Holly Marie Clouse (born January 24, 1980) was an infant who went missing in 1980 alongside her parents, Tina and Dean, both of whom were later found murdered.
She was found alive in June 2022, having been adopted and later relocating to Oklahoma, marrying, and having five children. Her married name is undisclosed; she has gone by her first and middle name in contemporary media coverage.
Case[]
Holly and her parents moved from New Smyrna Beach, Florida to Houston, Texas in the early winter of 1980 after her father found work in the area. Her aunt received a call that same year from an unidentified group saying that they would deliver Dean's car to Florida for $1,000. She agreed and three women dressed in religious robes delivered the car to her. When she asked about the whereabouts of Holly or her parents, she was told that they had joined a religious group and were cutting ties with them.
Both of her parents' bodies were found on January 12, 1981 in a wooded area near Wallisville Road in Houston, both of whom were victims of homicide. They were identified in November of 2021 through genetic genealogy. Their murder remains unsolved.
On what would have been her biological father’s 63rd birthday, Holly was informed by police about the fate of her birth parents and subsequently made contact with relatives on their side of the family.
Gallery[]
Media[]
- Holly Marie authored an upcoming memoir, set to be released in November 2023.
- ABC 20/20 covered the case in November 2023 in an episode titled “Baby Holly Found.”
Sources[]
- KHOU
- Forensic Mag
- Press release
- USA Today
- Dean and Tina Clouse on Wikipedia