DPS, Rangers Seeks Information In 1995 Slaying Of Beloved Teacher

AUSTIN – The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) is seeking information in the 1995 cold case homicide of Mary Catherine Edwards.

An increased reward of up to $6,000 is being offered for information that leads to the arrest of those responsible for her death if the tip is received before the next featured Texas Rangers cold case is announced.

A $3,000 reward for information leading to an arrest is routinely offered on all cases on the Texas Rangers Unsolved Homicides website.

Edwards, 31, was a well-loved teacher who lived alone in Beaumont. She was last seen on the evening of Friday, Jan. 13, 1995.

The following day, she didn’t respond to phone calls, so her parents went to her house on Park Meadow Street to check on her.

When they arrived, they found Edwards drowned in her bathroom. She had been sexually assaulted and killed.

Texas Rangers and Beaumont detectives have worked diligently on this case; however, all leads have been exhausted, and the case remains unsolved.

The Rangers are asking for the public’s help to solve the case.

To be eligible for cash rewards, tipsters MUST provide information to authorities by calling the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477). All tips are anonymous.

Individuals can also submit information through the Texas Rangers cold case website or by phone at 1-800-346-3242 (Missing Persons Hotline).

The DPS Texas Rangers Unsolved Homicides website provides information on more than 125 cases in an effort to garner public interest in unsolved or cold cases.

Texas Crime Stoppers offers rewards (funded by the Governor’s Criminal Justice Division and administered by DPS) of up to $3,000 for information that leads to the arrest of those responsible for any Rangers cold cases listed on the website.

As part of a DPS public awareness program, one case from the Texas Ranger Unsolved Crimes Investigation (Cold Case) Program will be featured bi-monthly in an effort to generate new investigative leads and bring attention to these cold cases.

The Texas Crime Stoppers reward is increased up to $6,000 for the featured case in hopes that the higher reward money will generate additional tips. The higher reward amount will only be paid if the tip is submitted before the next 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.

For more information, visit the Texas Rangers cold case website.

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.