{"id":2723,"date":"2026-05-27T20:02:05","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T20:02:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=2723"},"modified":"2026-05-27T20:02:05","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T20:02:05","slug":"dna-evidence-links-texas-inmate-serving-life-sentence-to-1986-cold-case-murder-of-dallas-woman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=2723","title":{"rendered":"DNA evidence links Texas inmate serving life sentence to 1986 cold case murder of Dallas woman"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n article<\/span><\/div>

Ruby Battee, Marvin Lee Holloway (Source: Dallas Police Department)<\/span> <\/p> <\/div><\/div> <\/div>

DALLAS<\/strong> – <\/span>DNA evidence has linked a man currently serving a life sentence for a 1988 murder to the sexual assault and slaying of a Dallas woman nearly 40 years ago, authorities said Wednesday.<\/p>

Read more NE Harris County: Woman\u2019s husband killed by her child\u2019s father<\/a><\/p>

Marvin Lee Holloway is now facing a charge of capital murder in the May 27, 1986, death of Ruby Battee.<\/p>

Cold case solved<\/strong><\/h2>
<\/div>

The backstory:<\/p>

Battee was murdered and sexually assaulted after an unidentified suspect forcefully entered her residence. Investigators at the time found little evidence to identify a suspect, though viable DNA was located on Battee’s clothing. Due to the limitations of forensic technology in the 1980s, no concrete evidence could be extracted from the samples at the time.<\/p>

The breakthrough came in January 2025, when Dallas homicide detectives submitted previously untested items, including swabs from a sexual assault examination and clothing from the crime scene, to the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification.<\/p>

On April 13, 2026, detectives were notified that a partial male DNA profile had been developed and entered into the national Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) database. Less than a month later, on May 5, Dallas Police Detective Andrea Isom was notified of a CODIS match pointing to Holloway.<\/p>

Read more 85-year-old hailed as hero after foiling alleged kidnapping attempt, suspect arrested<\/a><\/p>

Holloway was arrested in 1988 for the murder of his co-worker, Emily Proctor, and was sentenced to life in prison in May 1989.<\/p>

Following the DNA match, Isom obtained a search warrant for a new DNA sample from Holloway. On May 13, 2026, Isom and her partner, Detective David Grubbs, traveled to a Texas Department of Criminal Justice facility in Beeville, Texas, where Holloway is incarcerated.<\/p>

In addition to collecting the DNA sample, the detectives questioned Holloway about Battee\u2019s murder. Based on the new evidence, Isom secured a murder warrant for Holloway.<\/p>

What they’re saying:<\/p>

“The Dallas Police Department houses some of the world\u2019s best detectives,” Dallas Police Chief Comeaux said in a statement. “They are meticulous, patient, and leave no stone unturned when it comes to investigating cold cases\u2014especially ones where hope seems lost. I hope this serves as a reminder to victims as well as criminals who believe they have gotten away with their crimes. Justice will come.”<\/p>

Read more Helicopter crashes near Denton County training facility<\/a><\/p> <\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

DNA evidence has linked a man currently serving a life sentence for a 1988 murder to the sexual assault and slaying of a Dallas woman nearly 40 years ago, authorities said Wednesday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2721,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,8,12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2723","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-crime-and-public-safety","category-news","category-texas"],"yoast_head":"\nDNA evidence links Texas inmate serving life sentence to 1986 cold case murder of Dallas woman - Houston Moving Journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=2723\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"DNA evidence links Texas inmate serving life sentence to 1986 cold case murder of Dallas woman - 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