Montgomery County crime: New break in 'brutal' 37-year-old cold case, family speaks on the 'execution'
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas - In 1986, Montgomery County investigators found the body of a man shot multiple times, including through the skull, dumped in a Crater lake.
The body was weighted down by cement blocks, tied to the body with electrical cords.
SUGGESTED: Houston road rage shooting: Family members identify victim killed in weekend incident
For 37 years, investigators had no idea who the man was. They put out a sketch and even examined the remains in 2015 to be tested.
They pulled mitochondrial DNA from the remains, but got no matches, so they re-buried the man.
Recently, investigators got access to some new means of technology. The remains were taken to Othram Lab in The Woodlands, where they successfully got more DNA from Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy (FIGG).
The results were used to identify the man as Clarence Wilson, who has family in California.
Gwen Tranum says she and her family looked for her brother, Wilson, for years after he disappeared in 1985.
"I called the prison system in Texas, and they said no there's no one in Texas with that name and social security number," she said.
They even hired a private investigator, but couldn't find Wilson. She knew her brother had gone to Texas, so she figured he didn't want to be found, and accepted it.
"He's out there somewhere in Texas and if he wants to notify us he will," she said.
She got a notification, but it wasn't from Wilson, it was from Montgomery County detective Fadi Rizk.
"He said to me, do you have any missing relatives? And I said yeah my brother's been gone 37 years with no contact," she said. "He asked me if I would submit a DNA [sample], because he was working a cold case, a murder cold case."
She found out about Wilson's murder, and learned he had spent some time in prison in Texas as well. Shocking and long-awaited insight into what happened to her brother.
"This new technology is a game changer," said Detective Rizk.
He says identifying Wilson is a huge step in the investigation that gives him hope that the case can be solved.
"I hope to identify all unidentified people using this technology and bring closure to families," he said.
Tranum says the brutality of this case is hard to handle. She's lost family members before, but thinking of this execution-style murder and cover-up, makes her want justice.
"I think the brutality of the whole thing, I think that was the hardest part," she said. "If you know something, just come forward and tell you what you know, and maybe they can find someone, and we can have closure."
If you recognize Wilson's name or photos, please contact the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office or Detective Rizk directly at (936)-760-5820.
He says any information is helpful.
"If anybody has any information on who Clarence Wilson was, if they knew him personally or know about the homicide, please reach out to me," he says.