What is the story about baby Holly?
The little girl who disappeared after her parents were found dead in the early 1980s is still alive and well.
The deceased parents of “Baby Holly” were discovered in the woods in Houston in 1981. In 2021, the two bodies were identified as Tina Gill Lynn Close and Harold Dean Close Jr. But their baby Holly, a 42-year-old mother of five in Oklahoma, was not found with them.
Holly has been notified of the identities of her biological parents and has reached out to her extended family, according to a Thursday press release from the Texas attorney general.
“It was exciting to see Holly,” Holly’s aunt Cheryl Close said in a statement. “I was very happy to meet her for the first time. It is my pleasure to rest assured that she is doing well and having a good life. The whole family slept well last night.”
During a news conference Thursday, Brent Webster, the first assistant attorney general for the state of Texas, told reporters about the ongoing investigation.
“While today we are thrilled to find Holly and the families who have been searching for her for decades rejoice, we are still searching for the suspects in this case,” Webster said.
Webster said two women who were members of a Bedouin religious group brought Holly to a church in Arizona. Webster did not include details about what happened to Holly after she was left at the church.
and told reporters that the women who left Holly in the church were wearing white robes and were barefoot.
“They indicated that their religious beliefs include segregation of males and females, the practice of vegetarian customs, and the non-use or wear of leather goods,” Webster said Thursday.
Webster said he believed the group had traveled to Arizona, California, and possibly Texas. In the early 1980s, members of the group were seen in Yuma, Arizona, ordering food.
Around late December 1980 0 and early January 1981, Holly’s parents’ families received a call from someone who introduced themselves as “Sister Susan”. Sister Susan said she was calling from Los Angeles and wanted the family car back. She said the couple joined their religious group and were giving up all of their property.
She also said that the couple no longer wanted to call their families.
The family contacted local authorities and agreed to meet Sister Susan at Daytona Raceway in Florida. The family said they met two or three women, and possibly a man.
Webster said the women were wearing robes and appeared to be members of the religious group.
and she said police have detained the two women, but no records have been identified in connection with the incident. Webster said this was not unusual given the age of the case.
The last time families heard of the couple was in October 1980.
Webster urged people to provide any information on the case.
Holly’s extended family members are relieved that Holly has been found.
“I think Tina has finally rested in peace knowing Holly is going to meet her family,” said Sherry Lynn Green, Holly’s aunt. “Personally, I am so relieved to know that Holly is alive, healthy and well taken care of, but also torn apart by all of it. That child was her life.”
