HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — From the outside, it looks like any other office building. But on the inside, there is ground-breaking DNA work that can crack cold cases at the Texas Department of Public Safety Crime Lab in northwest Houston.
“Every day is a new day. It’s pretty interesting," forensic scientist Michelle Turner said. "It’s pretty big when a cold case is submitted to us because it gives us that additional chance to possibly find something."
One case recently submitted is the 1981 murder of Karen Douglas.
“It’s pretty rare to get a case like this," Turner said.
Texas Ranger Brandon Bess is helping the Harris County Sheriff's Office with the investigation.
“She’s just a beautiful young mother with a gorgeous new baby with a happy husband, a happy life," Bess said. “It’s unbelievable ... middle of the daytime, good neighborhood, Houston, Texas."
Since KHOU 11 News first reported about the cold case in November 2021, new tips have come in and investigators are hoping new DNA testing will help them zero in on a suspect.
“To see your wife, your wife’s dead body. It's scary," Randy Douglas said.
He was married to Karen and spoke to KHOU 11 News during an interview for our original story.
At 22-years-old, Karen was stabbed to death inside her house on Croteau Drive in northeast Harris County. The couple’s 3-month-old baby was home with her at the time but survived.
“I’ll tell you my gut feeling on this ... I feel like our suspect has watched this show. I think that our suspect has seen this. I believe that he knows we are looking again," Bess said.
It’s the suspect investigators are hoping DNA will help identify. Working in their favor is a ski mask left behind.
“The fact that that thing was left at the scene was just one of those moments, you think wow, we’ve really got something here we can work with," Bess said.
The crime lab showed our cameras a similar ski mask to the one used in the Douglas case to demonstrate how the evidence is processed.
“We actually do get good DNA profiles from ski masks because of the type of fabric that it is, it can hold on to that DNA left by somebody who had skin contact with that fabric," Turner said.
That’s not the only evidence investigators are banking on.
“The bathrobe that Karen was wearing has not been tested, because again, they wouldn’t have thought about DNA back then," Bess said. "The fact that we know the bathrobe got grabbed by the suspect."
There was a sketch of the suspect, but never a name. The forensic team is hoping that’s what a DNA profile will reveal.
Their first step will be running it through law enforcement’s combined DNA index system or CODIS. However, that’s no longer the only option.
“Once we find that DNA, it used to be a showstopper if they weren’t found in CODIS. That’s not even an issue anymore. So what, they’re not in CODIS? We get a good DNA profile, the next step is to begin that genetic genealogy and start building family trees on these cases and find our suspects," Bess said.
KHOU11 News has reported on genetic genealogy solving other Houston area cases. It's a process that can take years, but investigators say they are committed to getting answers for the Douglas family.
If you have any information on this or any other cold cases, contact Texas Crime Stoppers at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477). You can read more about the unsolved homicides Texas Rangers are investigating here.