# data[].attributes.body
I am super invested in this case now, I can't help it. It's so interesting to me. I'm still looking at it from a news stand point but I am also taking a look at the case itself because there may be something that news or police looked over. Basically I'm doing my own research at the same time I'm doing this assignment.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
At the time on May 12, 2002, Christie Farr, Jennifer Harris's friend was the last person to see her alive in Bonham, Texas. The two women were hanging out at Christie's house. Rainy weather dominated the night, and when Jennifer left Christie's house, she did not tell Christie where she was going. Jennifer was 28 years old and drove a green jeep.

By 2001, Jennifer had married Rob Holman, who she met in high school. Rob followed Jennifer to a Dallas suburb, where she had enrolled in massage therapy school three years earlier. Rob wanted to move back to the small-town lifestyle of Bonham, and Jennifer met James Hamilton at school. James was living with the mother of his child with another baby on the way.

Rob moved back to Bonham, and Jennifer and James opened a massage therapy and wellness studio in Frisco, Texas, which failed. They also began seeing each other romantically. James wanted to marry Jennifer, but their relationship was also rocky. Looking at bankruptcy with the studio and her breakup with James, Jennifer began seeing Rob again, who had found a girlfriend. Rob was seeing both Jennifer and the girlfriend.

On Mother's Day, May 12, 2002, Jennifer visited Christie and left around 8 p.m. Bonham resident, Rhonda Fitzwater, walked her dog nightly. Rhonda was walking down CR 2610 near Lake Bonham, a deserted road, when she spotted a green jeep left empty on the side of this road. Rhonda didn't think much of it until she walked her dog the next night and saw the jeep still there. Rhonda alerted the Bonham police.

The police soon discovered that the jeep belonged to Jennifer Harris. The search for the missing Jennifer commenced for six days with no results. A fisherman found Jennifer's body floating in the Red River on May 18, 2002. An investigation into Jennifer's murder ensued. Police questioned Rob Holman and James Hamilton, and they both denied seeing Jennifer on May 12.

After their questioning, James was at a McDonalds with a friend 50 miles away and passed a lie detector test. Rob agreed to take a polygraph test, but did not take the test. The sheriffs have not charged or arrested either man in relation to Jennifer's murder. Jennifer had told at least one friend that she might be pregnant. Her autopsy stunned the medical examiner and investigators. Jennifer's uterus and other body parts were missing from her body. Jyl Wagner, Jennifer's best friend, and Rob Holman reported that Jennifer had told them she was pregnant by Rob before her murder.

Rob reported that he had last seen Jennifer a month earlier near the Bonham Drive In Movie Theater. There was no evidence that Jennifer had been pregnant. Forensic examiners in Dallas concluded that her missing body parts had been destroyed by turtles and fish during her six days in the Red River. Jennifer's death was ruled homicidal violence without an exact cause of death due to decomposition.

Jennifer's case quickly went cold, while rumors about her murder in Fannin County fired up. Today, a cart with five storage boxes of evidence and a few files related to Jennifer's case sits in the Fannin County sheriff's evidence room. In 2016, Mark Johnson ran for Fannin County Sheriff and made a promise to Jennifer's father, Jerry Harris that he would find Jennifer's killer and renewed Jennifer's investigation. Mark took office in 2017.

Timeline of Events and Evidence:

2002: March, Jennifer moves back to Bonham.

2002: Jennifer is last seen by Christie Farr around 8 p.m. on May 12.

2002: Rhonda Fitzwater sees Jennifer's abandoned jeep on May 13 near the Lake Bonham Hoedown on CR 2610, and on May 14, she see the jeep still there and reports the abandoned jeep to the sheriffs.

2002: May 15, sheriffs question Rob and James.

2002: May 18, A fisherman finds Jennifer's body floating in the Red River badly decomposed.

2002: A distinctive blue marl mud is found on Jennifer's body only in a few places on that part of the Red River.

2002: May 12, a caretaker's cottage 200 yards from where the fisherman discovers Jennifer's body burns down. Investigators at the time believe Jennifer met her killer at the cottage and set the cottage on fire to destroy evidence of the murder.

2002: Jennifer's laptop computer and possibly her clothing were booked into evidence.

2003: Deborah Lambert saw a news report about Jennifer's unsolved murder and reports to police that she saw a girl with reddish-brown hair on the banks of the Red River with three men while driving across a bridge with her mother at 5 p.m. on Mother's Day, Mya 12, 2002.

Two of the men had hold of Jennifer's elbows according to Deborah. It looked like the girl was trying to get away from them, and the men were restraining her. Deborah said she made eye-contact with the girl who looked terrified. Deborah did not call the sheriffs at the time of the sighting because she was too afraid to get involved. Deborah's account does not fit in with the investigator's timeline.

2004: The Texas Rangers investigate Jennifer's murder. The show Deborah a photo lineup of the men she saw with the girl. She identifies Rob Holman. Rob Holman on the advice of his attorney did not speak with the Texas Rangers. The Rangers suspended their investigation in 2005. Their official report says, "No physical evidence, specific cause of death, or credible witnesses link any particular person as a suspect.

2010: Daryl Parker began working on Jennifer's case in 2011 as a lieutenant in the Fannin County Sheriff's office and is now a private investigator on her case without charging a fee.

2011: Daryl Parker excavates the foundation where the cottage burned down and its well, and finds blue marl mud.

2017: Sheriff Mark Johnson reopens Jennifer's case and reports that evidence was mishandled due to lack of experience and training of officers in 2002. Jennifer's laptop and clothing are discovered as missing in the evidence. Evidence from Jennifer's investigation was stored in pods on the sheriff's property. Much of the evidence was found destroyed by water leaks in the pods.

2017: Joe Moura, private investigator and CBS news consultant, is hired and believes the original investigation into Jennifer's murder was extremely weak. He works with Sheriff Mark Johnson and there is no physical evidence in the case, only circumstancial evidence.

Joe believes the caretaker's cottage was not the scene of Jennifer's murder because a fire of that magnitude would attract too much attention on May 12, but Jennifer's body had not been discovered when the cottage burned down. Joe believes that the photo lineup with Deborah Lambert was not conducted correctly, but the Texas Rangers will not comment on an unsolved case. Deborah and her mother are deceased.

Dane Kirby is the Fannin County Sheriff in 2021.

Alyssa Wernick, Jennifer's younger sister, her husband Barry Wernick, a filmmaker, and Jerry Harris, Alyssa and Jennifer's father, have been working with investigators for 19 years to try to solve this murder. In 2017, Barry began production on a TV miniseries documentary that is now in postproduction, Justice for Jennifer.

Jennifer Harris's murder remains unsolved. The Harris family, City of Bonham, Fannin County, and all of the investigators past and present have theories, persons of interest, suspects, and witness testimonies, which lead to different conclusions. Jennifer's murder is listed as an unsolved Texas Rangers Case, and her case is still open in the Fannin County sheriff's office.

Barry and Alyssa Wernick have raised $50,000 in reward money. Jennifer's case heated up from 2017-2019, but is now on ice again. Jennifer's case has impacted the Texoma town and county like no other in recent history, and residents want this case to come to a close, and Jennifer's family wants answers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tK5BFTkBpd4

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jennifer-harris-2002-unsolved-murder-case-is-the-talk-of-small-texas-town/

https://mytruecrimestories.com/2019/10/08/corruption-or-inexperienced-the-jennifer-harris-cold-case/

https://redrabbitjustice.com/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
At the time on May 12, 2002, Christie Farr, Jennifer Harris's friend was the last person to see her alive in Bonham, Texas. The two women were hanging out at Christie's house. Rainy weather...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
While Jennifer Harris-Holman's autopsy didn't detail exactly how she died, it revealed a violent murderer, and an "extremely unusual" crime. According to the autopsy, her uterus was missing. It is thought to have been removed by the killer.

BONHAM - Investigators say Jennifer Harris-Holman's murder is laced with sickening details.

"They could have shot her," said Jim Holloway, a private investigator. "They could have stabbed her. They didn't have to do what they did."

Harris-Holman, 28, was Jerry Harris' oldest child. She used to live in Lewisville and co-owned a wellness center in Frisco.

But on Mother's Day in 2002, Harris-Holman was murdered in Fannin County, which was where she had recently moved in with her grandmother. Six days later, fishermen found her nude body in the Red River.

"Justice will never be served because I'm not going to get Jennifer back," Harris said.

Harris, 61, said he thinks his daughter was newly pregnant at the time of her death.

While Harris-Holman's autopsy didn't detail exactly how she died, it revealed a violent killer and an "extremely unusual" crime.

According to the autopsy, her uterus was missing. It is thought to have been removed by the killer.

Now, the Harris-Holman case has gone cold in Fannin County.

Despite thousands of hours of investigation by deputies, the Texas Rangers and the investigators from the Texas Attorney General's Office, no one has ever been charged in her murder.

But Harris said he thinks more can be done. He wants her jeans, blouse and bra - which were found months later with trace amounts of degraded DNA - retested with a new procedure called Y-STR DNA testing. That test was unavailable in 2002.

"It's nothing ventured, nothing gained," he said.

"Technology has changed a lot," Holloway said. "Let's try this again."

In Fort Worth, the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification said it can perform the test only if the Fannin County Sheriff's Office requests it through Texas Department of Public Safety. It's free for law enforcement, a spokesman at the forensics laboratory said.

Sheriff Kenneth Moore, who keeps part of Harris-Holman's case file in his own office, said he absolutely supports retesting the old evidence.

"We can have that done," he said. "That's just a matter of driving that property that was found down to Dallas."

Moore said it could happen within a week.

Harris and Holloway have their own suspect in mind in Harris-Holman's murder. It's an individual, the sheriff said, who has been interviewed three times over the years, but who has never been charged.

Moore said the motive in the murder is unknown to investigators. It remains Fannin County's only unsolved murder.

The retested DNA could eliminate or incriminate. Either way, it will hopefully crack the cold case that has tortured Jerry Harris for seven years.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Father wants evidence retested in cold case

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
While Jennifer Harris-Holman's autopsy didn't detail exactly how she died, it revealed a violent murderer, and an "extremely unusual" crime. According to the autopsy, her uterus was missing. It is thought to have been removed by the killer.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Saturday marks 16 years since Jennifer Harris disappeared. After months of work behind the scenes, a 48 Hours episode featuring her unsolved murder will air May 19 at 9 p.m. CT.

Her father, Jerry Harris, told News12 he's not sure what will come of the show airing, but that the process of sharing Jennifer's story with the rest of the nation is a comforting one.

"It hasn't gotten easier over the years but I've gotten to where I can deal with it a lot better," Harris said.

28-year-old Jennifer was last seen alive on Mother's Day 2002.

Six days later, her body was discovered in the Red River.

"Her life was taken and disposed of at the hands of someone, I believe that she knew really well," Fannin County Sheriff Mark Johnson said. "Then it became a long haunting case for Fannin County that no one's ever solved."

Johnson took office in 2017. Jennifer's case remains front and center of his mind every day he comes into work.

"The question always comes to mind: how?" Johnson said. "How could something so important be so messed up?"

Contaminated evidence, or evidence missing altogether like her laptop.

Johnson admitted it looks suspicious.

"It's gone. It's not to be found. We got computers, cell phones, and things missing. Laptop computer and things that are not here. There was a question of an officer one time that was an investigator in the case that wanted to buy that laptop," Johnson said. "And when he left nobody ever saw the laptop again."

But mainly mismanagement, that he attributes more to ego and inexperience.

Johnson told us he promised Jennifer's father he would bring in outside experts to give fresh life to the case, and began working with 48 Hours in March of last year.

They're both looking forward to Jennifer's case finally going national.

"It was a great relief to find out that it was finally done and it was going to be televised," Harris said. "I'm grateful to 48 hours for doing the show."

"If you know anything I would ask that you come forward and help us solve this case," Johnson said. "Help us solve this case. Put Jennifer's murder to rest once and for all and give her daddy Jerry Harris the peace that he needs in his heart."

Jennifer's family and the Sheriff's Office have combined forces to offer a $50,000 reward to bring her killer to justice. They're now trying to raise that reward to $250,000.

You can find the link to help them attached to this story.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Jennifer Harris cold case murder to be featured on 48 Hours

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Saturday marks 16 years since Jennifer Harris disappeared. After months of work behind the scenes, a 48 Hours episode featuring her unsolved murder will air May 19 at 9 p.m. CT.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Unsolved murder case is the talk of small Texas town 17 years later

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In Bonham, Texas, the Jennifer Harris case has become folklore -- the 2002 murder is one of the oldest and coldest murder cases in Fannin County, where many are devoted to solving it

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
When Jennifer Harris suddenly disappeared on May 12, 2002, the police thought they had a missing person case on their hands. However, the discovery of the girl's jeep and subsequently her deceased body upped the investigation into a terrifying homicide. In a case that has puzzled law enforcement as well as citizens of Fannin County, Texas, the circumstances surrounding Jennifer's death were as mysterious as the disappearance itself. CBS' '48 Hours: Murder on Red River' chronicles the strange case and follows the investigation determined to bring closure to the grieving family. If you are curious about this specific case and want to know more, we have you covered.

How Did Jennifer Harris Die?

Jennifer Harris was a much-loved 28-year-old woman who was living some of the best years of her life. Although she was divorced from her high school sweetheart and husband, Rob Holman, she was looking forward to life around the time of her disappearance. The show mentions that Jennifer even had an ex-boyfriend, James Hamilton, in her life and that she had said she was pregnant before vanishing. Described to be lively, animated, and down to earth, Jennifer Harris was adored by the community and is sorely missed to this very day.

Before her disappearance, Jennifer earned a Bachelor's Degree of Science in Nutrition from the Stephen F. Austin University. She was also running her own massage and wellness center in Frisco, Texas. During her disappearance, she had returned to her hometown of Bonham, Texas, and was residing with her grandmother. On May 12, 2002, Jennifer stepped out of her residence and was never seen or heard from again. A family member later stated that Jennifer had told her that she was going to meet another person. Along with Jennifer, her Jeep Wrangler too was missing as the girl was driving her car to her destination.

With no news of Jennifer and no way to contact the missing girl, her grandmother, sick with concern, contacted authorities on May 13. An unrelated caller called in the location of an abandoned Jeep, and the police found the missing girl's car near Lake Bonham Hoe Down Hall. However, even with law enforcement, friends, and family painstakingly searching the surrounding areas, there was no news about the missing girl's whereabouts.

The search went on for a few days until a breakthrough surfaced six days after the disappearance. On May 18, local fishermen noticed something floating down the Red River. On closer inspection, they were shocked to find Jennifer Harris' lifeless and naked body. The body was gradually decomposing, and the medical examiners even found the uterus to be missing. Upon further examination, the nature of death was fixed as being a homicide, although the immediate cause of death was never discovered.

Who Killed Jennifer Harris?

Jennifer Harris' case is still under investigation, and the police haven't made any arrests so far. Initial suspicion fell on the men in Jennifer's life, James Hamilton and Rob Holman. However, both denied being involved in the murder and insisted on their innocence. Rob Holman told authorities that he was driving around for a few hours during the time of the disappearance and did not have anyone else to confirm his alibi. Still, the police later confirmed that they had ruled Holman out through their investigation.

On the other hand, Hamilton claimed that he and a friend were at a McDonald's restaurant about an hour away from Bonham. Subsequently, he was subjected to a rigorous lie detection test but passed it easily, thus ticking his name off the list of suspects. The police speculated that the missing uterus might hint at the killer trying to hide Jennifer's pregnancy. This theory gave rise to numerous unconfirmed small-town rumors, which did not help the case. However, surprisingly, the police later found out that the turtles and fish in the river were responsible for harming her uterus and other internal organs.

There was also an unsubstantiated rumor about the District Attorney being involved in the crime, which even led to the DA losing his job. Over the months following Jennifer's death, the police pursued multiple theories and looked at the case from all angles but to no avail. A year later, a woman named Deborah Lambert contacted police and told them that on May 12, 2002, she saw three guys with a girl near the Red River. According to Deborah, the girl had reddish-brown hair and was trying her best to get away from the men. However, even this lead led to a dead end.

After CBS portrayed the case on its show, '48 Hours,' the police received another tip from a person who said that around the time of Jennifer's disappearance in May, he had seen a local Bonham resident standing near the Red River with two garbage bags. The tipster even mentioned that the man had a van and quickly sped away after he was spotted. The police, however, claimed that they had no way to confirm the story.

Unfortunately, even to this day, the murder remains unsolved, with most of the evidence spoiled because water had leaked into one of the storage pods. However, there are numerous people working on her case at present, determined to bring closure to the family. Jennifer's family and loved ones still keep her in their prayers and hope that the killer who snuffed out their girl's vibrant life will be brought to justice in the future.
Read More: Larry Holman Murder: Where Are Tammy Holman and Charlie Miller Now?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
When Jennifer Harris suddenly disappeared on May 12, 2002, the police thought they had a missing person case on their hands. However, the discovery of the girl's jeep and subsequently her deceased body upped the investigation into a terrifying homicide. In a case that has puzzled law enforcement as well as citizens of Fannin County, [...]

# data[].attributes.body
Was the uterus surgically removed? If so, why wasn't it noted and why did a Dallas forensics employee say it was freshwater life that removed it?

# data[].attributes.body
Why would fresh water fish go INSIDE the body? And why was only one organ eaten? What fresh water fish would live in the red river and eat meat?

# data[].attributes.headline
Why was the sheriffs department so negligent? 

# data[].attributes.subject
Why was the sheriffs department so negligent? 

# data[].attributes.body
Why did they not take notes? Why were some excluded? Were they hiding something or just lazy?

# data[].attributes.body
For her uterus to have been removed, someone would have had to have some basic knowledge of anatomy. At the time, ex-husband was a landscaper and therefore most likely didn't have that much knowledge. But the ex-boyfriend was a massage therapist as well and would have had at least some knowledge about the anatomy.

# data[].attributes.body
Ex-Boyfriend said he was 50 miles away from where she was found at a McDonald's with some friends. Passed a polygraph test however alibi was never verified. Listed below are the towns that are within that 50 mile radius. Ex-boyfriend also asked her father about her life insurance policy. Asked her to marry him - she said no. Motive could be rejection of proposal.

1. Sherman, Texas

2. Paris, Texas

3. Greenville, Texas

4. McKinney, Texas

5. Denison, Texas

6. Durant, Oklahoma (just across the state border)

Was living with the mother of his child (rumors that he had another one on the way)

Was he the abusive one?

Multiple proposals to which she would deny them each time.

# data[].attributes.body
Most likely abusive - Jennifer called her sister and told her that he had assaulted her and punch 5 holes in the wall. He claims she was the abusive one.

Alibi is terrible - said he went to get a beer and then drove the back roads of Fannin County for 5 hours. No one to verify this story but offered to take a polygraph test. Said he didn't see her on Mother's day as he had plans with his girlfriend.

Went from saying he never saw her to he may have seen her jeep coming from town.

Married in 1996 - high school sweethearts

# data[].attributes.body
Told one friend that she was pregnant as well as her ex-husband. After he was interviewed AGAIN but with a lawyer this time he said he didn't believe she was pregnant.

What level of decomp was she in? Would that have resulted in her uterus being removed? Were other organs eaten or just that one was missing?

# data[].attributes.body
Lambert was driving across the bridge with her mother and saw what she believed was Harris-Holman with three men with 2 holding the victim by her elbows. Her mother saw it too and said "that girl's fixin to get raped and killed."

Did not speak up until a year later due to fear of retaliation.

She said that was around 5-6pm but Jennifer didn't leaver her friends place until around 8pm. So who is correct?

# data[].attributes.body
Jennifer was described as beautiful, lively, kind, a goofball, a free spirit. She was 28 years old. It is said that she wanted to get out of the small town and loved living in the city of Dallas but her ex-husband did not and wanted to go back to Bonham but she didn't want to go.

At the time during their separation, she met her ex-boyfriend James Hamilton and they opened a massage therapy and wellness center. It went bankrupt and so she left for her grandmothers home to stay there.

She may have been having an affair with her ex-husband (who she had been with since she was in 6th grade and he was in 5th grade) and was having relations at least 4-5 times since Christmas 2001.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Bonham is a city located in Fannin County Texas. Bonham has a 2024 population of 11,053. It is also the county seat of Fannin County. Bonham is currently growing at a rate of 1.41% annually and its population has increased by 5.88% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 10,439 in 2020.

The average household income in Bonham is $80,451 with a poverty rate of 16.37%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to - per month, and the median house value is -. The median age in Bonham is 36.4 years, 36 years for males, and 36.6 years for females.

Bonham Demographics

According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Bonham was:

White: 78.47%

Black or African American: 12.84%

Two or more races: 5.34%

Other race: 2.48%

Asian: 0.7%

Native American: 0.17%

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0%

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Bonham is a city located in Fannin County Texas. Bonham has a 2024 population of 11,053. It is also the county seat of Fannin County. Bonham is currently growing at a rate of 1.41% annually and its population has increased by 5.88% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 10,439 in 2020.

# data[].attributes.body
Theory is strangulation but her death was ruled as "violent homicide"

# data[].attributes.body
there were only 2 spots within miles that the mud could've been found.