Texas Murder Case Solved After DNA Match and Genetic Genealogy Leads to Former Police Officer's Nephew
A gruesome murder in Texas that had gone cold for nearly 30 years has been solved thanks to a combination of carefully preserved DNA from the crime scene, genetic genealogy, and a chilling twist. Mary Catherine Edwards, 31, a beloved elementary school teacher, was found dead in her townhouse in Beaumont on January 14th, 1995. Her parents discovered her lifeless body in the bathtub, handcuffed, with evidence of a brutal sexual assault.
The presence of police-grade Smith & Wesson handcuffs, which were never found on any suspect at first, sent shockwaves through the investigation team. Initially, detectives suspected that Edwards might know her killer since there was no sign of forced entry. The serial numbers from the handcuffs proved elusive, and even questioning fellow law enforcement officers yielded nothing.
The case went cold, leaving many to wonder if someone they knew could be behind the heinous crime. Detectives Det. Aaron Lewallen and his wife Tina Lewallen, along with Texas Ranger Brandon Bess, and professional genealogist Shera LaPoint collaborated tirelessly for almost three months to crack the case.
Their persistence was rewarded when a DNA match revealed that Clayton Foreman, Edwards' former high school classmate, was likely at the scene of the crime. What's more, Foreman had previously married Edwards' identical twin sister Allison and had been friends with Dianna Coe, who knew Edwards well.
Coe's recollections painted a disturbing picture of her ex-husband Clayton Foreman. He allegedly kept handcuffs and billy clubs in his home for "protection" and even discussed the murder on the phone with Coe after it happened. The unsettling conversations between Coe and Foreman raised suspicions, making them a prime suspect.
The turning point came when Lewallen, Bess, and LaPoint used the original police-grade handcuffs taken as evidence to create a composite family tree of Foreman's relatives. This breakthrough revealed that Foreman had claimed to be a police officer at one point in his life and led investigators to re-examine their previous leads.
On the day of the arrest, Lewallen and Bess used the same handcuffs to confront Foreman, who was subsequently arrested for Edwards' murder. The symbolic use of the handcuffs, which had bound Edwards on that fateful night, served as a powerful reminder of justice being served.
Foreman's conviction came after a swift deliberation from the jury, with him sentenced to life in prison. The case serves as a haunting reminder of how DNA technology and genetic genealogy can be used to bring closure to families torn apart by brutal crimes.
A gruesome murder in Texas that had gone cold for nearly 30 years has been solved thanks to a combination of carefully preserved DNA from the crime scene, genetic genealogy, and a chilling twist. Mary Catherine Edwards, 31, a beloved elementary school teacher, was found dead in her townhouse in Beaumont on January 14th, 1995. Her parents discovered her lifeless body in the bathtub, handcuffed, with evidence of a brutal sexual assault.
The presence of police-grade Smith & Wesson handcuffs, which were never found on any suspect at first, sent shockwaves through the investigation team. Initially, detectives suspected that Edwards might know her killer since there was no sign of forced entry. The serial numbers from the handcuffs proved elusive, and even questioning fellow law enforcement officers yielded nothing.
The case went cold, leaving many to wonder if someone they knew could be behind the heinous crime. Detectives Det. Aaron Lewallen and his wife Tina Lewallen, along with Texas Ranger Brandon Bess, and professional genealogist Shera LaPoint collaborated tirelessly for almost three months to crack the case.
Their persistence was rewarded when a DNA match revealed that Clayton Foreman, Edwards' former high school classmate, was likely at the scene of the crime. What's more, Foreman had previously married Edwards' identical twin sister Allison and had been friends with Dianna Coe, who knew Edwards well.
Coe's recollections painted a disturbing picture of her ex-husband Clayton Foreman. He allegedly kept handcuffs and billy clubs in his home for "protection" and even discussed the murder on the phone with Coe after it happened. The unsettling conversations between Coe and Foreman raised suspicions, making them a prime suspect.
The turning point came when Lewallen, Bess, and LaPoint used the original police-grade handcuffs taken as evidence to create a composite family tree of Foreman's relatives. This breakthrough revealed that Foreman had claimed to be a police officer at one point in his life and led investigators to re-examine their previous leads.
On the day of the arrest, Lewallen and Bess used the same handcuffs to confront Foreman, who was subsequently arrested for Edwards' murder. The symbolic use of the handcuffs, which had bound Edwards on that fateful night, served as a powerful reminder of justice being served.
Foreman's conviction came after a swift deliberation from the jury, with him sentenced to life in prison. The case serves as a haunting reminder of how DNA technology and genetic genealogy can be used to bring closure to families torn apart by brutal crimes.
. its crazy how genetic genealogy can solve cases that are thought to be unsolvable. anyway, im just glad Mary Catherine's family got some closure after all these years 
. I mean, we're talking about a cold case here that's gone unsolved for 30 years. Can we really trust that the original DNA evidence wasn't contaminated or mishandled? And what's with the timeline on Clayton Foreman marrying Allison Edwards' twin sister? That just seems too convenient to me 
.
.
. It's like, what happened to good old-fashioned detective work? This Foreman guy was basically a suspect from the get-go because of his weird connections to Edwards, but it took years for them to figure out he was the killer... and it was only because some amateur genealogist chipped in with their family tree skills 
.
. The handcuffs being a crucial piece of evidence was like, a total game-changer 
.
. But what's even more chilling is that he had the same kind of "protection" stuff in his own home 
. Foreman's conviction is well-deserved 
.
. And now he's paying the price for it, which is a good thing, right? 
. I mean, I've seen some weird stuff in my time online but this takes the cake (or should I say, the handcuffs?) 
.
Guess that's what they mean by "protection" 
so many twists and turns in this story too Foreman's alibi being his police officer claim had me thinking he was gonna get away with it 
but dna is like 100% accurate now which is insane 
what's crazy is how Coe's recollections played a huge role in getting him arrested 
anyway glad this nightmare is over for the Edwards family 
so yeah forensic experts are literally superheroes 
, another one bites the dust... I mean, I guess this is good news for Mary Catherine's family or whatever. A 30-year-old cold case? That's just wild 
. The fact that they used DNA and genetic genealogy to solve the case is just so... predictable 
. And don't even get me started on Foreman's "protection" collection 
. I mean, who keeps handcuffs and billy clubs at home for protection? That's just a recipe for disaster 
. And now Clayton Foreman's gonna spend life in prison for what he did 
. It's like a real-life Sherlock Holmes story 
! [![A simple diagram of a tree with a circle around it] Family Tree ]
.
and now he'll have to live with that for the rest of his life... anyway, I'm just glad justice was served and Mary Catherine Edwards' family can finally find some closure 
what a relief!
.