Baby Holly Found (Rebroadcast)
20/20 - ABC News
This episode of 20/20 revisits the decades-long mystery of Baby Holly, a child found abandoned in 1981 and later identified as the daughter
Key takeaways
- Advances in forensic genetic genealogy enabled the identification of Jane Doe and John Doe after 40 years, solving a cold case that had stumped investigators for decades.
- Baby Holly was found abandoned at a church doorstep shortly before the bodies were discovered, suggesting she may have been left behind during a traumatic event.
Main topics
- Cold case investigation
- Forensic genetic genealogy
Notable quotes
"It was a gift from God. It's like a mystery and a mystery and a mystery." – Witness to Baby Holly's arrival
"What happened to the baby? My brain just was on fire. How can a child be missing for 40 years and nobody know where she is?" – David Muir
Conclusion
After 40 years of mystery, Baby Holly's story culminates in a powerful emotional
Transcript preview
Speaker 8 (0:04) The city moves fast, but your vibe, that's different. Sharper, smoother, more alive. The new Honda City isn't just made to drive, it's made to feel. The new Honda City, all new vibe. Speaker 4 (0:28) Tonight, the baby that riveted the nation. Speaker 3 (0:31) Baby Holly found 40 years later. Tonight here, my exclusive interview with her and what happened. 2020 starts right now. This is the story of a young family, their identities lost and then suddenly found again. A mystery that would defy belief. And it all started with this sudden arrival of a baby. I heard a knock at the back Speaker 1 (0:52) door. There were two ladies. They looked like they just walked right out of the Bible. I had never seen anybody like that in my whole life. They said, we need somebody to take care of a baby. You know, she was a gift from God. It's like a mystery and a mystery and a mystery. This is Speaker 3 (1:07) just one of several stunning turns in the story. There would be another in the woods of Houston. So it was days before they actually discovered the two bodies, and they were right here in the woods. Speaker 4 (1:16) Both bodies were bound. It Speaker 3 (1:19) was a young man and a young woman. Speaker 4 (1:21) They likely knew the people who killed Speaker 3 (1:23) them. The hunt for answers to what really happened in those woods would actually lead investigators across the country into a second mystery. I'm Speaker 4 (1:35) getting chills too just talking about it. What happened to this baby? My brain just was on fire. How can a child be missing for 40 years and nobody know where she is? Speaker 8 (1:45) It sounds like a scene from a movie or something, Speaker 3 (1:47) right? All pieces started to come together. The woman behind the headline, Baby Holly, who made national news, sharing her journey for the first time from lost to found. Holly, it's great to finally meet you. Speaker 5 (2:00) Thank you, David. Speaker 1 (2:02) David Muir reporting. Baby Holly, found. The exclusive 2020 event starts right now. Speaker 3 (2:27) This is the story of a young family, their identities lost and then suddenly found again. A mystery that would span decades, it would crisscross states, defy belief, and it all started with this sudden arrival of a baby. Speaker 1 (2:44) I heard a knock at the back door. There were two ladies in white. They looked like they just walked right out of the Bible. I had never seen anybody like that in my whole life, never. Speaker 7 (3:01) One of them was holding a baby, probably about eight or nine months. Speaker 1 (3:06) They said, we need somebody to take care of a baby. Speaker 3 (3:10) It was a shock for sure. But this startling delivery of a baby at the steps of the church is just one of several stunning turns in the story. There would be another major turn thousands of miles away in the woods of Houston. Speaker 1 (3:28) January 6th, it was a sunshiny day, but it was cool. Speaker 1 (3:36) It was very common for our three shepherds to run off through the woods, do their hunting, their barking, their frolicking, whatever they were doing. Me and my friend came back to the house. As we start walking this way, our shepherd comes around the corner and she's got something in her mouth. Well, as she got closer, she dropped that something right in front of us, and it was a human arm. Speaker 1 (4:10) from just above the elbow down to the fingertips. Never imagined that in a million years. I called my parents and told them what had happened. Eventually the police showed up. Speaker 3 (4:29) So the call comes in January 6th, 1981. Speaker 4 (4:33) Yes, the police came out and then the search began in the area. And back then there wasn't anything here. Speaker 8 (4:43) Houston is 660 square miles. Back in the 80s, it wasn't anywhere near as developed as it is now. Speaker 1 (4:51) You got all hands on deck trying to find where this arm came from. There's nothing out there. This is in the sticks, rural Houston. Not a lot going on on Wallaceville Road. You don't imagine anything like that ever happening. Speaker 3 (5:11) So it was days before they actually discovered the two bodies and they were right here in the woods? They Speaker 4 (5:16) were. They're about 100 feet from the roadway and about 50 feet from this access road, right pretty much through this path. Speaker 3 (5:26) What did the distance into the woods tell you about what might have happened? Speaker 4 (5:31) Well, the lengths at which they would have had to come back here seem a little odd. Highly vegetated. It's not easily walked. Speaker 4 (5:41) We don't know if they were killed elsewhere and brought to this location or if they were killed at this location. Speaker 3 (5:48) But the mere fact that they're deep into the woods here means there was an effort to get them back here. Yes, Speaker 4 (5:54) absolutely. Speaker 3 (5:56) Investigators start by thinking they're searching for one body. Now suddenly they have the near skeletal remains of two people about 10 to 12 feet apart. What else did they find with these bodies? Speaker 4 (6:08) Both bodies were bound and appeared that there were not very many clothes in the area. There was a pair of green shorts found. Speaker 8 (6:17) It was a young man and a young woman, and there was just really very little indication of what had happened. Speaker 4 (6:25) The medical examiner was able to determine that the female victim had likely died from asphyxiation and that the male victim had likely died from blunt force trauma to the head. Speaker 3 (6:36) When investigators learned from the ME just how brutal their deaths were, what did that say to you about the people who might have done this? Speaker 4 (6:44) It tells me that they likely knew the people who killed them because they were bound, strangled, and blunt force trauma. Those are all really up close and personal ways in which she would kill somebody. Speaker 3 (6:54) The medical examiner in the case is able to determine that the female victim is likely between 15 and 18 years old, the male victim between 17 and 24. Speaker 6 (7:05) Harris County investigators are really scratching their heads. They're able to put together sketches of the pair's reconstructed faces. and put those sketches out to the media, but no one came forward. Speaker 8 (7:16) In 1980 and 1981, the resources for identifying people were more limited than they are today. Speaker 4 (7:23) They casted their fingers to try to get fingerprints. You could compare dental records. They did that. They were not able to find any dental records. Speaker 8 (7:35) This medical examiner's investigator talked about the teeth of these victims being in immaculate condition. You would expect maybe that these are people that people would look for, Speaker 3 (7:47) their relatives, their loved ones, their friends. So no match on the fingerprints. The dental turns up nothing either. There were no IDs on them, no paperwork, no wallets, nothing else attached to these bodies. Speaker 4 (8:01) Absolutely nothing else that could identify these people. If you don't know who the victim is, you can't really complete any investigative steps. They were just basically labeled a John Doe and a Jane Doe. The case just goes on a shelf. Speaker 4 (8:21) They Speaker 3 (8:21) were buried right here in this county cemetery. No headstones, no family paying its respects. Instead, Jane Doe and John Doe marked with a simple, nondescript concrete marker here in this strip of land. They are among the hundreds of anonymous souls that have been buried here through the decades. So many families across this country wondering what happened to their loved ones. But in this case, it was about to take a turn. Speaker 1 (8:54) Forty years Speaker 3 (8:54) of emotions. 40 years of looking. This case would take years to unravel. Speaker 4 (9:01) There was a story there. We just didn't know what it was. And Speaker 3 (9:04) they decide that they are going to figure out who these people are. There was extraordinary hope because DNA technology was new. Right. Speaker 8 (9:13) I picked up the phone and said, I think I just solved this case. Speaker 3 (9:16) It would make national news. This is truly remarkable. Speaker 4 (9:19) A 42-year-old cold case. So many questions. The Lynn and Klaas family have been searching for answers. Their loved ones were found beaten and strangled to death. Speaker 3 (9:27) The shock of it is all finally starting to set in. And the hunt for answers to what really happened in those woods would actually lead investigators across the country into a second mystery. I'm getting chills just talking Speaker 4 (9:38) about it. Speaker 3 (9:39) What happened to the baby? It's haunting to stand here in a field. full of unidentified remains, and they were just two of them. Speaker 4 (9:54) Exactly. When you look around just the vastness of the cemetery, and this is one of many. Speaker 3 (10:05) This Jane and John Doe in Harris County, they quickly become two more victims of what experts call the nation's silent mass disaster, remains left unidentified for decades. Speaker 3 (10:19) This is a problem all over the country. In Speaker 2 (10:22) the United States, there are over 14,000 unidentified bodies. They are not just case numbers, they have names. And it's important to possibly restore the names to these people. Speaker 8 (10:41) Back in 1980, 1981, when they couldn't identify these victims, the case remained open, but it was a cold case. I think it's really important to think about when this murder took place. Pre-internet, pre-cell phone. If you had a missing persons case, you're going and putting signs on telephone poles, on bulletin boards, and you don't know what's happening the next county over. Speaker 1 (11:06) Fast forward 30 years. Speaker 1 (11:10) 2011, the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences gets a grant. We've Speaker 8 (11:16) gotten a grant from the federal government to test some of the remains of their most promising cold cases. Speaker 7 (11:24) This case was definitely top of the list because it was two individuals and it was two young individuals. So someone had to be looking for them. Speaker 1 (11:34) They actually had to dig up these Jane and John Does. Speaker 7 (11:38) We took the individuals back to the medical examiner's office. The DNA was extracted and analyzed and put into the system. Speaker 3 (11:49) There was extraordinary hope because DNA technology was relatively new. Right. Speaker 4 (11:54) And Speaker 3 (11:54) yet when you take that DNA and you check it against the criminal database, nothing. Speaker 4 (11:58) Nothing. No familial matches at all. Speaker 3 (12:02) So 30 years later, another roadblock. Speaker 4 (12:05) Yes. Speaker 3 (12:07) Remember at the time, they only had criminal databases to search. They didn't have all of these family genealogy databases. So they turned to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children for that Jane Doe. Speaker 8 (12:17) Harris County Sheriff's Office had a Jane Doe case of a person who's under the age of 21. They had a drawing that they were already circulating. So we utilized that image on our missing child poster and distributed that. We did have some leads, but obviously nothing that sparked enough to lead to an identification. Speaker 3 (12:37) But there would be new hope along the way because over time advances in DNA technology give rise to what's called forensic genetic genealogy, offering new tools to once again try to identify Jane and John Doe. Police say one of the most elusive serial killers in American history has been captured. Speaker 7 (12:55) Until the Golden State Killer case blew the doors open on genealogy, that was something that very few people were even looking at. Speaker 3 (13:03) The Golden State Killer was a completely separate case, but it was the first major case to actually show the power of genetic genealogy. We begin with that bombshell arrest, the major clue that unlocked this just days ago. They say cutting-edge DNA testing allowed them to make a match. Speaker 8 (13:19) We're able to do so much more with investigative genetic genealogy where you can use the DNA that you have to further your case and find out. Are there people related to this case? My name is Misty Gillis and I'm a senior forensic genealogist. I love solving mysteries. Ever since I was younger, I always, I read Sherlock Holmes, I read Nancy Drew, I followed true crime all the time. One of the things that's been really interesting is amateur crime sleuths have played such a big role in bringing these cases to light and solving them. Misty Gillis, she's brought closure to 17 families and identified one serial rapist. Speaker 3 (13:59) In 2020, Misty Gillis is working on cold cases with another genetic genealogist named Allison Peacock. Speaker 4 (14:05) I got started in this line of work trying to solve some of my own mysteries in my own family. So solving those mysteries is what gave me the tools to be able to help law enforcement. Speaker 8 (14:14) I had started looking through a website called the Doe Network, which is kind of a clearinghouse for unidentified remains in North America. And I came across this rendering of a male in Texas that was found in Speaker 4 (14:25) 1981. There was something about it that just... ignited something in me. She said there was a male and female found together. This Romeo and Juliet is what she called him. There was a story there. We just didn't know what it was. They Speaker 3 (14:38) decide they're going to try to figure out who these two young people are, this man and this woman, a mystery that no one had been able to solve for 40 years. Harris County, to its credit, agrees to play ball, and it's off to Speaker 8 (14:50) the races. Speaker 8 (14:52) Once I started building out the family tree matches, I had DNA matches to the mother's side and the father's side. So I knew that my unidentified remains was from Speaker 4 (15:02) this family. And once I saw that there was one male, that was my aha moment of I had figured it out. After about 10 days, Missy said, I think I just solved the Harris County doubt. And she said, who is it? And I said, Haroldine Speaker 8 (15:15) Klaus. Speaker 3 (15:17) They end up making a call in late October 2021 to a woman named Debbie Klaus Brooks of New Smyrna Beach, Florida. Speaker 7 (15:27) She asked me, are you Debbie Klaus? And I said, yes, I am. I will remember that phone call Speaker 8 (15:32) for the rest of my life. We Speaker 7 (15:33) had said on the phone, is there anyone missing in your family? Speaker 8 (15:37) And Speaker 7 (15:37) right away, she said, yes, my brother Dean. She says, well, I just want you to know that we found him with a female close by him. And my first thought was, is it Tina? The Speaker 8 (15:47) immediate next question was, well, what about the baby? And I was like, baby? What baby? Speaker 8 (15:55) This show is sponsored by Square. Square is the business platform that helps sellers become neighborhood favorites. 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Square helps you run your business more smoothly, bringing payments, operations, and insights together in one place so you're ready for whatever's next. Right now, you can get up to $200 off Square hardware at square.com slash go slash 20. That's S-Q-U-A-R-E dot com slash G-O slash T-W-E-N-T-Y. Get started with Square and build a setup that works the way you do. Speaker 8 (17:12) The city moves fast, but your vibe, that's different. Sharper, smoother, more alive. The new Honda City isn't just made to drive, it's made to feel. The new Honda City, all new vibe. I Speaker 4 (17:46) will remember that phone call for the rest of my life. Yeah, I'm getting chills, too, just talking about it. I said, would you happen to have anybody in your family that might have been missing for a really long time? Speaker 7 (17:56) I said, I had my brother. He disappeared about 40 years ago. She says, I just want you to know that we found him. He had been murdered. Speaker 8 (18:11) We had to say, he was found with a female. Can you tell us about his wife? And she said it was Tina. Speaker 3 (18:18) In just those first moments on the phone, Jane and John Doe suddenly have their names after 40 years of being unidentified. 21-year-old Harold Dean Klaus, 17-year-old Tina Lynn Klaus, and they were a beautiful young couple from Florida. Speaker 4 (18:34) She said, I've been praying and praying about this for years, that my mom would find out what happened to our brother before she died. Speaker 7 (18:44) You have two types of feelings. There's a feeling that comes, and you can say, we found him. He's gone. And there's another part you're hoping he's not gone. Speaker 4 (19:02) When I was on the phone with Debbie, she just, you know, went silent. And then a couple of seconds later, she was like, what about Holly? What about Speaker 7 (19:10) the baby? Speaker 4 (19:12) And I was like, baby? What baby? Speaker 4 (19:16) My brain just was on fire because I was like, how can a child be missing for 40 years and nobody know where she is? Speaker 8 (19:24) Debbie was able to share with us a lot of details. They really were just a young family. They had this little girl. They were establishing their own life together, really, when unfortunately that was taken away from them. Speaker 3 (19:35) To truly understand the story of these families, these two young lives that ended so soon, the real story begins in a small town just south of Daytona Beach, Florida. Speaker 1 (19:55) I loved growing up here. At that time especially, it was really a small, quiet town. Just Speaker 2 (20:00) down the road from Daytona. Daytona was the place to go for any kind of action. You Speaker 1 (20:05) know, motorcycle week, there's race week, there's spring break. Speaker 2 (20:10) But New Smyrna is still the quieter, more peaceful place to go and enjoy the beach. Laying in bed at night, you could hear the waves rolling in. Speaker 1 (20:24) These Speaker 7 (20:24) kids are always running up and down the stairs and jumping in closets and you know how kids are, scaring each other. My kids are number one in my life and always have been. Speaker 3 (20:37) Donna Casasanta is a waitress at a local restaurant. She raised her six children, four daughters, two sons and all of this after her husband passes away. Speaker 7 (20:47) They were the glue that held me together, made me whole. Speaker 3 (20:53) Her second oldest son, Dean, is actually known by the family as Junior. Speaker 7 (20:58) Oh, he's very rambunctious, very breaking the rules. He's real good at that. Speaker 2 (21:04) He liked to joke around