found alive and well.
The Texas Attorney General’s Office announced Thursday that it’s Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit found Holly Marie Clouse.
Back in 1981, the media dubbed the missing child “Baby Holly.” Investigators said the bodies of her parents, Harold Dean Clouse Junior and Tina Gail Linn Clouse of Florida, were found in a wooded area near Houston and their infant daughter was gone.
Their identities could not be determined at that time of the murders but in Identifinders International were able to positively identify the bodies last year through the use of genetic genealogy.
The Linn and Clouse families had been searching for Baby Holly for decades. She now 42 years old and has been notified about the identity for her biological parents.
Holly has been in contact with her extended biological family and they hope to meet in person soon.
“Finding Holly is a birthday present from heaven since we found her on Junior’s birthday. I prayed for more than 40 years for answers and the Lord has revealed some of it…we have found Holly,” said Holly’s biological grandmother Donna Casasanta. Thank you to all of the investigators for working so hard to find Holly. I prayed for them day after day that they would find Holly and she would be alright. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to Mindy Montford. We will be forever grateful.”
Holly’s aunt Cheryl Clouse said she’s overwhelmed with excitement.
“I was so happy to meet her for the first time. It’s such a blessing to be reassured that she his alright and has had a good life. The whole family slept well last night. The Hope for Holly Project was a success thanks to Mindy and her team,” she said.
Attorney General Ken Paxton said the new development is the result of a collaborative effort between his office’s CCMP 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.
“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 reunited her with her biological family,” said AG Paxton.
Paxton is holding a press conference to detail more about the investigation Thursday afternoon.
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