Authorities have not previously been able to identify two people who were found dead in a wooded area of Houston in 1981, according to a statement from the Texas Attorney General’s Office, Ken Paxton. They were probably killed between December 1980 and January 1981, Brent Webster, Texas First Assistant Attorney General, said during a news conference Thursday afternoon. That changed last year when researchers used genealogy to positively identify corpses as the Florida couple Tina Galen Lynn Cluj and Harold Dean Cluj Jr., according to Paxton. PHOTO: Holly Cluj in a dateless photo. (Casasanta / Clouse Family) The couple’s family had not heard from them since October 1980, according to the statement, while Baby Holly was left in a church in Arizona, Webster said. Two women who identified themselves as members of a nomadic religious group brought Holly to that church, Webster said. They wore white robes and were barefoot and said their religious beliefs included separating men and women and practicing vegetarian habits and not using or wearing leather goods. MORE: Mom speaks when son found safe in desperate 36-hour search The women also reported having given a baby in the past to a washing machine, Webster said. Investigators believe the group traveled to the southwestern United States, including Arizona, California and Texas, and was seen in the area asking for food, Webster said. At the time of their murder, Baby Holly’s family received a call from someone who identified himself as Sister Susan, who said he wanted to return their car in exchange for money, Webster said. The woman said that the couple had joined their religious group and no longer wanted to have contact with their families and that she was giving away all their belongings. The family agreed and contacted local authorities, Webster said. “When they met on a track in Daytona, a lot of people showed up – two to three women and possibly a man,” Webster said. Police have reportedly detained the women, but there is no police record in the file yet to be found, which Webster described as “ordinary” for the time. The story goes on PHOTO: Tina and Harold Cluj in an undated photo. (Casasanta / Clouse Family) The family that raised Baby Holly is not suspected of killing her biological parents, Webster said. Once the bodies were identified, the family began searching for Baby Holly, who was recently reunited with the family after many years, Paxton said. On Tuesday, Baby Holly virtually met some members of her parents’ family, Webster said. Holly is 42 years old and “alive and well,” living in Houston, Paxton said. She has already been reunited with one of her biological family, who provided statements describing the reunion. MORE: “I was crawling like a baby,” says the firefighter who heard the screams of a small child from Kentucky who disappeared for 3 days in the forest Baby Holly’s grandmother, Donna Casasanta, said in a statement that finding her granddaughter was “a birthday present from heaven” after she was at her father’s birthday. “I have been praying for answers for over 40 years and the Lord has revealed some of them,” Casasanta said. Holly’s Cheryl Clouse said it was “so exciting” to meet her for the first time. “It’s a great blessing to reassure you that she’s fine and had a good life,” said Cheryl Cluj. “The whole family slept well last night.” PHOTO: Tina and Harold Cluj with baby Holly in a dateless photo. (Casasanta / Clouse Family) Sherry Linn Green, another of Holly’s aunts, said she was dreaming of meeting her sister, Tina, after meeting her niece again. “In my dream, Tina was lying on the floor rolling and laughing and playing with Holly as I saw them do many times before when they were staying with me before moving to Texas,” said Sherry Lynn Green. “I believe Tina is finally resting in peace, knowing that Holly is reunited with her family.” Holly’s uncle Les Linn said he met Holly about eight months after learning she was alive. “Going from hoping to find her to meeting her suddenly less than 8 months later – how wonderful is that?” said Lin. “All the detectives involved … They all expressed so much power to get to the bottom of this case.” MORE: The teenager who was abducted when he was a baby knew about the abduction, court records say Authorities did not reveal Baby Holly’s new identity, but said she had been informed of her biological parents’ identities and had been in contact with her extended biological families. “They hope to meet in person soon,” the statement said. Paxton commended his newly formed Cold and Missing Persons Unit in his office for the work done to provide answers to the Lynn and Cluj families. “My office worked diligently across state lines to uncover the mystery surrounding Holly’s disappearance,” Paxton said. “We have succeeded in our efforts to locate her and reunite her with her biological family.” PHOTO: A photo of Holly Clouse before disappearing and a photo of aging. (National Center for Missing and Exploited Children) The Texas Attorney General’s Office has partnered with the Lewisville Police Department, the Florida County Sheriff’s Office in Volusia, the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, and the National Center for Exile close the case. “We are excited that Holly will now have the opportunity to connect with her biological family that has been searching for her for so long,” said John Bischoff, vice president of missing children at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. “We hope this is a source of encouragement for other families who are missing loved ones and reminds us all to never give up.” The investigation into the murders of Tina Gale Lynn Cluj and Harold Dean Cluj Jr. is ongoing, Paxton said. Officials are expected to hold a press conference on Thursday afternoon to provide details about the case. ABC News’ Gina Sunseri contributed to this report. “Baby Holly” was found alive after disappearing for more than 40 years after the murder of her parents, which first appeared on abcnews.go.com
