REMAINS OF AUSTIN CO. WOMAN MISSING FOR NEARLY 50 YEARS IDENTIFIED IN FLORIDA
A missing person case from nearly 50 years ago has been closed in Austin County.
The Austin County Sheriff’s Office announced on Tuesday that after working together with investigators in Florida, they were able to positively identify the remains of Carol Skidmore through DNA testing.
Carol, along with her husband, James Ronald Skidmore, and her 5-year-old son, left their home in Sealy in March 1977 to visit James’ parents in Rossville, Georgia, as they wanted to put their marriage back together. Carol contacted her parents on April 9th to let them know she was not sure when they would be back home, but that contact ended up being the last the family had with her.
In May 1977, a child’s body was found in Parksville Lake in Tennessee, wrapped in plastic and weighed down. The FBI confirmed the body was Carol’s son, Lynn Dale Mahaffy. On June 1, 1977, James was found dead in a hotel room in Harrison, Arkansas, due to a drug overdose ruled as a suicide. A note was located with the body stating “things weren’t working out for him.” Carol could not be found, so authorities filed a missing person report.
In January 2011, a family member of Carol reached out to the Austin County Sheriff’s Office about her. Utilizing new technology, DNA swabs were obtained from Carol’s siblings and entered into national databases.
In April 2025, Austin County authorities were contacted by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office in Florida regarding the remains of a female originally located in 1980. While reviewing old cases, a sample from the remains was submitted for a DNA profile, and it matched those from Carol’s siblings. After final examination and confirmation, Carol’s remains were returned to Texas in August and reunited with her family this month.
Due to Carol’s remains being found in Florida, investigation involving the homicide was being handled by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office. The investigation has been closed due to no new evidence or leads.