Front Page Detectives
or
Sign in with lockrMail
BREAKING NEWS

DNA evidence leads to arrest in cold case murder: Victim was bridesmaid in suspect’s wedding, police say

texas cold
Source: Texas Rangers; Franklin County jail

May 7 2021, Published 9:02 a.m. ET

Link to FacebookShare to XShare to FlipboardShare to Email

Nearly three decades ago, Mary Catherine Edwards was murdered in her Texas home.

“It was sad hearing that because she was a real nice lady, and when I did hear it on the news the state that they found her in, that was horrible,” the 31-year-old Beaumont elementary teacher’s former student, Malcom Wells, recently told KBMT.

Article continues below advertisement

In January 1995, Edwards was found drowned in a bathtub with her hands handcuffed behind her back. Police were never able to make any arrests in the case — until now.

According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by KBMT, investigators used DNA extracted from semen found at the crime scene and recently uploaded it to the genealogy database GEDmatch. They then were able to work their way up a family tree, starting with distant relatives of a possible suspect. 

Article continues below advertisement

Recently, the investigators were able to narrow down their list of suspects to just one person: 61-year-old Clayton Foreman.

“DNA collected from the trash run of Clayton Foreman's residence” in Reynoldsburg, Ohio, “is a match to the DNA extracted from the semen collected from Edwards' body in 1995,” the affidavit states. 

MORE ON:
Murder

It turned out the two had a close connection: “She was a bridesmaid in his wedding” to his first wife, “so he knew her," Jefferson County District Attorney Bob Wortham told KBMT. 

Article continues below advertisement

Investigators also learned Foreman was arrested and pleaded guilty to a rape in 1981 that had “numerous similarities” to Edwards’ murder, according to the affidavit.

“First, Edwards and the first victim both went to high school with the suspect. Secondly, their hands were bound behind their back. Thirdly, both were sexually assaulted,” the report states.

Foreman faces charges of capital murder and is expected to be extradited back to Jefferson County, Texas.

Advertisement

Become a Front Page Detective

Sign up to receive breaking
Front Page Detectives
news and exclusive investigations.

More Stories

Opt-out of personalized ads

© Copyright 2024 FRONT PAGE DETECTIVES™️. A DIVISION OF MYSTIFY ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK INC. FRONT PAGE DETECTIVES is a registered trademark. All rights reserved. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service, Privacy Policy and Cookies Policy. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services. Offers may be subject to change without notice.