Mysterious death: drought reveals dead body, helps police solve case
- 9 years ago
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A drought in Texas has helped police solve a the case of a woman who went missing 35 years ago.
A city worker in Granbury noticed a vehicle sticking out of Granbury Lake, which had severely low water levels due to a drought this year. Normally, the area where the vehicle was found would have been in 15 to 16 feet of water, and about 15 feet from the normal shoreline, according to authorities.
When police pulled out the vehicle, they discovered it was an old Chevy pickup, most likely belonging to Helen Holladay, who was reported missing in 1979. Human remains were also found inside along with Holladay's purse and credit card. DNA testing will be required to confirm who the remains belong to, but police are fairly certain they belong to Holladay.
One evening 35 years ago, neighbors reported seeing Helen drive away from the motor home she shared with her abusive husband, Herman Holladay, after they were involved in a bloody fight. Herman Holladay reported his wife had driven toward the city, but she was never seen again. Police suspected foul play on the part of Herman Holladay, but were not able to charge him due to lack of evidence. Helen was declared dead in 1986, and Herman died a few years later.
How Helen Holladay ended up in the water is unclear, but police don't think it was an accident and are handling it as a homicide investigation.
This isn't the first time nature has helped police solve a case that went cold years ago. Record low water levels revealed an overturned car in a South Dakota creek last year, and just last week, authorities finally confirmed that remains found inside the vehicle belonged to two girls who went missing in 1971.
To see TomoNews' coverage of that story, click on the following link
Check out our Android app: http://goo.gl/PtT6VD
Check out our iOS app: http://bit.ly/1gO3z1f
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A drought in Texas has helped police solve a the case of a woman who went missing 35 years ago.
A city worker in Granbury noticed a vehicle sticking out of Granbury Lake, which had severely low water levels due to a drought this year. Normally, the area where the vehicle was found would have been in 15 to 16 feet of water, and about 15 feet from the normal shoreline, according to authorities.
When police pulled out the vehicle, they discovered it was an old Chevy pickup, most likely belonging to Helen Holladay, who was reported missing in 1979. Human remains were also found inside along with Holladay's purse and credit card. DNA testing will be required to confirm who the remains belong to, but police are fairly certain they belong to Holladay.
One evening 35 years ago, neighbors reported seeing Helen drive away from the motor home she shared with her abusive husband, Herman Holladay, after they were involved in a bloody fight. Herman Holladay reported his wife had driven toward the city, but she was never seen again. Police suspected foul play on the part of Herman Holladay, but were not able to charge him due to lack of evidence. Helen was declared dead in 1986, and Herman died a few years later.
How Helen Holladay ended up in the water is unclear, but police don't think it was an accident and are handling it as a homicide investigation.
This isn't the first time nature has helped police solve a case that went cold years ago. Record low water levels revealed an overturned car in a South Dakota creek last year, and just last week, authorities finally confirmed that remains found inside the vehicle belonged to two girls who went missing in 1971.
To see TomoNews' coverage of that story, click on the following link