A Texas murder victim has been identified – some 43 years after she was fatally shot and dumped by the side of a highway.
Texas Department of Public Safety investigators on Monday identified the woman as Betty Jo Norris, a 44-year-old mom who was found dead in September 1983.
The case had been cold for the past two decades but a breakthrough came in July thanks to advanced DNA testing and genealogy research, DPS announced.
Investigators were able to track down a family member in Belton, who said their mom had gone missing in the early 1980s.
The family member provided a DNA sample and it turned out that he was Norris’ son.
“After 43 years, Betty Jo Norris has her name back, and her family finally has an answer,” Hamilton County Sheriffs said.
The case is not closed, however, as authorities continue to hunt for the killer who carried out the “brutal” murder.
Norris’ skeletal remains were discovered by ranchers near Highway 36 in Hamilton County.
They reported that the skeleton was wearing female-like clothes.
Evidence found at the scene included brown-knee length boots, a blue and white polka dot blouse, blue jeans and a Timex watch with a brown strap.
Investigators also discovered bobby pins and two barrettes containing orange roses.
Norris’ body was found on Sept. 1 1983, but investigators believed the body had been by the side of the highway for several months because of the state of decomposition.
Authorities tried to identify the victim but DNA testing didn’t result in a positive identification.
The case went cold between 2005 and 2024 before investigators started reprocessing evidence.
That led to investigators to find DNA belonging to a man on her clothes.
But the sample was degraded, which meant it couldn’t be processed and there were no further leads.
Texas investigators then used funding from the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative program – which allowed for further research, ultimately leading to her son, who is in his 60s.
