Texas cold case closed after body discovered in drying lake is ID'd

Texas cold case closed after body discovered in drying lake is ID'd

(Hood Co. Sheriff's Office)


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HOOD COUNTY, Texas (CNN) — A 35-year-old cold case in Texas came to an end this week when the skeletal remains of a body found in a drought-affected lake were determined to be that of a woman who went missing in 1979.

A forensic anthropologist used dental records to determine the remains found last week in a pickup in Lake Granbury were those of Helen Holladay, the Hood County Sheriff's Office said in a news release.

The vehicle identification number on the truck matched that of Holladay's vehicle. CNN affiliate WFAA reported the truck was just feet from the shoreline.

Holladay was 45 when she went missing. WFAA said she disappeared after a fight with her husband, who is now dead. No one was charged in the case.

Lt. Johnny Rose of the Sheriff's Office told CNN on Monday that authorities searched the lake for about one month in 1996.

On Thursday, a Granbury city employee saw part of the truck sticking out of the water and called authorities.

Hood County is just southwest of the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area.

The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2014 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.

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