A woman known as "Baby Holly" is speaking with FOX 10 Investigator Justin Lum as she works to raise awareness of her parents' cold case murders. Months before their deaths, she was surrendered at a Yuma, Arizona church with a letter that's left more questions than answers.
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Baby Holly: Once-missing woman left in Arizona as a baby seeks justice for parents' cold case murders
Imagine learning you’ve been missing for four decades and that your parents were murdered.
That’s the perspective of a woman who was dropped off at an Arizona church as a baby. She's known as
"Baby Holly," and she's opening up about her family’s cold case linked to a religious group.
Holly, more than 40 years later, is a mother of five and a grandmother living in Oklahoma.
Holly was working her shift at a restaurant when she learned what happened to her biological parents.
"Didn’t really think much of them until the investigators came knocking on my door," Holly said.
Do investigators think a member of the Christ Family had something to do with the murders?
"I don’t believe that anybody I’ve spoken to has anything to do with the murders, but I cannot say that a member of Christ Family is not responsible," Sgt. Rachel Kading said.
If a member was responsible, he said, it would be a fringe member.
Thousands of people joined and left the group over time.
She has not identified anyone who specifically remembers Dean, Tina or Holly.
"I really think they were trying to leave the group because they were found together, not separated. The men and women are separated in this cult. They were found together. They were not found with their white robes. They were found with normal clothes, so I do believe that in their travels of leaving this cult is how they got murdered," Holly said.
Investigators say two witnesses signed the document when Tina surrendered Holly at the Yuma church. Those witnesses are Koral Mariano and Rosemary Garcia.
Both women have passed away.
Sgt. Rachel Kading believes Rosemary Garcia is a significant witness even though she’s no longer alive. She has three daughters who traveled with the Christ Family group.
Investigators want to know what happened after Tina gave up Holly. How long was she with Rosemary before reuniting with her husband?
Rosemary’s daughters are named Joyce, Janice and Jill – known as the "three J's." They would have been young adults or teens in 1980.
They are not suspects in the murders, but could they help fill gaps in the timeline?
So, what would it mean for Sgt. Rachel Kading and her team to identify a suspect?
"Everything. I mean, that’s why we do this job. We do this job so that we can bring closure to families and that’s obviously always the goal. We want to find out what happened and what the truth is, no matter what that truth is," she said.
The complete truth – which means justice for Dean and Tina Clouse – and closure for Holly as she begins a new chapter of her life while reuniting with biological family members through her journey.
"I had all these mixed emotions of this grief for what happened to my parents and learning that, and then this joy that there’s this family that has been praying for me to be found," Holly said.
Holly has now written a book titled "Finding Baby Holly," telling her life story.
She also encourages people to
donate to Genealogy for Justice, a nonprofit organization dedicated to cold cases across the country.
If you have any tips on the Clouse murders, you can
contact the Texas Attorney General's Office.
