Carol Skidmore, missing for nearly five decades, has been positively identified after skeletal remains found in Florida were linked to her through DNA testing.
The Austin County Sheriff’s Office announced the match after reviewing cold case evidence in coordination with Florida investigators.
Carol, her husband James Ronald Skidmore, and her 5-year-old son left their Sealy, Texas home in March 1977 to visit James’ parents in Rossville, Georgia, in an effort to repair their marriage. On April 9, Carol contacted her parents, saying she wasn’t sure when they would return. That was the last time her family heard from her.
In May 1977, a child’s body was discovered in Parksville Lake, Tennessee, wrapped in plastic and weighed down. The FBI later confirmed the remains were Carol’s son, Lynn Dale Mahaffy. On June 1, 1977, James was found dead in a hotel room in Harrison, Arkansas, from a drug overdose ruled a suicide. His note stated, “things weren’t working out for him.” Authorities were unable to locate Carol at the time, and a missing person report was filed.
Decades later, in 2011, the ACSO reopened Carol’s case after a family member inquired about her. Using new DNA technology, investigators collected swabs from Carol’s surviving siblings and entered the profiles into national databases, including CODIS and the Texas Department of Public Safety DNA Index System.
In April 2025, Bay County, Florida, authorities contacted Austin County after unidentified skeletal remains found in 1980 were reexamined using DNA. The remains matched Carol’s family profiles, confirming her identity. Following final examination by an anthropologist, Carol’s remains were returned to Texas in August and reunited with her surviving brother in September, providing long-awaited closure.
The Bay County Sheriff’s Office closed its investigation into the homicide due to no new leads.