Naman Shrestha
In the episode titled ‘Baby Holly Found’ of ABC’s ’20/20,’ the primary focus is on the mysterious disappearance and killings of a young couple, Harold Dean Clouse and Tina Linn Clouse, in late 1980. As their remains were identified decades later, the police began investigating the double homicide with a new set of eyes. It also allowed them to reunite the couple’s daughter, Holly Marie Clouse, with her biological family members. The documentary also features exclusive, in-depth interviews with Harold and Tina’s family and officials involved in the investigation.
Dean and Tina Clouse’s Remains Were Identified More Than Four Decades After Discovery
Harold Dean Clouse Jr. was the beloved son of Harold Dean Clouse Sr. and Donna Ruth Allen Clouse Casasanta. Affectionately known as “Junior,” he was born on June 7, 1959, in Fayette County, Kentucky. In his formative years, Harold formed a close bond with his siblings, including three sisters — Tess, Debbie, and Cheryl — and a brother named Chris Casasanta. After spending most of his teenage years on the beaches of New Smyrna Beach, Florida, he crossed paths with Tina Gail Linn Clouse in 1978. Born on September 21, 1963, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Tina also lived in New Smyrna Beach at the time with her parents, Leslie Roy Linn and Shelby Jean Jones Rogers, and siblings — Sherry and Les.
After dating for a while, Harold and Tina tied the knot on June 25, 1979, at the Volusia County Courthouse. They completed their family by welcoming their daughter, Holly Marie Clouse, on January 24, 1980. That spring, the couple decided to move out of the state with Holly. After spending some time in Baltimore, the family moved to Lewisville, Texas, where they stayed with some of Harold’s family members. By early October 1980, they had moved into a place of their own in Lewisville, while Harold worked as a cabinetmaker for D. R. Horton Homebuilders. Not long after, the Clouses cut off all contact with their families. A couple of months later, Harold’s mother, Donna, was given his car by three women in white robes, claiming that Harold and Tina had joined the Christ Family and had given up worldly possessions.
In January 1981, the police received a tip about two sets of human remains, found in a densely wooded area north of Houston, Texas. The deceased male had died from blunt force trauma to the head, while the female had been strangled to death. As the investigators couldn’t identify the remains, they were buried in anonymous graves. Decades later, in 2011, the human remains were exhumed for genetic testing. Finally, in 2021, a team of forensic genealogists positively identified the remains as those of Harold and Tina Clouse after confirming this with their family members. However, their daughter Holly’s whereabouts remained a mystery.
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Dean and Tina Clouse’s Perpetrators Are Yet to be Identified
After the positive identification of Harold and Tina Clouse, the police reopened the double homicide investigation to catch the perpetrator responsible for the crime. The detectives learned that the couple’s daughter, Holly, was taken to the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Yuma, Arizona, in November 1980, by women dressed in white robes. The pastor of the church, Philip McGoldrick, and his then-wife, Constance McGoldrick, adopted Holly and raised her. Around the same time, Harold’s mother, Donna, was told that he and Tina had become part of the Christ Family, led by Charles Franklin McHugh, also known as Lightning Amen. According to Harold’s family, he was involved in religious movements during his teenage years but distanced himself from them after meeting Tina.
In December 1980, someone called Sister Susan contacted Donna and asked to meet her and other members of the religious group at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona, Florida, after midnight. During the meeting, the women in white robes gave the attending family members Harold’s car and asked Donna to donate $1,000 to them. A while later, when Donna tried to file a missing persons report, the authorities reportedly dismissed her, believing that the couple had joined the Christ Family. However, Harold and Tina’s family members couldn’t believe that they would sacrifice their families. It is also theorized that the same religious group, the Christ Family, was responsible for bringing the car to the family members and leaving Holly at the Arizona church.
Some of the group’s controversial beliefs were vegetarianism, avoiding the use of leather goods, and male and female separation. In the documentary, Holly explained how she believed in the possibility of the religious group being responsible for killing her parents when they wanted to leave the group. The leader of the Christ Family, Chris McHugh, had already passed away in 2010, but he was convicted of possession and sale of drugs in 1990. He also pleaded guilty to one of the three misdemeanor counts of molesting a child. Shrouded with mystery, the investigation into the Clouse homicides remains open and active, with the authorities still trying to get to the bottom of the case.
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