Catherine Catrina Mowrey, 24, was found dead in Dallas on June 25, 1985, her body discovered wrapped in a stained bedsheet in the trunk of a car parked near the Casa III apartments after an employee reported a suspicious odor. Early on police considered an overdose or suicide, but the medical examiner found no drugs and ruled the cause of death undetermined, leaving investigators uncertain whether Catrina’s death was accidental, self-inflicted, or criminal.

Investigators initially identified a person of interest and theorized someone may have panicked and placed her in the trunk, but the case stalled with no arrests and unanswered inconsistencies. The family reports problems with police record-keeping that at times made the file hard to locate. Catrina’s sister Deborah later died by suicide in 2020 after years of dealing with the trauma and lack of progress; her niece Catrina is actively petitioning Dallas authorities to reopen the investigation.

The case remains open with the Dallas Police Cold Case Division. Does anyone with knowledge of the Casa III area in 1985 or information about Catrina’s last days have details that could help?