Cuero Online News | June 10, 2026
AUSTIN – The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) is seeking help from the public to identify the remains of a woman found in rural Refugio Co. in the early 1990s and hold those responsible for her death accountable. The reward for information leading to an arrest for her murder is now increased to $6,000 if the tip is received before the next featured Texas Rangers cold case is announced. Anyone with information is asked to please come forward.
On March 2, 1992, a pipeline construction crew found the remains of the unidentified woman on a ranch along FM 2678, about four miles east of Refugio. The woman, whose remains were covered by dense brush, had died from a gunshot wound. Clothing found at the scene included a long coat, black leotards, a short black dress, a red belt, white knee-high boots and a red earring. No identification for the woman was found with her body. Based on forensic examinations, investigators believe the woman was white or Hispanic, between 20 and 35 years old and about 5 feet 3 inches tall. They also believe the woman’s remains had been at the location between one and three years before she was discovered.
For decades, investigators with the Refugio Co. Sheriff’s Office and the Texas Rangers have tried to identify the woman and arrest her killer. In 2020, forensic artists used new anthropological analysis to produce an updated facial reconstruction image of the woman, hoping to generate more leads in her case. The image is an approximate likeness based on data obtained from that analysis, and hairstyle, hair color and eye color are all open to interpretation and may be different. To date, no identifications or arrests have been made.
Law enforcement continues exploring forensic testing as they are actively investigating this case and believe members of the community have information that could help them identify this woman and those responsible for her murder.
Funded by the Governor’s Public Safety Office, Texas Crime Stoppers offers cash rewards to any person who provides information that leads to the arrest of those responsible for any Texas Rangers cold case listed on the DPS website — which provides information on more than 140 cases to garner public interest in unsolved or cold cases.
To be eligible for cash rewards for this case, tipsters MUST provide information to authorities using one of these two methods:
- Call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477).
- Submit a tip online through this link only and select “Cold Cases Featured” and “Cold Case” in the type of crime and offense type sections.
As part of a DPS public awareness program, one case from the Texas Ranger Unsolved Crimes Investigation (Cold Case) Program is featured bi-monthly to generate new investigative leads and bring attention to these cold cases. Texas Crime Stoppers rewards are increased to up to $6,000 for featured cases to generate additional tips. The higher reward will only be paid if the tip is submitted before the next cold case is featured.
The Texas Ranger Unsolved Crimes Investigation Program was created to assist Texas law enforcement agencies in investigating unsolved homicides or violent serial crimes. Since there is no statute of limitations for the offense of murder, investigators pursue these cases to a successful resolution or until no viable leads remain.