Victim Identified in Decades-Old Central Texas Cold Case
Advanced DNA testing and genealogy led investigators to identify Betty Jo Norris, whose body was found with a gunshot wound more than 40 years ago.
- On Monday, the Texas DPS announced investigators identified the victim of a 1983 Hamilton County cold case as Betty Jo Norris using advanced DNA testing and genealogical research after over 42 years.
- Ranchers working cattle along Highway 36 discovered the skeleton on Sept. 1, 1983, with investigators determining the victim had been shot months earlier; the case went cold after DNA testing available as recently as 2005 failed to yield leads.
- Texas Rangers and the Hamilton County Sheriff reprocessed evidence in January 2024, submitting it to the Texas DPS Crime Laboratory in Waco for testing enabled by the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative and BODE Technologies.
- In July 2026, genealogical research pointed to relatives in Brazos and Bell counties, leading investigators to Norris' son in Belton, who provided a DNA sample confirming the identity on Aug. 20.
- Texas Rangers and the Hamilton County Sheriff are currently investigating the death, "determined to identify who is responsible for her death." Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Hamilton County Communications Office at 254-386-3300.
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Texas Murder Victim ID'd 43 Years After She Was Found Dead
The Texas Department of Public Safety announced Monday a 43-year-old cold case had been solved, resulting in Betty Jo Norris being identified as a 1983 murder victim. According to TX DPS, “On the morning of Sept. 1, 1983, ranchers discovered a The post Texas Murder Victim ID’d 43 Years After She Was Found Dead appeared first on Breitbart.
For more than four decades, the remains found on the banks of a highway in Texas had no name. Now, 43 years later, researchers identified the victim as 44-year-old Betty Jo Norris. She had been shot dead in the head and left in a rural area of Hamilton County, where her remains were found by farmers in September 1983. Humanoid robots face kickboxing champion on TV in France; watch video Sinhalese immigrant is sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia f…
Victim in 1983 Cold Case Murder Identified
AUSTIN, TX — More than 42 years after ranchers discovered a woman's remains in rural Hamilton County, investigators have identified the victim as 44-year-old Betty Jo Norris through modern forensic DNA testing and genealogical research, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. Learn More Here.
Victim in 1983 Hamilton Co. cold case murder identified
CENTRAL TEXAS (FOX 44) – The victim of a brutal murder in Hamilton County dating back to 1983 has been identified. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, modern forensic DNA technology and extensive police work have assisted investigators in this case after more than 42 years. The victim has been identified as 44-year-old [...]
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