What About Holly?
It was a January afternoon in 1981 when a man’s German Shepherd came upon a grisly discovery in the woods outside of Houston: the badly decomposed remains of a young man, beaten to death, and a woman, who was strangled. For 40 years, the victims were nameless – until late 2021, when a team of genetic genealogists identified the pair as 21-year-old Harold Dean Clouse and 17-year-old Tina Gail Clouse, a married couple who had moved from Florida to Texas with their infant daughter. But the discovery of the identities only deepened the mystery: who killed the couple and why? And where is their daughter, Holly, who would be 42 years old if alive today?
In this multi-part true crime podcast, host Cristina Corbin travels across the country to interview law enforcement and family members, uncover new leads and speak exclusively with a religious cult at the center of this double murder mystery. The first reporter to obtain the entire police case file, including autopsy reports and crime scene photos, Corbin exposes stunning details that move this decades-old case forward.
Our Editor's Take
What About Holly? That's one of many confounding questions in this true crime podcast. It centers on the murders of Tina and Dean Clouse and the location of their child, Holly. In 1981, college student Kerry Cox was home for Christmas when his dog, Heidi, walked up with a human arm. That precipitated a decades-long mystery about the Clouses. Host Cristina Corbin was the first reporter granted total access to their case. She gathers files and photos and invites listeners to follow her investigation.
Heidi found the Clouses in the woods near Houston, Texas. Police created sketches of the couple. Nobody identified them. Their burial occurred in a field for unknown people. They had a 10-month-old daughter, but nobody knew that yet. The What About Holly? podcast researches the family and why they weren't reported missing.
The first 48 hours are critical for finding missing people. What's the likelihood of finding Holly four decades later? The What About Holly? podcast defies statistics and pursues answers. Corbin interviews genealogists, detectives, and people the Clouses knew. She talks to a former lieutenant in Harris County's homicide department. He explains how cases were harder to solve before cell phones and social media.
Thirty years after their murders, Harris County anthropologists exhumed the Clouses. The couple was young. Their healthy teeth indicated they weren't homeless. Interest in the case resumed. Advancements in DNA technology enabled genealogical detectives to locate Dean's family. Corbin traveled to meet his family, who shares compelling insight.
Dean had borrowed his mom's car to move to Texas for work. A suspicious person later returned the car. Why didn't Dean's mom know he was missing? Her interview clarifies many things. She mentions Dean joining a religious group. Were they involved? Do they have Holly? This nine-episode podcast answers these questions in a satisfying way.
What About Holly? is a fascinating analysis that provides hope for families of missing people. Corbin asked why she received access to this case. The response was, “This case needs all the help it can get.” True crime fans may appreciate this podcast.
Episodes