By Aaron Miller-
A baby whose parents were brutally murdered in Texas in the 80’s has been found alive over 40 years later.
Harold Dean Clouse, 21, and Tina Gail Clouse, 17, were found dead in a wooded area of Houston, Texas on January 12, 1981, though the couple’s identities remained a mystery for decades.
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The victims were only identified last year when DNA matched them to surviving family members in Kentucky. Their bodies were found by dogs off Wallisville Road in Houston between January 6 and 11. They were murdered sometime between December 1980 or early January 1981. Harold had been beaten, bound and gagged, while Tina had been strangled.
Investigators hoped their then-infant daughter Holly Marie Clouse was still alive somewhere, as she was not found alongside her parents’ remains, investigators had hoped she could still be alive and well somewhere
Holly Marie Clouse, then an infant, was left at the church in the early 1980s by two barefoot, white robe-wearing women.
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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.
As it happens, 42 year old Holly 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
The women also indicated they had given up a baby before at a laundromat, Webster said. Investigators believe the group traveled around the Southwest U.S., including in Arizona, California and Texas, and had been seen in the region asking for food, Webster said.
Around the time of their murders, the families of Baby Holly received a call from someone identifying herself as Sister Susan, who said she wanted to return their car to them in exchange for money, Webster said. The woman said that the couple had joined their religious group and no longer wanted contact with their families and were giving up all of their possessions.
The family agreed and contacted local authorities, Webster said. When they met at a racetrack in Daytona, several people — two to three women and possibly a man — showed up, Webster said. Police officers purportedly took the women into custody, but there is no record of a police report on file that has been found yet, something Webster described as “common” for the time.
Now, more than four decades later, Holly 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..
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.
Daytona, several people — two to three women and possibly a man — showed up, Webster said. Police officers purportedly took the women into custody, but there is no record of a police report on file that has been found yet, something Webster described as “common” for the time.
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
‘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.
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