SILSBEE, Texas — There are new leads in a mother's killing that happened more than 30 years ago.
Investigators sat down for a one-on-one interview with KHOU 11's Grace White for an inside look at the 1988 killing of Caroline Susan Bolen.
"How did you come across this case?" Grace asked.
"It was a fateful beginning to this investigation - that I find a loose sheet of paper in another box," said Brandon Bess with the Texas Rangers.
On that piece of paper was a lab report with the name "Caroline Susan Bolen." It sparked Bess' curiosity. What he found was the chilling details from the town of Silsbee, north of Beaumont, about the young mother's unsolved killing.
“The Silsbee Police Department got a call from Ms. Bolen’s boyfriend," Bess said. "A person she was having a relationship with was driving by her house in July of 1988 and noticed her vehicle was still there, which was unusual.”
Bess said Bolen's boyfriend stopped to check on her and discovered she was dead.
"Was the boyfriend a suspect?" Grace asked.
“Yes, as in any investigation, anyone she was friends with, especially romantic relationships were considered," Bess said.
Eventually, Bess said the boyfriend and other possible suspects were ruled out. Over the years, investigators began to dissect her life, looking for any reason someone would want her dead.
“Ms. Bolen had two kids, a 6-year-old boy and her daughter was probably 9 or 10 at the time. She worked for a local hospital there in Beaumont," Bess said.
She was well-known and well-liked, Bess said, making solving her killing even more confusing.
"This was not a forced entry case that you are looking for here, this is not a robbery that we know of," Bess said.
So, they turned to DNA using Othram, a private lab in The Woodlands, and a grant Silsbee were awarded from a non-profit called "Season of Justice."
“All the DNA that we have that we believe to be suspect DNA was indeed the same person," Bess said.
Now begins the work of forensic genealogy, building out family trees.
"When you have DNA I don’t think any case is unsolvable because everybody is kin to somebody," Bess explained.
It's a fighting chance for a family to finally get answers.
“I’ve not done one of these where we have DNA that we have not solved," Bess said.
The Texas Rangers ask anyone who knew Bolen to give investigators a call at 409-385-3714. They're looking for more details on her life.
You can also submit tips anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-252-8477.
Click here for more information on how to get in touch with investigators.