The Texas Department of Public Safety is asking the public to help identify a woman whose remains were found in rural Refugio County in 1992 and hold those responsible for her death accountable.
A $6,000 reward is available for information leading to an arrest in her murder, but only if the tip is received before the next featured Texas Rangers cold case is announced.
On March 2, 1992, a pipeline construction crew found the woman's remains on a ranch along FM 2678, about 4 miles east of Refugio. Her remains were covered by dense brush, and she had died from a gunshot wound.
Clothing found at the scene included a long coat, black leotards, a short black dress, a red belt, white knee-high boots and a red earring. No identification was found with her body.
Based on forensic examinations, investigators believe the woman was white or Hispanic, between 20 and 35 years old and about 5 feet 3 inches tall. They also believe her remains had been at the location between 1 and 3 years before she was discovered.
For decades, investigators with the Refugio County Sheriff's Office and the Texas Rangers have worked to identify the woman and arrest her killer. In 2020, forensic artists used new anthropological analysis to produce an updated facial reconstruction image of the woman, hoping to generate more leads. The image is an approximate likeness based on data from that analysis, and hairstyle, hair color and eye color are all open to interpretation and may differ from the woman's actual appearance.
No identifications or arrests have been made.
Law enforcement continues to explore forensic testing and is actively investigating the case. Investigators believe members of the community have information that could help identify the woman and those responsible for her murder.
To be eligible for the cash reward, tipsters must provide information using one of these 2 methods:
- Call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477).
- Submit a tip online at dps.texas.gov and select "Cold Cases Featured" and "Cold Case" in the type of crime and offense type sections.
Texas Crime Stoppers, funded by the Governor's Public Safety Office, offers cash rewards for information leading to arrests in Texas Rangers cold cases listed on the DPS website, which includes more than 140 unsolved cases. Rewards for featured cases are increased to up to $6,000, but the higher reward is only paid if the tip is submitted before the next cold case is featured.
One case from the Texas Ranger Unsolved Crimes Investigation Cold Case Program is featured every 2 months to generate new investigative leads. The program was created to assist Texas law enforcement agencies in investigating unsolved homicides or violent serial crimes. Since there is no statute of limitations for murder, investigators pursue these cases until they are resolved or no viable leads remain.
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