‘Baby Holly Marie’ found alive more than 40 years after parents murdered in Houston

The long-missing infant daughter of a Houston couple found murdered in the woods in 1981 was left at an Arizona church by members of a “nomadic religious cult” wearing white robes — and she’s still alive, Texas authorities announced Thursday.

Holly Marie Clouse, 42, was tracked down at work in Oklahoma — a stunning development in a case that had been cold for four decades.

Holly Clouse, a.k.a. "Baby Holly" holds a picture of her parents more than 40 years after she was found alive.

Clouse’s parents, Tina, 17, and Harold Dean Clouse Jr., 21, vanished with baby Holly while moving from Florida to Dallas in October 1980. Their bodies were found in a wooded area of Houston the following year. Tina had been strangled and Dean was beaten to death. Their daughter was not at the scene of the crime.

The parents’ remains weren’t identified until last year through DNA analysis. With that break in the case, Texas investigators were able to determine some of what happened to little Holly — though big questions remain.

Two women, barefoot, wearing white robes and belonging to a “nomadic religious group” dropped Holly off at a Yuma, Ariz. church, Texas authorities said at a jaw-dropping press conference. The cult, Texas first assistant attorney general Brent Webster said, believed in the separation of men and women, kept vegetarian and refused to wear leather goods. Members of the cult traveled around California, Arizona and Texas at the time of the slaying.

The church took little Holly in. She was raised by parents who are not considered suspects, Webster said.

The Clouse family told investigators that after Tina and Harold left for Dallas they received a call from a woman in Los Angeles who identified herself as “Sister Susan.” The woman said she had Harold and Tina’s car and would return it to Florida for a price. The couple had joined the religious group, Sister Susan claimed, were relinquishing all possessions and no longer wanted nothing to do with their families.

Tina, 17, and Harold Dean Clouse Jr., 21, and their daughter, Holly Marie.

The Clouse family agreed to the arrangement and met “two or three women” wearing white robes at the Daytona International Speedway in Florida in January 1981, Texas authorities said. The Clouses had alerted authorities to the meeting and the women were taken into custody. But Texas investigators were unable to find any police paperwork on the women. It was unclear what happened to them.

Webster would not say whether the religious group was responsible for the Clouses’ murders, citing an ongoing criminal investigation. Texas investigators found Holly at her place of work on Tuesday, which would have been her father’s 63rd birthday. Holly soon got in touch with her biological family for the first time since she was a baby. Authorities released a photo of Holly smiling and holding a photo of her as an infant with her parents.

“After finally being able to reunite with Holly, I dreamed about her and my sister, Tina last night,” her aunt, Sherry Linn Green, said in a statement.

“In my dream, Tina was laying on the floor rolling around and laughing and playing with Holly like I saw them do many times before when they lived with me prior to moving to Texas. I believe Tina’s finally resting in peace knowing Holly is reuniting with her family. I personally am so relieved to know Holly is alive and well and was well cared for, but also torn up by it all. That baby was her life.”

Holly Marie Clouse, in a childhood photo.

Authorities emphasized that they were still working the case.

“We know that with advancements in technology and the hard work and dedication of law enforcement, we can get answers, even after four decades,” John Bischoff, vice president of the Missing Children Division at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, said in a statement.

“We are thrilled that Holly will now have the chance to connect with her biological family who has been searching for her for so long. We hope that this is source of encouragement for other families who have missing loved ones and reminds us all to never give up.”

Anyone with information on Holly Marie or the Clouses’ murders is asked to contact the Texas Attorney General’s Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit at coldcaseunit@oag.texas.gov.