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Holly Marie Clouse, a baby who went missing after her parents were killed in Texas, has been found alive more than 40 years later, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced in a press release.
Holly Marie Clouse was last seen by her family in late 1980.
Her parents Harold Dean, 21, and Tina Linn Clouse, 17, were found murdered in rural Houston on January 12, 1981 with no sign of the infant.
Family history detectives have now located Holly, a 42-year-old mother-of-five living in Oklahoma.
It remains unclear what happened to her after her parents were killed.
Where Holly Marie Clouse Was Found
This week, authorities announced they found their daughter.
They said Holly Marie, now 42, is alive and well, and living in Oklahoma.
Investigators visited her at her workplace on Tuesday, her father’s birthday, and informed her of the case.
Hours later, she met her family on a Zoom call, the Chronicle reported.
“Finding Holly is a birthday present from heaven since we found her on Junior’s birthday,” her grandmother, Donna Casasanta said, in a statement released by a family spokeswoman. “I prayed for more than 40 years for answers and the Lord has revealed some of it.”
“I believe Tina is finally resting in peace knowing Holly is reuniting with her family,” Sherry Green, Holly’s aunt said, according to KHOU.
Holly has five children and two infant grandchildren, according to the Chronicle.
The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office in Florida worked with Texas authorities and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to help reunite the family.
“It’s one of the most meaningful things I’ve ever been a part of,” Det. Steve Wheeler of the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said. “It’s a once in a lifetime thing to play even a small part in reuniting a family after 40 years.”
The investigation into the murders of Tina and Dean Clouse is ongoing. Authorities are asking those with more information about the case to contact Sgt. Rachel Kading at the Texas Office of the Attorney General’s Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit at [email protected] or 512-936-0742.
The cold case and missing persons investigation was done in collaboration with the Texas Attorney General’s Office 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, the release said.
