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The missing daughter of two newlyweds who were murdered and dumped in the Texas woods more than 40 years ago was left at an Arizona church by members of a religious cult.
Holly Marie Clouse, then an infant, was left at the church in the early 1980s by two barefoot, white robe-wearing women.
They identified themselves as members of a ‘nomadic religious group’ that practiced separation of the sexes, vegetarianism and didn’t believe in using or wearing leather.
The women claimed to have previously given up another baby at a laundromat.
Her biological parents, Harold Dean Clouse and Tina Gail Clouse, had disappeared in late 1980 while moving from Florida to Texas.
The newlyweds were found in dead in a wooded area of Houston on January 12, 1981. However, their identities remained unknown until last year when DNA connected the couple to family members in Kentucky.
Holly, now 42, was raised by a family who are not considered suspects in the murder of her biological parents, the Texas Attorney General’s Office revealed Thursday. She currently lives in Oklahoma with her five kids.
Holly and her biological family met for the first time earlier this week via the internet. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is facilitating an in-person meeting in the near future.
Holly Marie Clouse (pictured as a baby) was an infant when her parents Harold Dean Clouse and Tina Gail Clouse disappeared in late 1980 while moving from Florida to Texas
Now, more than four decades later, Holly (pictured) has been reconnected with her biological extended family
Harold and Tina’s family were contacted by an alleged member of the religious cult, who called herself Sister Susan, in either late December 1980 or January 1981.
The woman told the family Harold, 21, and Tina, 17, had joined their religious group and no longer wanted to have contact with their relatives. She also claimed the couple was giving up all of their possessions.
Sister Susan, who claimed to be calling from Los Angeles, California, asked for money in exchange for returning the vehicle to Florida, where the family lived.
They agreed to meet the woman at the Daytona Race Track in early January and alerted authorities of the arrangement.
The family described interacting with two to three women, and possibly one man, during the meetup. The individuals were wearing robes and appeared to be members of the same group that dropped Holly off at the church.
The group did return the car, which belonged to Harold’s mother, and Florida police reportedly took them into custody, however the Texas AG’s office claims they have yet to find record of the incident.
Harold and Tina were last heard from by their family in October 1980 while they were living in Lewisville, Texas.
They were murdered sometime between December 1980 or early January 1981. Harold had been beaten, bound and gagged, while Tina had been strangled.
Their bodies were found by dogs off Wallisville Road in Houston between January 6 and 11. They remained unidentified until last year when familial DNA linked the couple to the bodies.
No arrests were ever made in connection to Harold and Tina’s murders and the investigation into their deaths remains ongoing.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the Texas Attorney General’s Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit.
‘We wish Holly the best. We are grateful we found her but we must continue with our investigation into who killed them,’ First Assistant Attorney General Brent Webster said during a press conference Thursday.
Harold Dean Clouse, 21, and Tina Gail (Linn) Clouse, 17, (pictured together with their one-year-old daughter Holly Marie) were found in dead in a wooded area in Houston, Texas, in January 1981 – at the time, their identities were unknown
Their bodies were found by dogs two months later off Wallisville Road in Houston. Harold had been beaten, bound and gagged, while Tina had been strangled. The area where their remains were found is pictured in February 2022
Police showed up at Holly’s place of employment in Oklahoma on Tuesday, on what would’ve been Harold’s 63rd birthday.
Officials connected her with her biological relatives and the extended family spoke for the first time online.
‘It’s one of the most meaningful things I’ve ever been a part of,’ Det. Steve Wheeler, Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, told KHOU. ‘It’s a once in a lifetime thing to play even a small part in reuniting a family after 40 years.’
Investigators with Texas’ newly-formed Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit began looking for Holly after officials confirmed the identities of Harold and Tina earlier this year.
The Hope for Holly project spanned across state lines with law enforcement officials in Texas, Florida and Arizona working to find Harold and Tina’s missing baby.
Meanwhile, Holly’s extended family said finding her was an answered prayer.
‘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,’ her grandmother, Donna Casasanta, said.
‘Thank you to all of the investigators for working so hard to find Holly. I prayed for them day after day and that they would find Holly and she would be alright. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. We will be forever grateful.’
The Texas Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit began looking for Holly (pictured as a baby) after officials confirmed the identities of Harold and Tina earlier this year
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children released an ‘age progression’ photo earlier this year projecting what Holly might look like as an adult
Harris County’s forensic artist Mary Mize drew pastel reconstructions of the couple after their bodies were found in 1981, but nobody was able to identify the pair because they had only recently moved to Houston.
The Clouse’s bodies had been exhumed in July 2011 to check if the pair were related.
But a major break came in the 40-year-old case in 2021, when forensic scientists Misty Gillis and Allison Peacock, of FHD Forensics, were contacted by Indentifinders International and handed the baffling puzzle.
The team inserted new information in GEDmatch.com and were able to match the Harold Clouse’s DNA with his cousins in Kentucky.
Investigators reached out to Harold’s sister, Debbie Brooks, and ultimately identified the bodies as Harold and Tina.
Brooks then asked the team if they had found the baby, but the scientists had been unaware that Holly even existed. The discrepancy sparked the renewed search for the child.
Harris County’s forensic artist Mary Mize in January 1981 drew pastel reconstructions of Harold (left, in his youth) and Tina (right, in her youth) Clouse after their bodies were found, but nobody was able to identify the pair because they had only recently moved to Houston
Officials have not yet revealed how they identified the Oklahoma mother-of-five as missing Holly Marie Clouse (pictured during infancy)
Officials have not yet revealed how they identified the Oklahoma mother-of-five as missing baby Holly.
Regardless, her loved ones are beyond thrilled to beyond thrilled to have been reunited with her four the first time in four decades.
‘The very first thing that ran through my head when we heard Holly was found was the call that I got eight months ago from [Peacock] about my sister’s death,’ Les Linn, Holly’s uncle said after police found his missing niece.
‘The juxtaposition of that call with Holly’s sudden discovery just popped into my head. To go from hoping to find her to suddenly meeting her less than 8 months later — how miraculous is that?’
‘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. The Hope for Holly Project was a success thanks to Mindy and her team,’ her aunt, Cheryl Clouse echoed.
Holly’s extended family (pictured in February at the site where Harold and Tina’s bodies were found) has said finding her was a ‘present from heaven’
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