Colette Anise Wilson, a 13-year-old girl from Alvin, Texas, tragically disappeared on June 17, 1971, after failing to return home from a summer band camp. Her body was later discovered near Addicks Reservoir in Houston, Texas, having been shot in the head. The discovery of her body came four months after her disappearance, and it was found just 35 yards away from where the body of 19-year-old Gloria Gonzales was later located.
The investigation into Colette's death became part of a
larger inquiry involving multiple unsolved murders of young girls in the area during the early 1970s. Notably, serial killer Edward Harold Bell, who was serving a 70-year sentence for the murder of a former Marine, confessed to killing as many as 11 teenage girls, including Colette. Bell claimed that he was brainwashed by his father into committing these crimes and sent letters to Texas prosecutors in 1998 confessing to the murders. Despite his confessions, Bell was never formally charged with Colette's murder due to insufficient evidence.
The case remains unsolved, and Colette Anise Wilson's tragic death continues to be a poignant reminder of the vulnerability of young girls and the challenges faced by law enforcement in solving such heinous crimes.
